Things are not going well behind the scenes with the Peekskill Democratic Party these days. There seems to be a lot of finger pointing and confusion on how to deal with with the ongoing corruption investigations and exposed ties to The Preservation Company.

Adding to the chaos was the resignation of their long-time chairwoman, Marina Ciotti. From what we have been told by InsidePEEK readers close to the Democratic Party, one even a former member, is that there is an inner struggle on staying loyal to a leader, no matter what wrongdoing was committed (as they usually do), or is it time to do what is best for the party and cut ties with the person and rebuild the party’s image. Ciotti wanted to cut ties with the corruption and move forward. She felt she had taken enough bullets over the years for the party and didn’t want to continue on the current path of destruction. She was at odds with Claxton and Morey and it became too much to deal with – so she quit. This left pseudo-chairman Morey with a problem. How was he to find someone to continue running the party in the mold he created and willing to be controlled by him? More on that later.

Another issue to contend with is Drew Claxton’s replacement when she steps down. Oh yes, she will step down. Word has it that Morey and Claxton are looking for the best time and method for her to bow out gracefully. InsidePEEK believes it will be impossible for it to be done gracefully – that time has passed. Her arrogance continues and is grating on everyone’s nerves and causing too much negative focus on the City, so her leaving office will be met with cheers – from both sides of the aisle. One thought is they could wait for that early morning knock at the door from the law enforcement. That would give them the most time for her to attend meetings and maintain the majority. They have loose ends to tie up before there is a stalemated council. They have already started doing this with their recent Ethics Board appointee. We know, it sounds like an oxymoronic statement to talk about the sitting Dems voting on an ethics board appointment but it happened. More on that in a future post.

No, Claxton and Morey know the best time to leave will be sooner rather than later. They know more revelations of her activities are on the way so they may regret waiting too long. Claxton has recently made public she has health concerns that are requiring attention. While it is unfortunate that she has serious health concerns, Morey is not one to let a tragedy or any situation go to waste. It is one of his signatures. So, expect Claxton to step down in the not too distant future for health reasons. It is a perfect cover for the true reason and one that can gain that graceful exit they are looking for – or at least as close as they can get to one.

So what happens next? Will a replacement get appointed or will a Special Election take place this November? InsidePEEK predicts neither will happen. There will remain 3 Democrats and 3 Republicans on the Common Council – a stalemate for sure. Theoretically, it may be possible for a compromise candidate to emerge that would gain the 4 votes needed for appointment but it is unlikely. One of our readers suggested that new member Andre ‘Noodle Noo’ Rainey may do the right thing and participate in a fair process that would produce a viable replacement. Based on what we have determined so far, InsidePEEK doesn’t believe Rainey would set himself apart from the party pressure. He was considered an independent person at first, whose lack of experience would be an asset for putting people ahead of party. That has not been the case. He has fallen in under Morey’s system and has let himself be steered awry by a certain restaurant owner who has financially controlled Rainey’s every thought and decision.

So what is the Democrats’ plan? InsidePEEK has been informed by very reliable sources that they hope to cause a Special Election this fall. Just as InsidePEEK predicted in an earlier post, this is a Presidential election year and would provide a local voter turnout favorable to the Democrats, something they cannot do on local election years. It also must be a woman candidate since Hillary Clinton will most likely be the Presidential nominee. Conventional wisdom by our readers is that Marybeth McGowan is the obvious pick since she is all of a sudden showing up to meetings. It is possible, but InsidePEEK wonders about this. We realize this may indeed come true but we question why then didn’t she run this past fall? She narrowly lost the previous election so it is likely she wants to redeem herself and her ego. Then again, InsidePEEK was informed she didn’t run because of a multitude of issues connected to a business she is involved in. This, even before the Claxton corruption story broke. So, now she may have concerns that her own questionable actions could become public. Running for office with a party that has been exposed from top to bottom as being involved in illegal activity is not a good framework to run for office in. Especially since McGowan was part of that same governmental body that was in power while these activities were taking place. There is also the Mary Foster connection, a definite political albatross.

InsidePEEK is told another candidate lurks in the wings waiting for her chance to emerge. We will unmask her soon enough once we fully obtain more information about her background. What we have been told so far is not good so we need more time to corroborate and verify. There is time since InsidePEEK believes there will be no agreement among the deadlocked council to approve a local election. So she won’t be needed for another year.

Getting back to the pressing issue that faced the Democratic Party in Peekskill – a new chairperson. Morey was challenged to find someone who was politically ambitious but willing to take his direction. He has found that person – and it is bad news for Peekskill. InsidePEEK readers who are connected to or were previously part of the local party described how Morey, and then later on Rigger, transformed the Democratic Party into a negative, partisan only and lack of progress party that changed Peekskill politics in a negative way – possibly forever. One of our readers wrote, “… we used to hold elections and even when they would get contentious, we could always come together afterward and move forward. Morey changed that.” Morey has made his living entirely in the political arena. He trained in Washington DC and brought those tactics to Peekskill. He only wanted to make a name for himself and move up the political ladder. He has done that – but at what cost to those around him and the City of Peekskill?

Finally, he has found someone in his own mirror image, a protégé who will continue in his style. His name is Terence ‘TJ’ Rogers, a 40-year-old political operative and employee of the Westchester County Board of Elections. He is not from this area and came here through his work for Congressmen John Hall. So here we go again. Get ready for more of the same.