What’s next for David Fried?

BY MICHAEL RICONDA

New City – After his defeat in the 2013 county executive race to Legislator Ed Day, both supporters and opponents of former Spring Valley Justice David Fried are now wondering what the future holds for a candidate who, while not victorious, proved he was a political contender in Rockland County.

Though Fried has no concrete plans for the near future, he explained in an interview with the Rockland County Times that he is “open-minded” about his next move and seemed to welcome the idea of a return to government from his current status as a private citizen.

“I believe in public service,” Fried said. “It’s something I have done throughout my life.”

The former Democratic candidate certainly has many options. A strong show of support in Ramapo-including his decisive command of the religious bloc vote-illustrates that he retains significant support in that town. Fried also performed well in traditionally Democratic areas such as the villages of Haverstraw, Nyack and Piermont.

Fried also gathered support from the movers-and-shakers of his party. Fried had served in the Clinton Administration before entering county politics, for which he received a valuable endorsement from former president Bill Clinton.

In spite of his high profile ties with the Democrats, Fried seems to be concerned primarily with local matters. He expressed concern about the county’s future, particularly in its continued deficit struggles.

According to Fried, he is supportive of Day’s desire to restructure county government, stating the elimination of debt through deficit financing must be supplemented with changes in how the county does business.

“The county is an unaffordable place to live and there are no job opportunities for young families who wish to call Rockland their home,” Fried said.

Even his old prospects seem to be options. Fried, a practicing attorney, has not discounted the idea of returning to the bench, having resigned his Spring Valley seat to run for county executive.

Still, beyond his anticipation of future issues and his hope that his former opponent would find effective solutions, there is little certainty as to which path Fried will choose. The only certainty is that he has plenty of possibilities.