Former Eliot Engel Aide Declares: “These Are Times That Challenge Us All to Do More, To Take Action”
MOUNT VERNON, NY – On the night that the national Democratic Party sent the Biden-Harris ticket out to take on Trump and his bigotry, Mount Vernon Democrats nominated 27-year-old Tyrae Woodson-Samuels as the next Westchester County Legislator, signaling a strong investment in the next generation of Democratic leadership.
“I want to thank the Mount Vernon Democratic Party and my fellow district leaders for their unanimous support. I’m deeply honored to accept this nomination to carry the Democratic Party banner into the November special election,” said Woodson-Samuels, a native of Mount Vernon. “Like so many of you, I’ve been listening to the messages of our national Democratic Party this week. We are now the only party of real patriotism, true service, and putting the lives of actual Americans first. And we are the only party that will dare to confront racism, sexism, and bigotry in all its forms – including the hatred that comes from the White House. I am thrilled to stand for Mount Vernon Democrats in creating next generation policies that will benefit the residents of the great city of Mount Vernon as well as all of Westchester County.”
Woodson-Samuels is running to fill out the term of former Legislator Lyndon Williams, who was appointed as Mount Vernon city judge by Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard. Woodson-Samuels is a veteran of public service: most recently he served as Deputy Director of Constituent Services for Congressman Eliot Engel, with responsibility for the nearly 500,000 Westchester residents of the 16th Congressional District.
“My candidacy is about the future,” said Woodson-Samuels. “I strongly believe we need innovation, investment, technology, and energetic leadership that brings people together here in Mount Vernon, and throughout our county. Mount Vernon remains a place of great promise and a brighter future. We’ve seen that change begin to happen. I pledge to pursue all the resources and policies necessary at the County level for us to step into that better future together. I will be a hard-working, grind it out, shoe leather ‘pragmatic progressive’ who understands how the levers of government work – and can press them aggressively to deliver for our constituents. One of my top priorities is to continue the work of my predecessor, the Hon. Lyndon Williams, in completing Memorial Field alongside County Executive George Latimer, Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, Senator Jamaal Bailey, Senator Alessandra Biaggi, Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow, Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, the Westchester County Board of Legislators, and the Mount Vernon City Council.”
Woodson-Samuels serves on the Westchester Black Democrats Committee on Legislation, as Caucus of Color Chair for the Westchester Young Democrats, and is Former Second Vice-President of Mount Vernon NAACP, among many other community involvement activities. His decision to run was based on a call to action in his community.
“Yes, I am a young man – a young Black man,” said Woodson-Samuels. “I don’t believe this is a time for waiting. It’s a time for running. Barack Obama did not wait. Kamala Harris did not wait. When the late John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettis Bridge, he was just 25 years old and already a national civil rights leader. We need leadership at the county level that understands this rising generation of leaders, and this moment in our history. I humbly suggest that I can be that leader – and that’s why I’m asking for Mount Vernon’s vote in November. These are times that challenge us all to do more, to take action.”
Woodson-Samuels has deep roots in his community in the south side of Mount Vernon. He attended Nellie Thornton and Pennington Grimes, in Mount Vernon, Iona Preparatory High School in New Rochelle and the historic HBCU, Hampton University in Virginia. He has served as Mount Vernon City Committee District Leader, Community Service Associates Soup Kitchen Board Member, and Fleetwood Neighborhood Association Board Member, among other roles.
Photo Credit: Lohud.com
