Working Families Blog

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2009-05-21T17:39:00.002-04:00

Please visit our new address: www.workingfamiliesparty.org/blog.

Working Families Party 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-17T13:36:00.000-04:00

Here's a roundup of the current Working Families Party Endorsements for the 2007 elections. More endorsements are coming, be sure to check back.

WFP Staten Island Club 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-17T12:31:00.000-04:00

The Working Families Party Staten Island Club has endorsed Michael J. Ryan in his race for County of Richmond District Attorney. To get involved in this race, contact Theo Moore at 718-222-3796.

WFP Western New York Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-17T12:27:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Western New York Chapter. The Western New York Chapter represents the counties of Cattaraugas, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara. To get involved in these races, contact Louisa Pacheco at 716-697-7616.

City of Buffalo Comptroller
Andrew A. SanFilippo

City of Buffalo Council Member Delaware District
Michael John LoCurto

City of Buffalo Council Member Ellicott District
Bryon J. McIntyre

City of Buffalo Council Member Niagara District
David A. Rivera

City of Dunkirk Council Member
Bob T. George

City of Elmira Council Member District 6
James E. Hare

City of Elmira Mayor
John Tonello

City of Jamestown Council Member At Large
Gregory Peter Rabb

City of Jamestown Council Member Ward 1
Stephen F. Szwejbka

City of Jamestown Council Member Ward 3
Michael Alexander Taylor

City of Jamestown Council Member Ward 4
Vincent DeJoy III

City of Jamestown Council Member Ward 5
Maria B. Jones

City of Jamestown Council Member Ward 6
Paul D. Whitford

City of Jamestown Mayor
Samuel Teresi

City of Lackawanna City Court Judge (Ten Year Term)
Frederic Marrano

City of Lackawanna Council President
Charles Jaworski

City of Lackawanna Councilman 4th Ward
Joseph J. Schiavi

City of Lackawanna Mayor
Norman L. Polanski Jr.

City of Lockport Alderperson Ward 3
Flora M. McKenzie

City of Lockport Alderperson Ward 4
Patrick W. Schrader Sr.

City of Lockport Alderperson Ward 5
John Lombardi III

City of Lockport Mayor
Michael William Tucker

City of Lockport Treasurer
Michael E. White

City of Niagara Falls City Court Judge
Robert Merino

City of Niagara Falls Council Member
Nicholas Ligammari Jr.

City of Niagara Falls Mayor
Paul A. Dyster

City of North Tonawanda Alderperson
David J. Burgio Sr.

City of North Tonawanda Alderperson District 9
Anthony J. DiBernardo

City of North Tonawanda Council Member District 10
Kevin John Brick Jr.

City of Tonawanda City Attorney
Ronald C. Trabucco

City of Tonawanda City Treasurer
Joseph M. Hogenkamp

City of Tonawanda Councilmember 1st Ward
Colleen R. Perkins

City of Tonawanda Councilmember 2nd Ward
Gary C. Waterhouse

City of Tonawanda Councilmember 3rd Ward
James P. Kossow

City of Tonawanda Councilmember 4th Ward
Rick D. Davis Jr.

City of Tonawanda President of the Common Council
Carleton R. Zeisz

County of Cattaraugus County Legislator District 10
Linda L. Witte, John J. Padlo

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 1
Keith David Ahlstrom

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 10
Wally J. Huckno Sr.

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 11
Victoria Renee James

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 12
Charles Franklin Cornell

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 13
Tina Marie Hallquist

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 15
Maria M. Kindberg

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 16
James J. Ventura

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 18
Rudy Mueller

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 20
Elizabeth Marie Starks

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 21
C. Ronald Vahl

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 23
Thomas Dejoe

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 24
David F. Kleparek

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 25
Stephen W. Keefe

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 4
David Thomas Wilder

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 6
Rebecca White

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 8
Robert L. Anderson

County of Chautauqua County Legislator District 9
Kenneth B. Brentley

County of Erie County Clerk (To Fill Vacancy)
Kathy Courtney Hochul

County of Erie County Court Judge
James McLeod

County of Erie County Executive
James P. Keane

County of Erie County Legislator 10th District
Michele M. Iannello

County of Erie County Legislator 11th District
Lynn M. Marinelli

County of Erie County Legislator 12th District
Robert B. Reynolds Jr.

County of Erie County Legislator 13th District
Suzann M. Cushman

County of Erie County Legislator 14th District
Thomas A. Loughran

County of Erie County Legislator 15th District
Michael James Robitaille

County of Erie County Legislator 1st District
Daniel M. Kozub

County of Erie County Legislator 2nd District
Timothy M. Kennedy

County of Erie County Legislator 3rd District
Barbara Miller-Williams

County of Erie County Legislator 6th District
Maria R. Whyte

County of Erie County Legislator 7th District
Betty Jean Grant

County of Erie County Legislator 8th District
Deborah S. Kubiak

County of Erie County Legislator 9th District
Timothy M. Wroblewski

County of Niagara Clerk
Wayne F. Jagow Jr.

County of Niagara Coroner
James M. Joyce

County of Niagara Coroner Fourth District
Robert DuBois Jr.

County of Niagara County Legislator District 1
Richard A. Marasco

County of Niagara County Legislator District 10
Joseph Andrew Rich

County of Niagara County Legislator District 11
Scott Andrew Schultz

County of Niagara County Legislator District 12
Jerry Mosey

County of Niagara County Legislator District 14
Kyle R Andrews

County of Niagara County Legislator District 15
Harry James Apolito

County of Niagara County Legislator District 16
William Keith McNall

County of Niagara County Legislator District 18
Merrill S. Bender

County of Niagara County Legislator District 2
Renae Kimble

County of Niagara County Legislator District 3
Mario P. Tonellato

County of Niagara County Legislator District 4
Dennis Virtuoso

County of Niagara County Legislator District 5
Sean J. O'Connor

County of Niagara County Legislator District 6
Robert Samuel LaBarbera

County of Niagara County Legislator District 7
Roger Louis Chenez

County of Niagara County Legislator District 8
Charles Joseph Naughton

County of Niagara County Legislator District 9
Edward T. McDonald

County of Niagara Family Court Judge
Linda M. DiPasquale

Town of Alabama Highway Superintendent
Robert Kehlenbeck

Town of Albion Supervisor
Judith Ann Koehler

Town of Amherst Councilman
Mark A. Manna, Jerome D. Schad, Bill Kindel

Town of Amherst Highway Superintendent
Robert Anderson

Town of Amherst Town Justice
Geoffrey K. Klein

Town of Aurora Councilman
Gregory Szematowicz

Town of Aurora Supervisor
Allan A. Kasprzak

Town of Boston Councilman
James E. Pluta, Cathy A. Maghran

Town of Boston Town Clerk
David J. Shenk

Town of Brant Councilman
Daniel B. Kujawinski

Town of Brant Town Clerk
Diane M. Czyz

Town of Brant Town Justice
Debra A. Ritz

Town of Chautauqua Council Member
James V. Kurtz

Town of Chautauqua Supervisor
Donald D. Emhardt

Town of Cheektowaga Councilman
Richard James Maisano

Town of Cheektowaga Town Justice
Thomas S. Kolbert

Town of Clarence Councilman
Timothy B. Pazda

Town of Clarence Supervisor
Scott A. Bylewski

Town of Concord Councilman
Raymond R. Hubert, Mark I. Adamchick

Town of Eden Assesor
Sharon A. Brockman

Town of Eden Councilman
Glenn McLaughin

Town of Eden Town Justice
Melissa L. Zittel

Town of Ellery Supervisor
Patrick l. Lucariello

Town of Elma Councilman
Michael J. Fanelli, John E. Dudek

Town of Elma Supervisor
Donald E. Przybyl

Town of Elma Town Justice
Joseph A. Sakowski

Town of Evans Councilman
Thomas A. Partridge, Charles P. Militello

Town of Evans Supervisor
Francis J. Pordum

Town of Grand Island Clerk
Patricia A. Frentzel

Town of Hamburg Councilman
Vincent R. Gugliuzza, Richard A. Smith

Town of Hamburg Town Clerk
Catherine A. Rybczynski

Town of Hanover Clerk
Janine L. Salzman

Town of Hanover Council Member
Kevin K. O'Connell

Town of Hanover Highway Superintendent
Gerald M. Olsen Jr.

