GOSHEN, NY: The Orange County Democratic committee announced they would be supporting Sarita Bhandarkar as the Democratic candidate for the 99th State Assembly district.

Sarita was born and raised in Orange County, and has been working as an attorney in the Hudson Valley, focusing her practice on estate planning, elder law, Medicaid planning and special needs planning. She worked in private practice before opening her own office, Bhandarkar Law, P.C., in Cornwall in 2018. In addition to her work, Sarita has volunteered with various area nonprofits over the years, including Leadership Orange, the Community Foundation’s Professional Advisors Council, the Hudson Valley Estate Planning Council, Arc of Orange County, Habitat for Humanity, the Dispute Resolution Center, and Girls on the Run.

Sarita told a packed crowd at the Wallkill Community Center that she “felt compelled to run because residents of the 99th district have not had a real advocate with real experience working on their behalf since James Skoufis left the Assembly to become NYS Senator.”

“Both as an attorney and as a community volunteer, I have learned to work effectively with and on behalf of people who do not always think, believe, act, or look like I do. What I bring to the table is a willingness and an ability to communicate and collaborate with others. Those skills have driven my real-world accomplishments in law and in starting my own business. I truly believe by working together here and in Albany, we can improve the quality of life in Orange County for ourselves and our
neighbors, whether they are red, blue, or in between. It’s time for the 99th District to have an advocate in Albany again.” said Sarita Bhandarkar

The 99th Assembly district includes the towns of Woodbury, Highlands, Cornwall, New Windsor, Blooming Grove, Hamptonburgh, Chester, Goshen and Wawayanda as well as the town of Stony Point in Rockland County, and was formerly represented by James Skoufis.