We had a terrific turnout and lots of fun at my "Re-Election Campaign Kickoff" Dinner at Davenport Club in New Rochelle on April 11, 2013. Check out all the great photos (thanks Charlie McLaughlin):

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjEKJPKk

I'm lucky to have the very best campaign supporters in the county. We've won 8 consecutive County Legislator elections, and when opposed, we won landslide victories. I owe all this success to my family, friends and supporters, many of whom have been with me for 18 years now.

We had over 100 guests at the dinner, and it was a bipartisan crowd. In my campaigns, we go after every vote, and we are always thankful to have so many Democrats and Independents on our team.

I mentioned to the crowd that with rumors of an opponent, we will run the campaign as if it was our first run - grassroots, door-to-door, and speaking directly with the voters about the issues facing New Rochelle and Pelham.

Most importantly, Jean and Michael are excited to hit the campaign trail, and along with our many volunteers, you can be sure we will run the best campaign in the county this year.

Thanks for your kindness and support over the years and for making it possible for me to serve as your County Legislator, which is one of the greatest honors in my life.

Jim Maisano
County Legislator
914-636-1621
CtyLegJimMaisano@gmail.com

Please join us for the “Re-Election Campaign Kickoff” dinner to support -

COUNTY LEGISLATOR JIM MAISANO

-- Minority Leader Maisano needs your support as he stands for re-election in November.
-- Jim is a strong & consistent voice for fiscal responsibility & open government in Westchester.
-- He displayed tremendous leadership in December by putting together the historic bipartisan 2013 County Budget.
-- Jim is one of the most experienced, independent & bipartisan legislators in our county and very proud to represent New Rochelle & Pelham.

When: Thursday, April 11, 2013
Where: Davenport Club, 400 Davenport Ave., New Rochelle
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 PM

Contribution

Gold Sponsor: $500 (includes 6 tickets)
Silver Sponsor: $250 (includes 3 tickets)
Tickets: $85 per person or $160 per couple
Seniors: $75 per person or $140 per couple

-- Please attend the dinner and help give Jim’s campaign a terrific start!
-- Questions: Call Anna Lisa at 914-355-9205 or email: CtyLegJimMaisano@gmail.com
-- Please RSVP by April 8 by mailing the bottom of invitation with your contribution to:

Friends of Jim Maisano
93 Wilson Drive
New Rochelle, NY 10801

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: _______________________________________________

Phone: _______________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________

E-Mail: _______________________________________________

____ I will attend the dinner. Enclosed is my contribution in the amount of $____ for____reservations.

____ I’m unable to attend the campaign kickoff event. Enclosed is a contribution to help Jim’s campaign.

Please make checks payable to “Friends of Jim Maisano.”

Corporate contributions are permitted. Political contributions are not tax deductible for income tax purposes.

Everyone had a blast at our Dudley’s Beach Party on June 7! It is my annual fundraiser, and I am incredibly thankful that so many friends and supporters attend this event every year. We believe this year was our largest turnout. Please check out the photos on my Flickr Page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50319775@N06/sets/72157630080202744/

I have been in public office for 15 years and have continued to run for re-election because I enjoy public service and working to make New Rochelle and Pelham better places to live and raise a family. But I also keep running because of my amazing supporters – they have stuck with me at every stage of this journey, and I am proud to tell you that I have the best supporters in this county.

Each year, we make sure the Beach Party is all about having fun and relaxing on New Rochelle’s waterfront. We had beach music, beach balls, leis, terrific food, and Dudley’s is the perfect place to hold this event. You can tell from the photos the crowd had an excellent time.

Thank you for your support on Election Day. I know I was unopposed, but I still want to say thank you to the more than 4,500 nice people that voted for me.

Ever since I entered the political world, October has been a crazy month. I have been helping candidates in campaigns or running myself every year since 1992. (Plus, Barbara Keating for U.S. Senate in 1974 and Frank Garito for Mayor in 1975 as a kid). When you are in October of a campaign, your life is upside down. Any serious candidate is out there campaigning about 15 hours per day. I have accomplished some very difficult things in my life such as Marine Corps boot-camp, passing the bar exam and litigating trials, and the last month of a campaign ranks up there with those tough chores.