Town of Hanover Supervisor
Dana Albert Tietz

Town of Lancaster Councilman
Donna G. Stempniak

Town of Lancaster Town Clerk
Johanna M. Coleman

Town of Lancaster Town Justice
Mark A. Montour

Town of Lewiston Board Member
Mark V. Sarro

Town of Lewiston Council Member
Michael A. Johnson

Town of Lewiston Supervisor
Ronald Robert Winkley

Town of Lockport Council Member
Paul W. Siejak

Town of Newfane Board Member
Michelle Joy Wheeler

Town of Newstead Councilman
Justin M. Rooney, Cheryl M. Esposito

Town of Newstead Supervisor
David L. Cummings

Town of Newstead Town Justice
Richard C. Baran

Town of Niagara Council Member
Robert E. Herman Sr., Robert Allen Clark

Town of North Collins Town Clerk
Margaret J. Orrange

Town of Orchard Park Councilman
Deborah L. Yeomans, Anne Marie C. McManus

Town of Poland Highway Superintendent
Larry Ralph Mee

Town of Pomfret Council Member
Michael C. Barris

Town of Royalton Board Member
James G. Budde

Town of Royalton Highway Superintendent
Carson James Kelley

Town of Sardinia Councilman
Darren J. Farthing

Town of Somerset Assesor
John Henry Keough

Town of Somerset Council Member
Richard N. Ray Jr., Randall J Wayner

Town of Somerset Receiver of Taxes
Ruth H. Wendler

Town of Somerset Supervisor
John Edward Sweeney Jr.

Town of Tonawanda Councilman
Daniel J. Crangle

Town of Tonawanda Supervisor
Anthony F. Caruana

Town of Tonawanda Town Clerk
Melissa M. Brinson

Town of Tonawanda Town Justice
John J. Flynn, J. Mark Gruber

Town of West Seneca Councilman
Sheila M. Meegan, Dale F. Clarke

Town of West Seneca Supervisor
Christina Wleklinski-Bove

Town of Wheatfield Clerk
Mary Catherine Joyce

Town of Wheatfield Council Member
Samuel Conti Jr.

Village of Kenmore Mayor
Patrick Mang

Village of Kenmore Trustee
R. Timothy McCarthy

WFP Westchester-Putnam Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-17T11:51:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Westchester-Putnam Chapter. To get involved in these races, contact Pat Welsh at 718-222-3796.

City of New Rochelle Council Member District 1
Susan I. Kettner

City of New Rochelle Council Member District 2
Albert A. Tarantino Jr.

City of New Rochelle Council Member District 3
James Count Stowe

City of New Rochelle Council Member District 4
Roberto Lopez

City of New Rochelle Council Member District 6
Marianne L. Sussman

City of New Rochelle Mayor
Noam Bramson

City of Peekskill Council Member
Patricia Riley, Joseph V. Schuder, Donald Francis Bennett Jr.

City of Peekskill Mayor
Mary F. Foster

City of White Plains Council Member
Dennis J. Power, Benjamin Boykin 2ND, Milagros Lecuona

City of Yonkers City Court Judge
Mary Anne Scattaretico-Naber

City of Yonkers Council Member District 1
Patricia D. McDow

City of Yonkers Council Member District 5
Jodi Mosiello

City of Yonkers Mayor
Dennis Michael Robertson

County of Putnam County Legislator District 5
Gerard V. Furey

County of Westchester County Court Judge
James Hubert, Barbara Zambelli

County of Westchester County Legislator District 10
Vito J. Pinto

County of Westchester County Legislator District 12
Thomas J. Abinanti

County of Westchester County Legislator District 14
Bernice Spreckman

County of Westchester County Legislator District 16
Ken Jenkins

County of Westchester County Legislator District 17
Jose I. Alvarado

County of Westchester County Legislator District 2
Peter B. Harckham

County of Westchester County Legislator District 3
John Nonna

County of Westchester County Legislator District 4
Michael B. Kaplowitz

County of Westchester County Legislator District 5
William J. Ryan

County of Westchester County Legislator District 6
Martin L. Rogowsky

County of Westchester County Legislator District 7
Judy Myers

County of Westchester County Legislator District 9
William E. Burton

County of Westchester Family Court Judge
Janet Jordan

Town of Cortlandt Council Member
Richard H. Becker

Town of Cortlandt Town Justice
Anthony M. Giordano

Town of Greenburgh Council Member
Steven Bass, Sonja M. Brown

Town of Greenburgh Supervisor
Suzanne Berger

Town of Greenburgh Town Justice
Doris T. Friedman

Town of Kent Council Member District 4
Joseph Andrew D'Ambrosio

Town of Kent Council Member District 6
Paul Spiegel

Town of Lewisboro Council Member
Daniel Xavier Welsh

Town of Lewisboro Councilman District 6
Bruce Pavalow

Town of Lewisboro Supervisor
Edward W. Brancati

Town of North Castle Councilman
Kevin C. Eccleston

Town of Ossining Council Member
Martha L. Dodge

Town of Ossining Town Justice
Edwin S. Shapiro

Town of Patterson Board Member
Patricia E. Ploeger

Town of Patterson Town Justice
Scott Auster

Town of Putnam Valley Supervisor
Wendy M. Whetsel

Town of Rye Council Member
Michael J. Borrelli, Dominick Lagana

Town of Rye Highway Superintendent
Vincent A. Sapione

Town of Rye Receiver of Taxes
Nicholas C. Mecca

Town of Rye Supervisor
Robert A. Morabito II

Town of Rye Town Justice
Anthony M. Provenzano

Town of Southeast Highway Superintendent At Large
Michael L Fila Sr.

Town of Yorktown Council Member
Nicholas J. Bianco, James J. Martorano

Town of Yorktown Supervisor
Donald Scott Peters

Town of Yorktown Town Justice
Ilan D. Gilbert

Town/Village of Harrison Clerk
Frank A. Acocella

Town/Village of Harrison Council Member/Trustee
Robert C. Paladino, Patrick A. Vetere

Town/Village of Harrison Mayor/Supervisor
Joan B. Walsh

Town/Village of Harrison Town Justice
Ronald Bianchi, Marc Lust

WFP Suffolk Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-17T11:19:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Suffolk Chapter. To get involved in these races, contact Joe Berry at 718-222-3796.

County of Suffolk County Executive
Steve Levy

County of Suffolk County Legislator 11th Legislative District
Thomas Francis Barraga

County of Suffolk County Legislator 12th Legislative District
John Michael Kennedy Jr.

County of Suffolk County Legislator 14th Legislative District
Wayne R. Horsley

County of Suffolk County Legislator 15th Legislative District
Elie Mystal

County of Suffolk County Legislator 16th Legislative District
Steven H. Stern

County of Suffolk County Legislator 17th Legislative District
Louis D'Amaro

County of Suffolk County Legislator 18th Legislative District
Jon Cooper

County of Suffolk County Legislator 1st Legislative District
No Endorsement aaendli
County of Suffolk County Legislator 2nd Legislative District
Jay H. Schneiderman

County of Suffolk County Legislator 3rd Legislative District
Kate M. Browning

County of Suffolk County Legislator 4th Legislative District
Brian J. Beedenbender

County of Suffolk County Legislator 5th Legislative District
Vivian M. Viloria-Fisher

County of Suffolk County Legislator 6th Legislative District
Bryan Lilly

County of Suffolk County Legislator 7th Legislative District
No Endorsement aaendli
County of Suffolk County Legislator 8th Legislative District
William Lindsay

County of Suffolk County Legislator 9th Legislative District
Ricardo Montano

County of Suffolk District Court Judge 2nd District
No Endorsement aaendli
County of Suffolk District Court Judge 6th District
William A. DeVore, Chris Ann Kelley

County of Suffolk Family Court Judge
Theresa Whelan

Town of Babylon Councilman
Jacqueline A. Gordon, Ellen T. McVeety

Town of Brookhaven Council Member District 1
No Endorsement aaendli
Town of Brookhaven Council Member District 2
Bill Shilling

Town of Brookhaven Council Member District 3
Kevin L. Hyms

Town of Brookhaven Council Member District 4
Constance M. Kepert

Town of Brookhaven Council Member District 5
Jack N. Fath

Town of Brookhaven Council Member District 6
Edward J. Hennessey

Town of Brookhaven Highway Superintendent
John H. Rouse

Town of Brookhaven Receiver of Taxes
Louis J. Marcoccia

Town of Brookhaven Supervisor
Brian X. Foley

Town of East Hampton Councilman
Bill Gardiner

Town of East Hampton Supervisor
William J. Wilkinson

Town of East Hampton Councilman
Peter J. Hammerle

Town of East Hampton Supervisor
William J. Wilkinson

Town of East Hampton Town Justice
Steven Tekulsky

Town of Huntington Councilman
Susan A. Berland, Glenda D. Adams-Jackson

Town of Islip Councilman
John H. Edwards, Gene Parrington

Town of Islip Receiver of Taxes
Deborah L. Slinkosky

Town of Islip Supervisor
Phil Nolan

Town of Riverhead Assesor
Robert B. Gottschalk Jr.

