Leaving Canajoharie wasn’t the end of Benny Goldstein’s persistent journey in politics.
The idiosyncratic former town supervisor is now running for the highest office in a Long Island village five months after abruptly departing Montgomery County.
“I’m running as a proud Trumpist Republican,” Goldstein said. “I love that. That’s what you should say.”
Goldstein, 46, said that he has emotionally recovered from his second divorce, which initially pushed him to move closer to his family in the village of Lawrence, Nassau County, last October.
The Israeli-American has lived in Lawrence thrice over the last 20 years.
During his first departure to Israel, he mounted two unsuccessful bids for the Knesset parliament and one bid to serve as mayor of Ashkelon, a small city near Gaza.
Benny Goldstein, supervisor of the Town of Canajoharie, holding the symbol of his cryptocurrency, FucVax.
Shortly after moving to Canajoharie, he launched a “Trumpist Republican” bid against long-known Democrat Ronald O. Dievendorf, hoping to appeal to the area’s sizable GOP base. In a twist, the race was decided by four ballots tossed out because voters circled Dievendorf’s middle initial.
Now in Lawrence, Goldstein faces a different socio-political landscape. Notably, the surrounding area has a far more prominent Jewish community.
Goldstein, who has described himself as a light Orthodox Jew, has put out a series of advertisements which display Hebrew and religious allusions.
“OK, so the way it works is it’s a very religious community and I’m appealing to the Jewish religious Orthodox community,” Goldstein said.
Among stances, Goldstein hopes to put an end to “petty” municipal lawsuits and abolish paid parking under the belief that the high-income village doesn’t need any more money.
“The village is petty in charging for parking,” Goldstein said. “It’s in all these little nooks and corners and you have to fondle your way for quarters. It’s so ridiculous. It’s so bad.”
In Schenectady, anti-parking ticket advocate Orlondo Hundley last year declared a bid for City Council. His campaign was short-lived.
Like the Electric City contender, Goldstein has competition. He’s facing 59-year-old Deputy Mayor Paris Popack, who has been on the trustees board since 2020. She didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on her candidacy.
The election is on June 18.
Popack has already received praise from outgoing, term-limited mayor, Alex Edelman.
“I have no doubt in my mind that she’ll make a great mayor,” Edelman told the Long Island Herald. “She is very devoted to the Village of Lawrence and I have no doubts of her capabilities and talents, and her love for the village staff.”
Goldstein, who is running with trustee candidate Sheya Landa, believes that his experience as Canajoharie’s top official will serve him well in the upcoming race. Being around through two fiscal cycles, Canajoharie adopted a solar law and funded a long-awaited highway garage, which is currently under construction.
When asked about that project’s current timeline, Highway Superintendent Steve Oare said that he’s not sure.
Goldstein also attracted some controversy over pro-solar views before eventually making an about-face on the subject after failing to gain support.
During the early part of his term in Canajoharie, he created a “FucVax” cryptocurrency in protest of the COVID-19 vaccine mandates and even considered using 5% of his proceeds for the town. He was unable to get town or state approval for this proposal.
“Being a town supervisor of Canajoharie, gave me the tools that I needed to to grow and go on to other better things, so I’m really appreciative of Montgomery County,” Goldstein said. “I want you to mention this.”
Goldstein said that he misses Canajoharie and someday hopes to buy a house back in the upstate community.
“I have so many friends upstate still. They call me all the time. I miss it. I miss Canajoharie,” Goldstein said.
