2026 New York General Election

Sylke E. Jackson

A Yale graduate and 30 year union member, Sylke grew up in a working class family in Nyack. She has devoted much of her life to community initiatives. She served on the boards of Rockland County's Helping Hands for the Homeless (10 years) and Creative Response to Conflict (8 years). She chairs the Local USA 829's Wellness Committee and led that group's creation of a dedicated benefits liaison who directly assists the union's more than 5,000 members.

Sylke Jackson for Clarkstown Town Council, Ward 2

Sylke grew up and raised her children in Nyack, and she works passionately to improve life for Rockland County residents. She has served her community as:

Sylke has served her community as: Board Director, Rockland's Helping Hands for the Homeless (10 years); Board Director, Creative Response to Conflict (8 years); Union member, USA 829 and IATSE (30 years); Chair, USA 829 Wellness Committee (6 years); Founder and Volunteer Coordinator, Central Nyack Community Pollinator Garden; Secretary, Central Nyack Civic Association.

Sylke E. Jackson grew up in Nyack. She graduated from Yale. She raised her children in Nyack and founded the Central Nyack Community Pollinator Garden, where she served as a volunteer coordinator.

Clean up waste and patronage jobs: Conduct a thorough independent review of Clarkstown's contracts and staffing, and streamline, eliminating unnecessary expenditures.

Hold the line on taxes: Keep the town's share of the tax levy within the state cap and require a line-by-line budget review.

Support small business: Cut permitting delays and fees for homeowners and small businesses, and back business incubators.

Proposes an independent review of town contracts and staffing to eliminate unnecessary spending.

Plans to keep the town tax levy within the state cap and require line-by-line budget reviews.

Proposes reducing permitting delays and fees for homeowners and small businesses and supporting business incubators.

- Proposes an independent review of town contracts and staffing to eliminate unnecessary spending.
- Plans to keep the town tax levy within the state cap and require line-by-line budget reviews.
- Proposes reducing permitting delays and fees for homeowners and small businesses and supporting business incubators.

Keep recreation affordable: Hold down park and program fees, expand scholarships and offer free community events.

Plans to limit park and program fees, expand scholarships, and offer free community events.

- Plans to limit park and program fees, expand scholarships, and offer free community events.

Make development pay its own way: New projects shouldn't overburden our roads, water, sewers or schools. Developers should pay for the improvements they require, not taxpayers.

Create the housing our community needs, in the right places: Revitalize failing sites like the Palisades Center that already have the infrastructure to handle more people, instead of piling more development onto areas with traffic problems.

Proposes requiring developers to fund improvements needed to prevent projects from overburdening roads, water systems, sewers, or schools.

Advocates revitalizing sites such as the Palisades Center for housing rather than adding development in areas with traffic problems.

- Proposes requiring developers to fund improvements needed to prevent projects from overburdening roads, water systems, sewers, or schools.
- Advocates revitalizing sites such as the Palisades Center for housing rather than adding development in areas with traffic problems.

Enforce building codes: Encourage prosecution of building code violations to the full extent of the law so that harmful conditions do not endanger the lives of residents. Ensure that projects do not proceed unless traffic and safety studies show results that are consistent with loads that local infrastructure can handle.

Calls for prosecuting building-code violations to the full extent of the law when harmful conditions endanger residents.

- Calls for prosecuting building-code violations to the full extent of the law when harmful conditions endanger residents.

Helped secure public transportation and a pedestrian path on the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Proposes allowing projects to proceed only when traffic and safety studies find local infrastructure can handle the projects' demands.

- Proposes allowing projects to proceed only when traffic and safety studies find local infrastructure can handle the projects' demands.

Fight for reasonable utility and energy costs: Speak up for residents at utility rate meetings and push for energy-efficiency programs that lower bills.

Protect and clean up our drinking water: Publish water test results online, so residents can see what's in your water. Use zoning to protect aquifers and wells. Restrict herbicides and road salt near water sources. Require water impact review for large developments.

Lobbied congressional leaders for clean energy and lower utility costs and worked with faith communities to divest $500 million from fossil fuels.

Plans to represent residents at utility-rate meetings and promote energy-efficiency programs intended to lower bills.

Proposes protecting drinking-water sources through zoning, limits on herbicides and road salt, and water-impact reviews for large developments.

- Plans to represent residents at utility-rate meetings and promote energy-efficiency programs intended to lower bills.
- Proposes protecting drinking-water sources through zoning, limits on herbicides and road salt, and water-impact reviews for large developments.

Buket Urgen

Economy

Public Services

Housing & Urban Development

Public Safety

Sylke Jackson is a third-generation resident of Rockland County and grew up and raised her children in the Nyack area. A Yale graduate, 30-year union member, scenic artist, writer, and editor, Sylke chairs the Wellness Committee of local 829 and led the national union to create a new position to aid members in accessing services and benefits. She helped get public transportation and the pedestrian path on the Tappan Zee Bridge, halted the spraying of toxic chemicals in Central Nyack, organized the establishment and maintenance of a community native plants pollinator garden, and served on the board of Rockland’s Helping Hands for Homeless (10 years) and Creative Response to Conflict (8 years). In addition to lobbying congressional leaders for clean energy and cheaper utility costs, peace in the Middle East, and immigration reform, Sylke worked with a coalition of faith communities to achieve the divestment of $500 million from fossil fuels.