There are five (5) candidates running for the 4 slots on the Brighton Democratic Committee in the 18th Election District, a neighborhood off Penfield Road just east of Temple Sinai.
For an article on “What Is the Brighton Democratic Committee?,” click here.
Election Day is Tuesday, June 25. On that day, for ED18, the polling place is Fire House No. 1, 3100 East Avenue (at the intersection of Elmwood and East).
Early voting is happening now through Sunday, June 23, and voters can use any early voting location. In Brighton, a popular early voting site is Empire State University at 680 Westfall Road. For information on locations and hours for early voting, click here.
Michael Argaman is the only candidate in this election district backed by Justice For Brighton. He is running on a platform that favors the First Amendment, in explicit contrast to the candidacies of Meredith Dragon and Nate Salzman. An 8-year Brighton Democratic Committee member and peace activist, Michael has dual American-Israeli citizenship and returns to Israel frequently to vote in elections.
The balance of the candidates in ED18 are supported by Democrats for Brighton, an authorized multi-candidate committee with the dubious distinction of running an all-white slate of 31 candidates across Brighton, as documented in the article Whiter Than A Trump Rally.
Meredith Dragon, the CEO of the Jewish Federation, has been waging a social media campaign against people of color, particularly Brighton Town Councilmember Robin Wilt, who support Palestinian human rights; she also supports restrictions to free speech rights, and her histrionic commentary in advance of protests at the Twelve Corners may have fomented violence at those protests. Click here for a detailed candidate profile of Ms. Dragon.
Clara Sanguinetti, a financial advisor at Brighton Securities, was among the 2023 inaugural cohort of the Jewish Federation’s Leadership Development Program in 2023.
Nate Salzman, who circulated the petitions to get Ms. Dragon and the rest of the slate onto the Committee, was elected to the Brighton Town Council in November 2023, and also was in the 2023 inaugural cohort of the Jewish Federation’s Leadership Development program. Mr. Salzman has been calling for enactment of a local law to restrict First Amendment rights after three pro-Palestinian protests were held at Twelve Corners Park in February.
Samantha Parisi is Nate Salzman’s spouse and has been on the Committee since 2020.