A few people have asked why I am not running my usual hard-charging, aggressive campaign this year. We are, in fact, running for re-election this campaign season and will be on the ballot next month seeking an 8th term on the Westchester Board of Legislators, so we thought it was time to put up an update on the campaign website.

Back in July, we filed our petitions to get on the ballot as required by the election law. I did have an announced opponent at that time who was running on the Independence Party line. However, this candidate did not file any petitions and later announced that he decided not to run.

Therefore, we learned by August that we did not have an opponent this year. Election Day takes place in about 25 days, and since I am the only name on the ballot for County Legislator in District 11, it looks like we are in good shape.

Tonight - July 21 - will be one of the "hottest" parties around as we visit Dudley's near Hudson Park and New Rochelle Marina to support the re-election of Minority Leader & County Legislator Jim Maisano. On this very hot night, what better place to be than sitting on the waterfront while helping to re-elect Jim. There will be a DJ, great food and drink, and lots of awesome people.

Tickets:

$45 per person/$80 per couple
Seniors: $35 person/$60 couple
Kids 12 and under are free!

You can pay at the door or pay online at www.jimmaisano.com

You can also send your contribution to: "Friends of Jim Maisano" at 93 Wilson Drive, New Rochelle, NY 10801

How about a political class on this beautiful summer day. We are in the final days of what I call “petition week.” What do I mean by “petition?” While many people think candidates get on the ballot because they are endorsed at political conventions, in most NY races, that is not true. Outside of statewide and village races and some judicial campaigns, candidates have only one official way to get on the ballot for Election Day and that is to collect signatures on petitions. The NY Election Law requires that you obtain signatures of 5% of the registered voters in your district from a political party whose line you seek. Most candidates try to get about 10% to avoid any legal challenges. Therefore, since June 7, volunteers for candidates of all parties have been ringing door bells and asking voters to sign petitions that will get candidates on the ballot, and this Thursday is the deadline to file the petitions with the Board of Elections. For example, I need about 375 signatures this year for the Republican line, and on Thursday we hope to file close to 700 signatures.

www.JimMaisano.com is back online!!!

We have fully converted our campaign website. Last year, www.JimMaisano.com was used for our judicial campaign (where we lost a heart-breaker by about 1% of vote).

Now we will start putting up posts about Jim's re-election campaign for County Legislator.

Jim Maisano has served as County Legislator for 14 years (7 terms) and is running for another term on November 8. Jim currently serves as the Republican Minority Leader and has earned a reputation as an independent and bipartisan leader that works diligently to protect and improve his district - District 11, New Rochelle & Pelham - and as a reformer of the Westchester County government.

Jim is one of the most experienced county legislators and concentrates his efforts on promoting fiscal responsibility, including holding the line on property taxes and eliminating wasteful and unnecessary spending. Jim regularly advocates to his colleagues that consolidation of departments, streamlining of service-delivery and finding innovative ways to control costs must be priorities in all county policy decisions.

With Jim having announced his candidacy for re-election at his "Campaign Kickoff" fundraiser on May 5 at Davenport Club in New Rochelle, we are off and running:

1) The May 5 fundraiser was packed, there was much excitement in the air, and Jim gave a terrific speech.

2) Our volunteers are already ringing doorbells and collecting signatures to get Jim on the ballot. Under NYS Election Law, a candidate must get 5% of the registered voters of a political party to sign a petition to run on that line. We will be collecting petitions for two more weeks.

3) We are having a "Beach Party" on July 21 at Dudley's in New Rochelle from 6:30 to 8:30. Please join us for a fun relaxing night on the New Rochelle waterfront.

Jim wishes to thank his wonderful supporters who have rallied around this campaign. Jim has been elected as County Legislator 7 times and is looking forward to running a positive and aggressive campaign to earn an 8th term on the Westchester Board of Legislators.