Slate of stealth candidates refuse to provide information to voters in East Ramapo School
Board Elections

May 17, 2009  For the second election in a row, candidates representing the private school sector in East Ramapo have refused to provide the press and the voters of East Ramapo with information as basic as "what does the candidate do for a living," or "what does he or she see as the most important issues for the school system." Candidates Eliyahu Solomon and Morris Kohn not only did not provide the basic information requested by the Journal News of all candidates, they also did not show for the taped interviews conducted by the newspaper, nor did they come in to sit for the photographs to be used in coverage.

The last time this happened, two years ago, the stealth candidates, Moshe Hopstein and Aron Wieder, got backdoored in by convenient, last-minute withdrawals. "Hopstein's opponent quit one week before the election. Steven Rosenstock did not give a reason. He said there were "personal reasons," which is the excuse given by public officials when they don't want to give a reason or explanation. (Ranking second only to "I want to spend more time with my family.") Another incumbent, David Resnick, also bolted with a week to go (same non-reason given), and his beneficiary was another opponent, Aron Wieder." (See: The Back Door to the Board Room).

I spoke to the School District the last time this happened and was told they had no specific information on either candidate. When I spoke personally with the Superintendent, Dr. Ira Oustatcher, he also told me he didn't know anything about the candidates, including such information as basic (and necessary) as, "Do either of these candidates serve as vendors to the schools?" That would be illegal, but he simply didn't know, because apparently, outside the community, no one knew much about either candidate. Citing the fact that he used to be a Social Studies teacher, he did lament the undemocratic way the election was proceeding.

Since the last election, neither Oustatcher, nor Nathan Rothschild (Board Chairman), nor the Board itself seem to be at all bothered by this repeated attempt to undermine an election by informed voters. This seems a very cynical lesson that's being taught, by example, to students in the school system. These officials are supposed to have some concern for these same students.

The Monsey publication Community Connections provided the only public notice concerning the candidates. In its May 14-21 issue, amid eight full-page ads for the election there was this page of photos. See below the photo for translated captions.

Top Panel with three seated gentlemen
"Our candidates: from right to left, Yoseph (Joseph) Stein, Eliyahu Solomon, and Moshe Kahan. (Note--on the official East Ramapo ballot the names appear as Richard Stone, Eliyhu Solomon, and Morris Kohn)

Middle Panel with four gentlemen at a table
"Our own candidates from within the community in the village of New Square."

Bottom panel top left
"Nathan Rothschild, president of the board East Ramapo School District."
Bottom panel image on the right--group
"At the gathering of some institutions and from YARC."
Bottom panel image bottom left--two seated at a computer
Board members Ben Zion Wieder and Moshe Hofstein (Wieder's name on the school board web page is Aron and Hofstein is spelled Hopstein).

Unfortunately, the voters in the East Ramapo School District find themselves facing an electoral situation that teachers in its own system would have to characterize to their students as the wrong way to run an election.

For Mr. Oustatcher, who has forgotten what he once taught about democratic elections, and for Mr. Rothschild, who appears equally indifferent to outrages related to his board, I offer the following reminder from a man who understands the legal and political problems with stealth candidates:

"An informed electorate is a prerequisite for democracy. If voters do not know what is going on in politics, they cannot rationally exercise control over government policy. Inadequate voter knowledge has two major negative implications. First, it prevents democratic government from reflecting the will of the people in any meaningful sense, undercutting the "intrinsicist" defense of democracy as a government that is representative of the voluntary decisions of the populace. Likewise, voter ignorance imperils the instrumental case for democracy as a regime that serves the interests of the majority, since ignorance potentially opens the door for elite manipulation of the public and gross policy errors." (Ilya Somin--Assistant Professor of Law George Mason University)."

Michael Castelluccio