Town of Riverhead Councilman
George M. Bartunek, Amy L. Csorny

Town of Riverhead Highway Superintendent
George 'Gio' Woodson

Town of Riverhead Receiver of Taxes
Michael K Roth

Town of Riverhead Supervisor
Philip J. Cardinale

Town of Riverhead Town Justice
Robert Lowery

Town of Shelter Island Assesor
Albert F. Hammond

Town of Shelter Island Councilman
Karen K. Moran, Glenn W. Waddington

Town of Shelter Island Supervisor
James Dougherty

Town of Smithtown Councilman
Thomas P. Cleere, Bruce Jay Ettenberg

Town of Southampton Councilman
Sandra L. Dunn, Anna E. Throne-Holst

Town of Southampton Receiver of Taxes
Bruce A. King

Town of Southampton Supervisor
James S. Henry

Town of Southampton Town Justice
Andrea H. Schiavoni

Town of Southold Councilman
William P. Edwards, Daniel C. Ross

Town of Southold Supervisor
No Endorsement aaendli
Town of Southold Trustee
Bob Ghosio Jr.

WFP Southern Tier Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Southern Tier Chapter. To get involved in these races, contact Eileen Hamlin at 607-775-1758.

City of Binghamton Council Member District 1
Bob Weslar

City of Binghamton Council Member District 2
Martin J. Gerchman

City of Binghamton Council Member District 6
Charles E. Kramer

City of Binghamton Council Member District 8
Edward Collins

City of Oneonta Alderperson District 4
Mike E. Lynch

County of Broome County Court Judge
Joseph Cawley

County of Otsego County Legislator District 7
Philip Anthony Durkin

Town of Cherry Valley Council Member
Mark D. Cornwell

Town of Vestal Supervisor
Barry L. Klipsch

Village of Endicott Trustee
Frank J. Flint

Village of Endicott Village Justice
Theo Totolis

WFP Rockland County Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-16T19:29:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Rockland County Chapter. To get involved in these races, contact Tom Stoner at 504-220-3766.

County of Rockland County Legislator District 1
John L. Kezek

County of Rockland County Legislator District 10
Harriet D. Cornell

County of Rockland County Legislator District 11
John J. Mangan Jr.

County of Rockland County Legislator District 12
Withers Joseph Withers

County of Rockland County Legislator District 14
Vijayendranath P. Pradhan

County of Rockland County Legislator District 17
Connie L. Coker II

County of Rockland County Legislator District 3
Jay Hood Jr.

County of Rockland County Legislator District 4
Ilan S. Schoenberger

County of Rockland County Legislator District 5
John Christos Fellas

County of Rockland County Legislator District 6
Bruce M. Levine

County of Rockland County Legislator District 8
William L. Darden

County of Rockland District Attorney
Thomas Patrick Zugibe

County of Rockland Sheriff
Tim O'Neill

Town of Clarkstown Clerk
David S. Carlucci

Town of Clarkstown Council Member
Shirley Lasker, Frank Borelli

Town of Clarkstown Highway Superintendent
Bill McCue

Town of Clarkstown Justice
Joel Flick

Town of Clarkstown Supervisor
Alexander J. Gromack

Town of Clarkstown Town Justice
Howard Gerber

Town of Haverstraw Highway Superintendent
Frank H. Brooks

Town of Haverstraw Supervisor
Howard T. Phillips Jr.

Town of Haverstraw Town Justice
Thomas Walsh II, Peter Branti Jr.

Town of Orangetown Council Member
Michael Maturo

Town of Orangetown Judge
Paul Phinney III

Town of Orangetown Supervisor
Thom Kleiner

Town of Ramapo Council Member
Frances M. Hunter, Edward Friedman

Town of Stony Point Clerk
Joan Skinner

Village of Haverstraw Mayor
Michael F. Kohut

Village of Haverstraw Trustee
Thomas L. Watson Jr., Rafael Bueno

Village of Haverstraw Village Justice
Ronald De Caprio

Village of West Haverstraw Mayor
Edward P. Zugibe Sr.

Village of West Haverstraw Trustee
Joseph A. Denise Jr., Frances R. Nardi

Village of West Haverstraw Village Justice
John Grant

WFP North Country Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-16T18:44:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party North Country Chapter. The North Country Chapter represents the counties of Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, Essex and Hamilton. To get involved in these races, contact Alex Rabb at 718-222-3796.

City of Plattsburgh Council Member Ward 1
Timothy R. Carpenter

City of Plattsburgh Council Member Ward 2
Mike Kelly

City of Plattsburgh Council Member Ward 6
Chris Jackson

County of Clinton County Legislator District 5
Keith Marvin Defayette

County of Clinton County Legislator District 9
John William Gallagher

County of Clinton Treasurer
Kimberly Kleist

County of Jefferson County Legislator District 11
Doris C. McLallen

County of Jefferson County Legislator District 3
Dean T. Morrow

County of Jefferson County Legislator District 5
Cindy McNultry Ross

County of St. Lawrence Sheriff
Gus Burns

Town of Beekmantown Council Member
Sharron Garden

Town of Beekmantown Highway Superintendent
Samuel R. Dyer

Town of Chazy Council Member
Christopher W Latremore

Town of Macomb Town Justice
Lafayette Young Jr.

Town of Madrid Board Member
Bill Tyndall

Town of Massena Council Member
John Martin Wicke

Town of Morristown Board Member
Christopher B. T. Coffin

Town of Plattsburgh Clerk
Amy Lynn Duquette

Town of Plattsburgh Council Member
Tom Wood

Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor
Bernard Charles Bassett

Town of Plattsburgh Town Justice
Randa Buompensiero-Filion

Town of Rutland Supervisor
Ronald H. Cole

Town of Saranac Supervisor
Joe Gerardi

WFP Nassau District Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-16T17:50:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Nassau Chapter. To get involved in these races, contact Saba Debesu at 718-222-3796.

City of Long Beach Council Member
Robert Tepper, Gina T. Guma, Lawrence Benowitz

County of Nassau County Court Judge
John M. Galasso, Jerald S. Carter

County of Nassau County Court Judge
Norman St. George

County of Nassau County Legislator District 1
Kevan Abrahams

County of Nassau County Legislator District 10
Judi R. Bosworth

County of Nassau County Legislator District 11
Wayne H. Wink Jr.

County of Nassau County Legislator District 13
John Rossi

County of Nassau County Legislator District 14
David L. Mejias

County of Nassau County Legislator District 15
John Michael Clark

County of Nassau County Legislator District 16
Judith A. Jacobs

County of Nassau County Legislator District 17
Edward P. Mangano

County of Nassau County Legislator District 18
Diane Yatauro

County of Nassau County Legislator District 19
David W. Denenberg

County of Nassau County Legislator District 2
Roger H. Corbin

County of Nassau County Legislator District 3
Ali A. Mirza

County of Nassau County Legislator District 4
Denise Ford

County of Nassau County Legislator District 5
Joseph Kenneth Scannell

County of Nassau County Legislator District 7
Jeffrey W. Toback

County of Nassau County Legislator District 8
Michael Uhl

County of Nassau District Court Judge 2nd District (Hempstead)
Robert Spergel

County of Nassau District Court Judge 3rd District (North Hempstead)
Erica Prager, David Goodsell

County of Nassau Family Court Judge
Edmund Dane, Amy Rood

Town of Hempstead Clerk
Mark A. Bonilla

Town of Hempstead Council Member District 2
N. Scott Banks

Town of Hempstead Council Member District 5
Robert S. Young

Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes
Donald X. Clavin Jr.

