Cait Conley Visits the RCT

What’s the biggest issue facing NY-17? According to Cait Conley, Mike Lawler’s opponent in the upcoming NY-17 race, cost-of-living is the answer. She states that it is “crippling families that are here, and preventing a generation from coming back home to raise their families.” Conley cites the high interest rates and increased construction costs caused by tariffs as a major culprit making home ownership difficult for many Americans, a country where the average home-buying age is now 40. One of her solutions to making home ownership a bit more attainable includes creating a loan for public servants like teachers and nurses, similar to VA loans. But there’s also more to this picture; “I think a big part of this is when you have people who are former utility lobbyists and political consultants in elected office putting the priorities of these corporate interests and special interests ahead of their people,” said Conley.

In her sit-down interview with the RCT (in person, the old fashioned way!) Conley also denounced the highly controversial NYC congestion pricing, saying “Rockland got screwed” when it comes to public transportation. “We are forcing people to pay a tax on something that we don’t offer a better alternative to, and that punishes people in the labor industries. If you’re in a trade, you’re not taking the train in with all your gear, right?” The importance of a one-seat ride is something the RCT has covered frequently, as a large percentage of Rockland commutes into New York City for work.

Climate change is high on Conley’s list of importance, naming it a national security risk to not be investing time and money into wind, solar and geothermal energy. “We are watching as extreme weather has resulted in the death of Americans, the displacement of communities, American communities, the devastation of American businesses – the Department of Defense should be treating this as a national security issue.”

Let’s rewind a bit – what exactly is Cait Conley’s background? Conley was raised by a postal worker mother and a construction worker father, and credits her upbringing as responsible for shaping her views of public service and connection to the community. She remembers her mom taking her to the Post Office on Christmas Day to collect express packages to deliver, and after a young Conley questioned why they had to do this – on Christmas Day, of all days! – her mother replied, saying, “‘This is our responsibility, and you never know if this is the only package the family is going to get.’”

Conley was in high school when the Twin Towers fell, and like many young people at the time, she was deeply impacted by the horror of that day. She was so impacted that she immediately began her application to West Point.

After graduating from West Point, Conley was an active duty Army officer and served as Military Police, running Emergency Services on base. Conley remembers the experience as one that was an “eye opening and humbling” one, and one that gave her an expanded appreciation of law enforcement.

Conley served for sixteen years in the Army, where she was deployed six times to Iraq and Afghanistan. She was awarded three Bronze Medals for  “the highest degree of professionalism, sound judgment, and technical and tactical competence while conducting combat operations,” and went on to work as the Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council at the White House and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Now, Conley is running in one of the most contentious races in the country.

No one at the RCT has ever run for office, so we asked Conley to give us a behind the scenes look at being on the campaign trail. Conley shared how one of the most difficult aspects of the trail is “To go out and listen to so many folks all across this district about the hardships they’re going through, financial, even personal… I know Hispanic veterans, American citizens, who travel with their passport because they’re afraid of getting caught in an ICE dragnet – that’s disgusting. That’s un-American.”

Being on campaign isn’t easy for anyone. We asked Conley how she maintains her stamina while on the trail, and it’s clear the veteran’s military training holds up. Exercise remains her #1 way of managing her stress, as well as petting the many dogs she’s met on the road. “If there’s a dog, it deserves to be pet,” said Conley, lighting up as she mentioned her two black lab mutts.

With all the driving that’s involved with attending campaigning events, fundraising events, street fairs and more, we wondered what Conley listens to in those hours spent driving. She told us that when she’s not taking calls, she skips the radio and prefers to listen to podcasts like NPR’s Up First or The President’s Daily Brief, a podcast by former CIA operations officer Mike Baker.

And now, the best for last – where is Conley’s favorite place to eat? “I carry cash now because of Strawberry Place,” laughed Conley. “I will go down the serious carb loading route.” As for the other side of the river, she calls out The Blue Pig in Croton on Hudson as having the best ice cream she’s ever had. The basil ice cream she mentioned might even tempt me to make the trip.