Rockland, NY – Senator David Carlucci’s (D-Rockland/Westchester) threw today his support behind Suffern Mayor Dagan Lacorte’s candidacy for Rockland County Executive.

Senator Carlucci’s endorsement isn’t the only headache for Lacorte’s rival, former Spring Valley judge David Fried. With 50 days to go, tensions are running high between Mr. Fried and Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who endorsed her former assistant when he first launched it last December, sources tell YWN.

“Nita thinks David’s campaign has been a disaster. She has headlined three events for him in Rockland. As of now, she’s pulling back from more. She doesn’t want to be embarrassed when he goes down,” said a Rockland Democrat who spoke with Lowey at a charity function recently.

Ms. Lowey, apparently, told the Democrat that Fried is undisciplined and has been trying to take every side of every issue to get elected.

Just recently, Mr. Fried fired Kim DiTomasso, Lowey’s chief fundraiser, blaming her for the campaign’s poor fundraising even though she worked for Fried at a discounted rate. Fried’s latest campaign finance report showed hia campaign with $106,000 cash on hand, but that includes a last minute $100,000 personal loan by Fried to his own campaign. County Legislator Ilan Schoenberger, the front runner in the race, has over $275,000 in his war-chest while Mr. Lacorte has $300,000.

The report shows a $5000 payment to Ditto Consulting, DiTomasso’s company, for services for January through May 2013 ($1000 per month)

According to the source, the Rockland Democrat told Ms. Lowey they found Fried impossible to work with. “He repeatedly exaggerated how his fundraising was going, but the numbers don’t lie,” he said.

Lowey told political associates that she will not withdraw her endorsement of Fried at this point, but is focused on helping her former aide Noam Bramson win his campaign for Westchester County Executive.

“Nita will not be spending any more political capital for him until he grows up,” the Lowey associate told YWN. “She knows it was a mistake to endorse so early, but she was acting like a bubbe, a Jewish grandmother, rather than a politician.” Fried was briefly an aide handling Rockland matters in the Congresswoman’s local office.

Lowey also expressed concern that Fried is placing too much weight on an expected campaign visit on his behalf by former President Bill Clinton, who has also endorsed Fried. Fried has asked the former President to visit leaders of the Hasidic community of New Square on his behalf. The community is backing Schoenberger.

President Clinton was accused of pardoning four New Square men in exchange for the community’s support for Hillary Clinton’s Senate race in 2000. The US Attorney investigated the charges, but did not bring up any indictments. Fried was present at the 2000 campaign meeting between Hillary Clinton and New Square leaders, as was Schoenberger. Ms. Clinton received New Square’s support in the election by a vote of 1359 to 10 for Rick Lazio. The other Orthodox Jewish groups in Rockland voted for Lazio with a 90% margin.

“Nita tried to explain to Fried that a Bill Clinton visit to Rockland will generate headlines about the pardon investigation and that’s bad for Hillary’s 2016 campaign,” the Democrat said, “He didn’t want to hear it. David Fried only looks out for himself.”

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)