Town of North Hempstead Clerk
Leslie C. Gross

Town of North Hempstead Council Member District 2
Thomas Kennedy Dwyer

Town of North Hempstead Council Member District 4
Maria-Christina Poons

Town of North Hempstead Council Member District 6
Fred L. Pollack

Town of North Hempstead Receiver of Taxes
Rocco Iannarelli

Town of North Hempstead Supervisor
Jon Kaiman

Town of Oyster Bay Council Member
Anthony David Macagnone

Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor
John Venditto

Town of Oyster Bay Council Member
Keith Scalia

Town of Oyster Bay Receiver of Taxes
Marie F. McCormack

WFP Mid-Hudson Valley Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-16T17:13:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Mid-Hudson Valley Chapter. The Mid-Hudson Valley Chapter represents the counties of Ulster, Dutchess, Orange and Sullivan. To get involved in these races, contact Tim Mathews at 585-506-7745.

City of Beacon Council Member At Large
Lee Kyriacou

City of Beacon Council Member Ward 2
Charles Patrick Kelly

City of Beacon Council Member Ward 4
Sara Jane Pasti

City of Beacon Mayor
Steve Keith Gold

City of Kingston Alderperson Ward 2
Jennifer Ann Ringwood

City of Kingston Alderperson Ward 3
Charles Landi

City of Kingston Alderperson Ward 4
Matthew G. Ryan

City of Kingston Alderperson Ward 5
Ann Marie DiBella

City of Kingston Alderperson Ward 6
Robert W. Gillon

City of Kingston Alderperson Ward 7
William P. Reynolds

City of Kingston Alderperson Ward 8
Robert L. Senor

City of Kingston Mayor
James M. Sottile

City of Middletown Alderman 1st Ward
Maxine Leigh Meyer

City of Newburgh Council Member
Marge Bell

City of Poughkeepsie Common Council Member Ward 1
Thomas E. Parise

City of Poughkeepsie Common Council Member Ward 2
Erik Haight

City of Poughkeepsie Common Council Member Ward 3
Robert L. Mallory Jr.

City of Poughkeepsie Common Council Member Ward 4
Brian Doyle

City of Poughkeepsie Common Council Member Ward 5
Penny Lewis

City of Poughkeepsie Common Council Member Ward 6
Mary S. Solomon

City of Poughkeepsie Common Council Member Ward 7
Gwendolyn C Johnson

City of Poughkeepsie Common Council Member Ward 8
Dennis G. Weinel

City of Poughkeepsie Mayor
Fred Knapp

County of Dutchess Clerk
Richard M. Anderson

County of Dutchess County Executive
Joseph Ruggiero

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 11
Joel Tyner

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 13
William F. McCabe

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 14
Sandra Goldberg

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 15
Roger P. Higgins

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 18
Ronald S. Ray

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 19
Richard A. Hermans

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 2
Susan Tooker

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 20
Susan Goldstein

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 22
Matthew James Hanson

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 24
Peter G. Wassell

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 25
Margaret G. Fettes

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 4
Diane Nash

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 5
Richard F. Keller-Coffey

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 6
Frederick Bunnell

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 7
Dan Kuffner

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 8
Jane Smith

County of Dutchess County Legislator District 9
Steve White

County of Sullivan Clerk
Neil M. Gilberg

County of Sullivan County Legislator District 1
Patrick Joseph Harrison

County of Sullivan County Legislator District 2
Kathleen Mary LaBuda

County of Sullivan County Legislator District 3
Elwin M. Wood

County of Sullivan County Legislator District 6
Peter Frederick Gozza

County of Sullivan County Legislator District 7
Mark J. Sherman

County of Sullivan County Legislator District 9
Sam Wohl

County of Sullivan Sullivan County Judge and Surrogate
Cindy Barber

County of Ulster County Legislator District 10
Susan E. Zimet, Hector Samuel Rodriguez

County of Ulster County Legislator District 12
David Donaldson

County of Ulster County Legislator District 2
Donald J. Gregorius, Brian Shapiro

County of Ulster County Legislator District 3
Robert S. Parete, Richard A. Parete, Peter George Kraft Jr.

County of Ulster County Legislator District 4
Joshua Paul Boughton, Joseph P. Roberti Jr., Gary Bischoff, Bonni Nechemias

County of Ulster County Legislator District 5
Brian B. Cahill

County of Ulster County Legislator District 6
Jeanette Provenzano, Frank R. Dart

County of Ulster County Legislator District 7
Sal Silvestro, Philip C. Terpening, Alan Lomita

County of Ulster County Legislator District 8
Tracey Bartels, Tim Hunter

County of Ulster District Attorney
Jonathan R. Sennett

Town of Amenia Council Member
Glenn Caldarelli, Joel E. Pelkey

Town of Amenia Supervisor
Wayne M. Euvrard

Town of Bethel Council Member
Janet M. Scherf

Town of Bethel Supervisor
Daniel Sturm

Town of Blooming Grove Supervisor
Victor Quinton

Town of Callicoon Board Member
Sonja Hedlund

Town of Cornwall Supervisor
James Anthony Sollami

Town of Deerpark Supervisor
Mark David House

Town of East Fishkill Clerk
Lisa M. LaPine

Town of East Fishkill Highway Superintendent
David Neil LaPine

Town of Esopus Council Member
Stephanie R. Aivaz

Town of Esopus Highway Superintendent
Michael Joseph Cafaldo Sr.

Town of Esopus Receiver of Taxes
Susan M. Carnes

Town of Esopus Supervisor
Deborah Silvestro

Town of Esopus Town Justice
Sarah Rakov

Town of Fallsburg Supervisor
Kenneth Michael DeMars

Town of Fallsburg Town Council (Four Year Term)
Kevin Austin McDaniel, Ada E. Cole

Town of Fallsburg Town Council (Unexpired Four Year Term)
Deborah Chandler

Town of Fishkill Board Member
Patricia Susan Fleming

Town of Fishkill Supervisor
David E. Eberle

Town of Fishkill Town Justice
Linda Lebensold

Town of Highland Council Member
Kenneth J. Byrne

Town of Highland Council Member District 2
Paul Zimmermann

Town of Hurley Supervisor
Michael C. Shultis

Town of Hyde Park Council Member Ward 4
Rich Perkins

Town of Hyde Park Town Justice
David Steinberg

Town of Lloyd Supervisor
Joseph James Avampato Jr.

Town of Lumberland Board Member District 1
Keith Edward Gilmour

Town of Lumberland Board Member District 2
Van B. Krzywicki

Town of Mamakating Council Member
Richard Wayne Morris

Town of Mamakating Supervisor
Robert Eugene Fiore

Town of Marbletown Supervisor
Vincent C. Martello

Town of Marlborough Council Member
Madeleine Myers-Stearns

Town of Marlborough Supervisor
Alphonso Philip Lanzetta

Town of Poughkeepsie Town Justice
Richard Wolf, David Sears

Town of Red Hook Town Justice
Jonah Triebwasser

Town of Rochester Council Member
Francis Gray, Donna-Marie Ragonese

Town of Rochester Supervisor
Pam Duke

Town of Rochester Town Justice
Paul Shaheen

Town of Rosendale Supervisor
Patrick McDonough

Town of Rosendale Town Justice
Robert Vosper Jr.

Town of Saugerties Board Member
Leeanne Thornton, Fred M. Costello Jr.

Town of Saugerties Supervisor
Gregory L. Helsmoortel

Town of Stanford Council Member
Virginia Stern

Town of Stanfordville Council Member
Johanna Shafer

Town of Thompson Supervisor
Anthony P. Cellini

Town of Ulster Highway Superintendent
James Corrigan

Town of Ulster Supervisor
Nicky B. Woerner

Town of Ulster Town Justice
Edward Aleo

Town of Wallkill Council Member Ward 3
Kevin J. Mulqueen

Town of Wallkill Council Member Ward 4
Nina Guenste

Town of Wappinger Clerk
Chris Masterson

Town of Wappinger Council Member Ward 3
Maureen McCarthy

Town of Wappinger Council Member Ward 4
Joseph Patrick Paoloni

Town of Woodstock Supervisor
Jeff Moran

Town of Woodstock Town Justice
Franklyn J. Engel

WFP Herkimer-Oneida Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Herkimer-Oneida Chapter. To get involved in these races, contact Jim Curtacci at 315-736-1126.

