Untraditional candidate looks to unseat Rep. Kelly

Monroe - Jeff Cook quit his job as the national field director for the Log Cabin Republicans, a pro-gay rights grass roots organization, to find out whether he should challenge U.S. Rep. Sue Kelly, now in her sixth term in Congress. “Sue Kelly, like many other politicians, has lost touch with mainstream America,” Cook said in an interview this week. “She has lost touch with the people of the Hudson Valley. We need leaders who will respect families.” The 19th district of New York includes all of Putnam County and portions of Dutchess, Orange, Rockland and Westchester counties. The district is home to the United States Military Academy at West Point, two veterans hospitals — Castle Point and Montrose, and the Delaware and Hudson Rivers. Cook lives in Monroe but grew up in southern Illinois and moved to New York in 2001 to attend NYU. He said he wants to fight for the rights of the “average American family” and believes that “responsible government respects the right and power of our families.” Kelly, who marketed herself in her last campaign as “Friend, Neighbor and Congresswoman,” lives in the Katonah section of Westchester County, which also is home to TV and publishing personality Martha Stewart, financier George Soros, fashion designer Ralph Lauren, and actor, director, writer and producer Stanley Tucci. Cook’s neighbors, he stressed, are the average American family, who are dealing with the same problems of high taxes and overcrowded schools that all Monroe residents are dealing with. He spoke about a number of local issues: • Camp LaGuardia in Chester. “We have to bring people together; no more closed door meetings - it shouldn’t happen.” • Property taxes. The local government, he said, should be told “here are the rules to prevent high taxes on American families.” Cook also touched on the issue of the proposed Village of Kiryas Joel pipeline, which he said, Kelly initially voted in favor to receive funding, but quickly changed her vote “after public outcry.” That showed, he said, she was “out of touch with the people of southern Orange County.” Kelly spokesman Kevin Callahan released a statement after learning about the Cook committee: “When the time comes, she will run an aggressive campaign just like she always does. But right now she’s focused on continuing to work hard for her constituents who want her focused on their needs, not on politics.” Cook is focused on politics. He remains an active member of the Log Cabin Republicans, a loyal group of Republicans who, according to the organization, “stand up for the idea that all Americans deserve to be treated equal-regardless of their sexual orientation.” The group embraces Republican values but believes that on gay rights, equality is key, contrary to what the majority of Republicans believe. “Gays and lesbians share the same values with their neighbors,” Cook said. “They have the same crime rate and have to worry about the same schools.. “I doubt that voters will focus on sexual orientation,” he added. “They want someone who best represents them and listens to their concerns. Kelly wants to change the constitution to define marriage between a man and a woman, taking away the right from states - surely out of touch with voters.” Cook noted that “Twenty three percent of gays (who voted) voted for Bush in 2004 and 25 percent in 2000. We definitely are out there.” Cook considers himself a “common sense mainstream conservative.” He says that he is “tired of labels” from the far left and far right pertaining to “liberal” and “conservative.” However, he is proud to call himself a Republican, although he believes the party needs some shaping-up to do. “Today, Republicans have embraced politics of complacency. But I am willing to challenge the status-quo. I have been a Republican since 1994, ironically the year Sue Kelly was first elected, because I had a vision of a limited government and believed in empowering families to make choices. Fiscally, the Republicans have lost touch. Democrats are hardly fiscal. Republicans must clean up- or the Democrats will clean us out,” Mr. Cook said. Cook is a member of SaveMonroe and is in the process of becoming a member of the Blooming Grove United Church of Christ. He stressed the importance of faith and religion in American society. “At 16 or 17 I would speak at churches in southern Illinois. Faith was and still is an important part of my life and teaches you how to be a good person. Faith is such an important part of a healthy society. And faith transcends sexual orientation,” he said. Cook is still not official; his campaign is slugged, “Jeff Cook for Congress Exploratory Committee.” He filed for such with the Federal Election Committee and will spend the fall talking with residents in the Hudson Valley and getting their views. In January he will file his final papers which will grant him official campaign status. He will also be scheduling campaign fund raisers in the next few weeks, which can be viewed at the campaign Web site www.jeffcook.org. “Sure, I’m an untraditional candidate running an untraditional race,” he said. “But this is where I live. I moved to the Hudson Valley for the same reasons as other families, like for the standard of living. That’s why it’s the fastest growing part of New York. It’s the kind of place where you can trust your neighbors to get your mail when you’re away. And at the end of the day, people here want to make decisions themselves and not depend on the government.”