FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sept. 21, 2005
Stamford Fundraiser for County Treasurer Candidate
Draws US Congress Candidate - Oct. 7
A fundraiser at The Gallery in Stamford will draw on
live music and guest speakers including a candidate
for US Congress and local Democrats to raise funds
while raising awareness of local issues. Russell
Schebesta, the town clerk for Middletown, will face
Republican incumbent Bev Shields on the ballot for
Delaware County Treasurer on November 8. Supporting
Schebesta's bid for the county seat at the October 7
event will be keynote speaker Kirsten Gillibrand who
has announced her intention of vying for the
Congressional Seat for New York's 20th District, Kelly
Keck and Cynthia Lockrow, candidates for Stamford Town
Board, Denise King of the State Democratic Committee,
Bill Buccheri of the Delaware County Democratic
Committee, and Windham-based folk musician Scott
Berwick.
The County Treasurer's race has garnered more
attention than usual for an off-year election; a court
battle between incumbent Bev Shields and the county's
Board of Supervisors and a heated battle for the
Republican primary this month have created much press
and considerable interest amongst voters. "Now that
the Republican primary and all the fanfare that
surrounded it have passed, many of the voters who are
not already aware of Russell Schebesta and his years
of service with Middletown and other Delaware County
municipalities, are taking a first look at the other
candidate in a contest voters will be deciding in the
general election," said event organizer Kelly Keck.
Kirsten Gillibrand, like Russell Schebesta, will face
a Republican incumbent in a bid for the US House of
Representatives seat for the 20th Congressional
District currently held by John Sweeney in the 2006
midterm elections. Although party primaries for that
race are a year off, Democrats throughout the 20th
District are already lining up to support Gillibrand,
an attorney from Hudson. Further evidence of early
support for Gillibrand's candidacy is the scheduled
appearance of Denise King of the state Democratic
Committee during Gillibrand's appearance in Stamford.
Musician Scott Berwick is no newcomer to using his
talents in the service of political issues. He serves
on the board of directors for the Sloop Clearwater, a
venture helmed by another folk musician and political
activist, Pete Seeger. Like Seeger, Berwick uses his
music to express both an appreciation for our natural
resources and a sense of urgency about perils
threatening the health of our ecosystems. Other
musicians are tentatively planned to perform at the
benefit.
The fundraiser, to be held at The Gallery in Stamford,
is sponsored by Democracy for Otsego and Delaware
Counties (DFOD), Stamford Democratic Committee (SDC),
and the Delaware County Democratic Committee.