City of Rome Common Council Member Ward 3
Angela B. Petty

City of Rome Common Council Member Ward 4
Ramona Luiere Smith

City of Rome Common Council Member Ward 7
James R. Murphy

City of Utica Common Council Member At Large
Lynne Mishalanie, Lorraine E. Arcuri, Frank Anthony Meola

City of Utica Common Council Member District 2
James A. Zecca

City of Utica Common Council Member District 5
Bill Phillips

County of Oneida County Legislator District 1
Frank Puma

County of Oneida County Legislator District 14
David Joesph Gordon

County of Oneida County Legislator District 22
Shannon Lee Scott

County of Oneida County Legislator District 23
Rose Ann Convertino

County of Oneida County Legislator District 24
Emil R. Paparella

County of Oneida County Legislator District 25
Larry R. Tanoury Jr.

County of Oneida County Legislator District 26
Daniel N. LaBella

County of Oneida County Legislator District 27
Vincent Peter Scalise

County of Oneida County Legislator District 29
Patricia A. Hudak

County of Oneida County Legislator District 7
Frank D. Tallarino

County of Oneida District Attorney
Scott D. McNamara

Town of Kirkland Council Member
Michael D. O'Neil

Town of Kirkland Supervisor
Robert J. Meelan

Town of Kirkland Town Justice
Stephen Samoyedny

Town of Verona Supervisor
Darrell C. Curtis

WFP Fingerlakes Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-16T15:48:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Fingerlakes Chapter. The Fingerlakes Chapter represents the counties of Monroe and Ontario. To get involved in these races, contact Larry Knox at 585-232-6980 ext 107.

City of Rochester School Commissioner
Vincent Rodney Felder

City of Canandaigua Council Member Ward 4
Margery L. Anthony

City of Canandaigua Mayor
Ellen M. Polimeni

City of Geneva Council Member
Jacqueline A. Augustine, Rocco "Chip" Capraro

City of Rochester Council Member Northeast District
Lovely Ann Warren

City of Rochester Council Member Northwest District
Carla M. Palumbo

City of Rochester Council Member South District
Adam Caesar McFadden

City of Rochester School Commissioner
Willa W. Powell, Melisza Campos, Malik Evans

County of Monroe County Executive
Patrick Christopher

County of Monroe County Legislator District 1
Todd Dunn

County of Monroe County Legislator District 10
Ted Nixon

County of Monroe County Legislator District 11
Susan L. Davis

County of Monroe County Legislator District 17
Edward M. O'Brien

County of Monroe County Legislator District 26
Steve Eckel

County of Monroe County Legislator District 27
Willie Joe Lightfoot

County of Monroe County Legislator District 6, Four Year Term
Richard A. Beebe

County of Monroe County Legislator District 8
Carmen Gumina

County of Monroe Family Court Judge
Sidney Farber

Town of Brighton Supervisor
Sandra L. Frankel

Town of Brighton Town Justice
Karen Morris

Town of Chili Supervisor
David J. Dunning

Town of Clarkson Council Member
Sheldon Meyers IV

Town of Gates Council Member
Mark A. McIntee

Town of Gates Supervisor
Susan Irene Swanton

Town of Greece Council Member Ward 2
Judy Mae Knights

Town of Greece Council Member Ward 3
Maureen V. Dauphinee

Town of Greece Council Member Ward 4
Gary Pudup

Town of Irondequoit Council Member
Stephanie Aldersley, John Perticone

Town of Irondequoit Supervisor
Mary Ellen Heyman

Town of Irondequoit Town Justice
Edward Knaak Jr.

Town of Ogden Council Member
Anthony Leroy McCollough, Wayne McCrossen

Town of Ogden Supervisor
Garry L. Cranker

Town of Parma Town Justice
Harriet Zunno

Town of Penfield Council Member
Elizabeth D. Andrzejewicz

Town of Perinton Council Member
David A. Wolf

Town of Riga Supervisor
Kenneth J. Kuter

Village of East Rochester Mayor
Jason William Koon

Village of East Rochester Trustee
Andrew Serrano, Herman L. Parson III

WFP Central New York Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-16T15:09:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Central New York Chapter. The Central New York Chapter represents the counties of Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego and Tompkins. To get involved in these races, contact Hilary Penney at 315-424-1743 ext 146.

City of Syracuse City Auditor
Philip J. LaTessa

City of Syracuse City Court Judge
Vanessa Bogan, James Cecile

City of Syracuse Commissioner of Education
Ned Deuel, Nancy K. McCarty, Laurie J. Menkin, Calvin L. Corriders

City of Syracuse Councilor At Large
Bill Ryan, Kathleen Joy

City of Syracuse Councilor District 2
Patrick J. Hogan

City of Syracuse Councilor District 3
John Ryan Mcmahon II

City of Syracuse Councilor District 4
Thomas M. Seals

City of Syracuse Councilor District 5
Lance Denno

County of Cayuga District Attorney
Michael G Bass

County of Onondaga County Executive
William B. Magnarelli

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 1
James Borchik

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 12
Victoria Lightcap

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 14
Gary Morris Sr.

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 16
Sam Laguzza

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 18
Monica Williams

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 2
Donald J. MacLaughlin

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 3
Brad Ward

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 4
David M. Stott

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 5
Phil Drury

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 6
Karen Hanford

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 7
Thomas C. Buckel Jr.

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 8
James Arthur Corbett

County of Onondaga County Legislator District 9
Mark Stanczyk

County of Onondaga District Attorney
Tina C. Bennet

County of Onondaga Family Court Judge
Marc Waldauer

Town of Cicero Clerk
David Christopher Olson

Town of Cicero Council Member
Lynn Jennings, Jessica Zambrano

Town of Cicero Supervisor
Chester A. Dudzinski Jr.

Town of DeWitt Council Member
Vicki Baker

Town of Dewitt Supervisor
Ed Michalenko

Town of DeWitt Town Clerk
Barbara Klim

Town of Liverpool Council Member
Thomas Stack

Town of Onondaga Council Member
Brian David Madigan

Town of Salina Council Member Ward 2
John R. Davies

Town of Salina Council Member Ward 3
Chris Benz

Town of Salina Council Member Ward 4
Sharon A. Jacquin

Town of Salina Supervisor
Michael P. Giarrusso

Town of Salina Town Justice
George Alessio Jr.

Town of Skaneateles Council Member
Nancy Murray, Kathryn A. Carlson

WFP Endorses Ed Kosiur for the 105th AD

2007-07-13T13:26:00.000-04:00

The Working Families Party endorses Ed Kosiur for the 105th Assembly seat, to be filled in a Special Election on July 31st.

Ed Kosiur is a Schenectady County Legislator who has gotten the WFP endorsement in the past. Ed was instrumental in passing a resolution supporting Fair Share for Health Care in the County Legislature, and has been supportive of the Working Families Time to Care Act.

There will be a July 31 Special Election to fill the Assembly seat in the 105th AD. The special election will fill the vacancy left by Paul Tonko, who has resigned to to take a position with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

WFP Capital District Chapter 2007 Endorsements

2007-07-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

Here are the 2007 endorsements from the Working Families Party Capital District Chapter. The Capital District Chapter represents the counties of Albany, Columbia, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady. To get involved in these races, contact Nicki Weiner at 518-445-0905.

The Capital District Chapter's top priorities are two of its earliest endorsements, Mike Manning for Mayor of Watervliet and Ken Zalewski for Troy City Council. Manning, who was endorsed by the WFP in his 2005 run for City Council, has brought a lot of change to the City of Watervliet as a council member and will do even more as Mayor.

Ken Zalewski, candidate for Troy City Council, will bring energy and vision to the City of Troy. The WFP, which is running Zalewski's field campaign, is excited about the work Zalewsi has been doing within the community, most recently as a visible proponent of the WFPs local efforts to bring integrity to City government in Troy.

City of Hudson Alderperson District 1, Second Ward
Lyle J. Shook Jr.
City of Hudson Supervisor 4th Ward
Staley B. Keith
City of Mechanicville Commissioner of Accounts
Stacie A. Salvi
City of Mechanicville Commissioner of Finance
Salvatore C. Izzo
City of Mechanicville Supervisor
Thomas Joseph Richardson
City of Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Accounts
John Paul Franck
City of Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Finance
M. Jane Weihe
City of Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Public Safety
Ronald J. Kim
City of Saratoga Springs Mayor
Valerie Keehn
City of Saratoga Springs Supervisor
Cheryl L. Keyrouze, Joanne Dittes Yepsen
City of Schenectady Council Member
Thomas Augustine Della Sala, Denise K. Brucker, Margaret C. King, Joseph L. Allen
City of Schenectady Mayor
Brian U. Stratton
City of Troy Council Member At Large
Marjorie Mahar DerGurahian, John F. Brown, Clement W. Campana
City of Troy Council Member District 1
Victor M. DeBonis
City of Troy Council Member District 2
Mary E. Sweeney
City of Troy Council Member District 3
Peter John Ryan Sr.
City of Troy Council Member District 4
William S. Dunne
City of Troy Council Member District 5
Kenneth J. Zalewski
City of Troy Council Member District 6
Gary L. Galuski
City of Troy Mayor
James J. Conroy
City of Watervliet Council Member
Charlie Diamond
City of Watervliet Mayor
Michael P. Manning
County of Albany County Comptroller
Patricia J. Slavick
County of Albany County Executive
Michael G. Breslin
County of Albany County Legislator District 1
George Infante
County of Albany County Legislator District 10
Daniel P. McCoy
County of Albany County Legislator District 11
Gary W. Domalewicz
County of Albany County Legislator District 13
William Mcneal Clay
County of Albany County Legislator District 14
Raymond F. Joyce III
County of Albany County Legislator District 15
Phillip G. Steck
County of Albany County Legislator District 17
Sean E. Ward
County of Albany County Legislator District 18
Shawn M. Morse
County of Albany County Legislator District 2
Lucille McKnight
County of Albany County Legislator District 20
Timothy D. Nichols
County of Albany County Legislator District 25
Ryan Vincent Horstmyer
County of Albany County Legislator District 26
Richard A. Gross
County of Albany County Legislator District 27
Richard P. Jacobson
County of Albany County Legislator District 30
Allen F. Maikels
County of Albany County Legislator District 31
William F. Aylward Jr.
County of Albany County Legislator District 36
Howard A. Shafer
County of Albany County Legislator District 39
Kevin G. Crosier
County of Albany County Legislator District 5
Norma Chapman
County of Albany County Legislator District 6
Christopher Thomas Burke
County of Albany County Legislator District 8
Doug Bullock
County of Columbia Coroner
George F. Davis
County of Columbia District Attorney
Eugene Keeler
County of Columbia Treasurer
Carol Gilbert-Sacks
County of Rensselaer District Attorney
Richard J. McNally
County of Saratoga Coroner
Matt Sousa
County of Schenectady County Legislator District 1
Vincent M. DiCerbo, Michael John Petta
County of Schenectady County Legislator District 2
Gary E. Hughes
County of Schenectady County Legislator District 3
William R. Chapman, Paul C. Webster III
County of Schenectady County Legislator District 4
Robert Joseph Godlewski, Anthony W. Jasenski Sr.
County of Washington Coroner
Sheela Joyce Martel
Town of Austerlitz Town Justice
Cheryl Roberts
Town of Ballston Council Member
George Seymour
Town of Ballston Supervisor
Patti Southworth
Town of Brunswick Clerk
Jean A Howard
Town of Brunswick Council Member
Susan Hoff Haynes, James J. Brearton
Town of Brunswick Supervisor
Vito Grasso
Town of Clifton Park Clerk
Theresa Izzo
Town of Clifton Park Council Member
Nancy Bellamy, Margaret Catellier
Town of Clifton Park Town and County Supervisor
Arthur Vandervoort
Town of Clifton Park Town Justice
Robert Rybak
Town of Colonie Council Member
Robert D. Becker
Town of Colonie Supervisor
Paula A. Mahan
Town of Copake Council Member
Carl Ritchie
Town of Copake Supervisor
Linda Sue Gabaccia
Town of Duanesburg Town Justice
Camille J. Siano Enders
Town of Glenville Town Justice
Carol M. Dillon
Town of Greenfield Board Member
Lisa M. Kosek
Town of Halfmoon Town Justice
Jeffrey Hartnett
Town of Hillsdale Town Justice
Russ Immarigeon
Town of Hoosick Council Member
Robert H. Ryan
Town of Hoosick Supervisor
Marilyn K. Douglas
Town of Johnsburg Council Member
Ronald G. Vanselow
Town of Kinderhook Board Member
Peter - Bujanow, Francis J. McKearin IV
Town of Kinderhook Clerk
Kimberly Ann Pinkowski
Town of Kinderhook Supervisor
Doug McGivney
Town of Malta Clerk
Cynthia C. Young
Town of Milton Board Member
Margaret Stevens
Town of Moreau Board Member
Gina Maria LeClair Jr.
Town of Moreau Supervisor
Preston Leroy Jenkins Jr.
Town of Nassau Council Member
Susan Hains, Fred Nuffer
Town of Nassau Supervisor
Michael I. Roland
Town of New Lebanon Town Justice
Darcy L. Poppey
Town of Niskayuna Clerk
Helen F. Kopke
Town of Niskayuna Council Member
Liz Orzel Kasper, Julie Bean McDonnell
Town of Niskayuna Justice
Stephen F. Swinton Jr.
Town of Niskayuna Supervisor
Joe Landry
Town of North Greenbush Council Member At Large
Josephine Ashworth, Brian Dwyer
Town of North Greenbush Highway Superintendent
Mark J. Premo Sr.
Town of Pittstown Town Justice
Paul Mac Naughton
Town of Princetown Council Member
Rose Norkus
Town of Rensselaerville Assesor
Jeffry Pine
Town of Rensselaerville Council Member
Gary Jon Chase Jr.
Town of Rensselaerville Council Member
Marie Dermody, Gary Jon Chase Jr.
Town of Rensselaerville Town Justice
Victor La Plante
Town of Rotterdam Council Member
Richard W. Leet, John M. Silva
Town of Rotterdam Supervisor
William J. Cooke
Town of Sand Lake Clerk
Christine Marie Kronau
Town of Sand Lake Council Member
Burton J. Rounds, Raymond C. Turner
Town of Sand Lake Receiver of Taxes
Barbara Ann Biittig
Town of Sand Lake Supervisor
William C. Reinhardt Sr.
Town of Stillwater Supervisor
J. Gregory Connors
Town of Stuyvesant Board Member
Rosalind Gumaer, Marilyn F. Burch
Town of Stuyvesant Supervisor
Lee Jamison

More WFP at TPM Cafe

2007-07-09T15:58:00.000-04:00

Here a crosspost of the third guest post on fusion at the Talking Points Memo Cafe:

Fusion: What’s in it for Democrats?
In the first two posts, I tried to make the case for “fusion” voting as something that will really help liberals, progressives, labor, enviros, anti-poverty activists, climate change campaigners, you name it. Today I’ll try to make the case for fusion as a good reform that Democrats as a party should favor.

But a quick reminder if you’re just joining: “fusion” is a simple election reform that allows voters to vote for a candidate on more than one party line.

In New York, Governor Eliot Spitzer won last year running on both the Democratic and Working Families lines. The 155,000 New Yorkers who voted for him on the Working Families line were helping elect a Democrat and end 12 years of Republican misrule in Albany, but they were also helping to build an independent progressive third party and signal that they wanted the new governor to focus on the economic interests of working people – affordable health care, stronger unions, fairer taxes and support for working parents. One result – Gubernatorial support for a universal Paid Family Leave program.

For progressives, fusion is a no-brainer. And it will be even more so in the – knock on wood! – coming era of Democratic dominance on a national level. We’ll be constantly faced with the choice of devoting our energy to supporting the Democrats or maintaining an independent presence to their left. Fusion lets us do both.

But what’s in it for the Democrats?
Fusion was once legal in all 50 states but is now banned in all but half a dozen. Why should legislators in Maine or Oregon or Colorado or New Mexico want re-legalize it?

I don’t want to overclaim, but as it turns out, there are several good reasons for Democratic elected officials to favor the re-legalization of fusion voting. The impact of fusion is at the margins – even in New York, Working Families has never reached even 5 percent of the statewide vote (though we will soon!) But plenty of elections are decided by just a few percentage points. How can fusion move those critical last points to good, progressive Dems?

First, by attracting independents and “Reagan” Democrats. They may not like the Democratic Party, but they like the idea of a third party that advocates for things like universal health care and higher wages. Second, by attracting “greens” and other progressives who want to “send a message” to the Democrats from the left without spoiling. Third, by bringing new voters into the political process. And fourth, by fostering creation of fusion parties like the WFP, which, if I can boast a moment, runs one of the best grassroots electoral operations in the country.

I’m going to start by talking about the second piece – fusion as a tool for attracting progressives and solving the “spoiler” problem. Tomorrow I’ll turn to the even-more-important question of independents and new voters.

The left. Also known as solving the Nader problem. But actually, spoiling is a persistent problem, not a freak occurrence in 2000. . In New Mexico, the Green vote exceeded the Republicans’ margin of victory in the 1994 Governor’s race and again in a 1998 Congressional race. In the latter race, if even half the Green voters had supported the Dem, he would have won. More recently, several well-meaning but not very strategic Green candidates in Maine have enabled Republicans to win elections they would have almost certainly lost. (On the right, Libertarians have done the same thing to the advantage of Democrats, but in general spoiling is a much bigger problem for our side].)

I hasten to say, I don’t especially blame Green (or Libertarian) voters. They’re doing what they’re supposed to do in a democracy – coming out and supporting the party they believe in. The problem is an electoral system that means their votes have the exact opposite effect of what they intended.

With fusion, they would have another choice – support both their preferred party and a candidate who can actually win. Some voters will still choose to vote for the third-party candidate, of course, but most would prefer not to vote for a spoiler if there’s another way to support a progressive third party. That’s certainly the case in New York, where many Green Party voters have migrated to the Working Families Party, and in so doing are helping to “green up” the WFP’s identity. Most citizens prefer to cast a meaningful vote than a purely symbolic protest vote, if there’s a principled way to do it.

It’s undeniable that if we’d had fusion and a Working Families-type party in Florida in 2000, we’d now be in the seventh year of a Gore presidency. That’s why important leaders of the Democratic Party – people like Chuck Schumer -- are active supporters of fusion. They don’t agree with us on everything– but they know that in the big fights we’re on the same side. And they know that an independent fusion party brings something they vitally need in close races – credibility with the small but active and energetic group of voters who want to send a message to the Democrats.

Small, however, is a key word. I don’t mean to dismiss progressives – I’m one myself. But we aren’t where the big game is. That’s in the “center,” with swing voters, especially the “Reagan Democrats” (anyone ever hear of a Kerry Republican?), working-class voters who are with the Dems on economic issues but won’t vote for them because of their (real or perceived) stances on hot-button issues like gun control or prayer in schools. Fusion helps there too, and the potential gains are even bigger. So that will be the subject of my next post.

Join the discussion. Do you think we need a way to put pressure on Democrats while still electing them to office?

WFP at TPM Cafe: The Value of Independent Organizations

2007-07-03T15:29:00.000-04:00

Here's a crosspost of today's WFP guest post at the Talking Points Memo Cafe:

Fusion: The Value of Independent Organizations (Or, Because the Angel Moroni Won't be Back Anytime Soon)
Yesterday I wrote about how fusion voting works in New York:

By allowing voters to support a major party candidate on a minor-party line, fusion solves the “wasted vote” and “spoiler” dilemmas that otherwise plague third parties. There have been many fusion parties in our nation’s history – the Populists being the most famous – but it can be used by left, right and center. Democracy means everyone gets to play.
For a progressive-minded party like New York’s Working Families, we have almost always cross-endorsed (or “fused”) with Democrats, but occasionally we will endorse a decent Republican, run our own stand-alone WFP candidate against the major parties, or leave our line BLANK when there didn’t seem to be a good reason to endorse anyone.

By delivering 8,000-plus votes for Brian Higgins in his 2004 Congressional race, we were the margin that put another good Democrat (make that, Dem-WFP) in Congress. By delivering 155,000 votes for Eliot Spitzer for Governor, OK, we weren’t close to the margin of victory, but we did signal that a substantial fraction of the New York electorate expects real progress toward universal health care, public election financing, and universal paid family leave and sick days over the next four years.

Great, that’s New York. Why should the rest of the country care? Here’s why.

Nathan Newman, a TPM regular and long time friend of the Working Families Party, has been predicting for some time that the election of a Democratic president will trigger a fracture of left blogistan and progressives generally. Barring a devastating ferret invasion or divine intervention by the angel Moroni, this prediction is very likely to be put to the test in January 2009.

The lines of the split are already visible. On one side are those who see progressives as the loyal foot soldiers of elected Democrats. For them, the inevitable difficulties and disappointments of the coming Democratic era will be testimony to the inherent inertia of American politics and the tenacity of Republican dead-enders. Every setback will be a further argument for tighter discipline and a narrower focus on the achievable.

On the other side are those for whom the program, not the party, is foremost. If, come year three of a Democratic administration, American troops are still in Iraq, millions of Americans still lack health coverage, and K Street is still thriving, it will be a sign to some that the strategy of supporting Democrats has failed. You can go through the exercise yourself of guessing who will fall on which side, but there’s no question there will be a split.

In the classic tradition of practical politicians, I’d argue that both sides are right.

Atrios, who is as likely as anyone to bridge this divide, says “More and better Democrats”. That’s right. At the Federal level especially, the damage done by the Bush crowd is monumental and monumentally depressing, and the first rule is to get control and STOP. Of course, the more we elect “better” Democrats, not just more, the happier we’ll be. That means maintaining our independence, institutionally as well as intellectually, so we can insist in a meaningful way on what it means to be a good Democrat and get actually existing Democrats to come closer to this standard.

It’s not a new problem. It’s the same dilemma that faces any institutional actor whose heart still beats on the left – unions, immigrants, gays and lesbians, health care advocates, students, whoever. As a practical matter, the more Democrats are in office, the more likely we are to get at least some piece of our agenda enacted. At times, electing Democrats can be literally a matter of life or death.

But on the other hand, the more firmly we bind ourselves to the Dems, the less leverage we have over them. The Democratic Party isn’t like Old Labour in the U.K.: unions and other organizations don’t have any direct role in governing it. (Actually, it isn’t really a party at all, but that’s a subject for another time.) Power means voice or exit; if we don’t have a voice we need the option to exit; but where, realistically, are disillusioned progressives to go?

Not to third party candidates, that’s for sure. Under America’s winner-take-all electoral system, third-party politics is a chump’s game. Anything short of a plurality might as well be nothing. So at best you should have stayed home; at worst you accomplish the exact opposite of what you intended. (See Nader, R.)

At the local level there are times and places when third party candidacies do make sense, but building them into a coherent movement is another story. Electing progressives in Democratic primaries is a much more promising approach, but it does nothing to build a lasting organization that can work 365 days a year to advance our issues in real-time. People who go this route become, for better or worse, part of the vague, amorphous milieu of Democratic politics. The Jesse Jackson campaign was the most exciting effort to build progressive power within the Democratic Party in the past generation, and left a positive institutional legacy – but it’s still just a legacy, and not an organization. Michael Harrington used to say that true leftists had to build organizations. He was right.

We need a strategy that allows us to wholeheartedly work for “more and better Democrats” without simply being absorbed in the Democratic Party. And we need a strategy that lets us build our own distinct progressive institutions without losing sight of the need to exercise real power in the here and now. I DON’T claim that fusion is the ONLY approach that resolves this dilemma, but it’s certainly one of the most promising ones.

Fusion allows progressives to actively, wholeheartedly campaign for good Democrats without giving up the idea of a distinct party for working people and their allies. In fact, progressive Democrats in New York – both elected officials and organizational leaders from labor and community and environmental groups – are our strongest allies, because we all want the state and nation to move in a better direction, and this is a uniquely potent tool for making that happen.

Some readers don’t think the left needs its own independent political structure, supportive of but distinct from the Democrats. That’s a legitimate view, and if you’re in that camp, you don’t need fusion or the Working Families Party.

But if you do think there’s a space for a political structure to prod the Democrats in a more progressive direction [think MoveOn], then fusion is the ticket. Our strategy, in fact, might be understood as providing a ballot line that could and hopefully will be the natural and happy home for MoveOn members, union members, ACORN members, Sierra Club members and so on and so forth.

I don’t mean to be a bore, but third parties without fusion (remember – it was once legal in EVERY state) are just writing themselves out of politics. Run in a close election, and you spoil. Run in a safe Dem district, and you might as well run in the Democratic primary instead. And whatever the district, you’ll never recruit candidates to run year in, year out, which is what it takes to develop a reliable vote. Whatever you want to call the political orientation TPM readers share, there are a lot of us, but not a plurality. And 3 percent or 5 percent or even 10 percent just doesn’t allow you to accomplish anything under winner-take-all.

With fusion it’s a different story. The Working Families Party supports Democrats in close races – just ask the five Congressional Ds who owe their election in some measure to the votes they got on the WFP line – that’s the “more Democrats” part. But, unlike other organizations that support Democrats in particular races, every election under fusion is also a chance to enlarge the population of reliable progressive third-party voters. And we don't need to recruit candidates to run in each of the hundreds of districts we're present in each year. Fusion is about the organization, not the individual candidate.

Without fusion, progressives have a stark choice. Support the Dem and forego the chance to develop an alternative political identity. Or run a third-party candidate and help send a Republican to Washington. With fusion, we get to have it both ways. We help elect the Democrat, but we also increase the pool of voters voting on the WFP line, giving us a credible threat to exit if the Dems don’t deliver.

Good deal for progressives? Absolutely. But what’s in it for the Democrats? That’s the subject for my next post.

What do you think? Head on over to TPM Cafe and be part of the debate.

WFP at TPM Cafe

2007-07-02T18:26:00.000-04:00

All week, Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Cantor will be blogging at the Talking Points Memo Cafe. Head on over and check it out.

For Your Phone: Affordable Housing Ringtone

2007-06-29T16:07:00.000-04:00

"Starrett City and its 20,000 residents can't wait until the fall for the legislature to protect their homes. Their homes are set to be sold before the next session begins - and then they'll have nowhere to turn . . . We can't wait one minute longer. The Assembly has passed this important legislation, but we need the Senate and the Governor to put these bills on their agendas before they can become law. If Governor Spitzer and Senator Bruno do not act during this session, we will immediately lose 6,000 affordable apartments and thousands more in other Mitchell-Lama buildings . . . There are only two possibilities - either we pass these vital reforms, or thousands of the voters who believed we would change New York for the better will be pushed out of their homes."
- Assemblyman Darryl C. Towns, chair of the Assembly's Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus

The state legislative session ended with the Republican-controlled State Senate refusing to take action to protect affordable housing, even though thousands of units of affordable housing are going to be lost this summer without Senate action.

New York Is Our Home made a trip to Albany during the legislative session to demand that Governor Spitzer and Senate Majority Leader Bruno pass A795, the Save Starrett City bill, and A352. The Assembly Housing Committee and the Assembly Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus joined with us. So what was our reception in the Senate?

Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno flat out refused to meet with us.

That's a disgrace. With rents the way they are, Joe Bruno and his Senate Republican majority ought to be ashamed. And we're going to make sure everyone knows it.

First, tell your State Senators to pass affordable housing legislation.

Then download the New York Is Our Home "Shame on Bruno" ringtone for your phone.

When Bruno wouldn't meet with us in Albany, we protested outside of his office. Our chant then was "Shame on Bruno." Now we've turned that chant into a ringtone for your phone so you can put the pressure on. Here's the original ringtone and the remix version. When someone asks you what your ringtone is, explain how the Senate Republicans and Joe Bruno are getting rid of affordable housing through their inaction. If enough people download the ringtone then word will spread to your friends and to their friends, and we can reach enough people to force action to protect affordable housing.

If you want to know more, here is a detailed description of what New York Is Our Home stands for and here is the Losing Ground report that documents the housing affordability crisis.

One last thing: if you're on MySpace, add the WFP as a friend.

Telecommunications Reform Act : Let's Get Moving

2007-06-29T12:54:00.000-04:00

The Albany Project is leading an effort to get the Telecommunications Reform Act unstuck. While the bill didn't pass during the legislative session, the coalition supporting the bill wants to show Eliot Spitzer that this is a bill New Yorkers support so they can make another run at passage. More here.

Take a second to give the governor a call at 518-474-8390 and ask him to support Assemblymember Brodsky's Telecommunications Reform Act.

They Must Think We're Stupid

2007-06-28T12:47:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when I read the news, I have to wonder if I'm really supposed to fall for this. What's the this? Here's a sample:

Paris Hilton saying she doesn't do drugs and hardly drinks, after being released from jail for drunk driving.
Dick Cheney claiming he's not part of the Executive Branch, and so he can do whatever he wants with classified documents. The story unfolds here, here and here.
Ann Coulter saying she hadn't said anything about John Edwards, the day after saying she wished terrorists would kill him.

Have I missed any? Which do you think is most ridiculous? Vote in the poll, or leave your nominations in the comments.

Updating the WFP Blogroll

2007-06-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

It's time to update the WFP blogroll. We want to add new blogs that have come on the New York scene and drop the ones that have, sadly, gone defunct.

Can you help out? What blogs are you reading? Leave a comment and let us know who should be on the blogroll.

Employee Free Choice Act Filibustered by Senate Republicans

2007-06-26T16:35:00.000-04:00

Latest from the Senate floor: Senate Republicans have carried out their threat to filibuster the Employee Free Choice Act. The Senate held what's called a cloture vote to stop the Republican filibuster; 51 Senators voted for the bill - enough to pass the bill in a regular vote, but not enough to end the filibuster.

Both of New York's Senators voted for the Employee Free Choice Act. But that's not enough to overcome opposition from Republicans to a bill that would restore the freedom of American workers to join unions. Workers routinely face intimidation from employers when they try to form a union. In 25 percent of organizing campaigns, private-sector employers illegally fire workers because they want to form a union. Listen to YouTube clips of workers talking about their experiences trying to form a union in their workplace at the AFL-CIO blog.

Today's Reading: Rise and Fall of the CIO–ALP

2007-06-26T13:35:00.000-04:00

Political Power and Social Theory is a series of books collecting academic topics in political science and social theory. Volume 18, Part II, focuses on "Opposition Politics in America" and includes a piece on the American Labor Party. Formed in the 1940s by the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), the American Labor Party rose to prominence in New York. Check it out, with thanks to Google books.

Paid Family Leave Passes the Assembly

2007-06-22T16:29:00.000-04:00

The Assembly has just passed the Working Families Time to Care Act, which will give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

Now it's up to the Senate to decide whether New Yorkers will have paid family leave. While they've gone home for now, the Senate has committed to reconvene later this year, at which point they can pass the bill.

Thanks to everyone for all the hard work to get this far!

Assembly to Debate Paid Family Leave

2007-06-22T15:00:00.000-04:00

The Working Families Time to Care Act came up for third reading in the Assembly and was laid aside for debate. When I have more details on the debate I'll post them here.

Send your Assemblymember a friendly reminder to pass paid family leave. The bill will give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

Ways and Means Passes Paid Family Leave

2007-06-21T16:05:00.000-04:00

The Assembly Ways and Means Committee has passed the Working Families Time to Care Act, which would give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

Now it goes to the Assembly Rules Committee, and then to a vote by the full Assembly.

Send your Assemblymember a friendly reminder to pass paid family leave.

Down to the Wire in Albany

2007-06-21T14:43:00.000-04:00

As the legislative session comes to a close this week, the Working Families Time to Care Act is still in the mix. As we get down to the wire, give your Assemblymember a friendly reminder to pass paid family leave.

In the Daily Politics:

[Gov Spitzer] plans to "keep pounding away" until Thursday in hopes of landing some agreements on the more intractable issues like campaign finance reform, congestion pricing, paid family leave and pay raises for judges.

In the Albany Times-Union:

Deals that are close:

Paid family leave: allowing up to 12 weeks away from jobs, with employees paying for the benefit through a payroll deduction.

In the Empire Zone:

Issues on the table include proposals to start collecting DNA from anyone convicted of a misdemeanor, to offer employees up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a sick child or spouse and to speed approval procedures for new power plants.

In the Times Herald-Record:

But the issues lawmakers had debated for weeks — creating a system for paid family leave, renewing the state's power plant siting law or establishing a DNA database for criminals — remained locked in the maw of high-level negotiations.

Newsday quotes Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith:

"How can we convincingly tell our constituents that elected officials deserve a raise when the process fails to follow through with measures that ensure equal opportunity?"

Labor Committee Passes Paid Family Leave

2007-06-21T11:21:00.000-04:00

The Assembly Labor Committee has passed the Working Families Time to Care Act, which would give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

Now it's on to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, and then a vote by the full Assembly.

Send your Assemblymember a friendly reminder to pass paid family leave.

How Industrial Development Agency Reform Was Stopped

2007-06-21T10:26:00.000-04:00

Subsidy reform is one of the issues the Working Families Party is working on this legislative session. The WFP wants to make sure that New Yorkers are getting their money's worth from subsidies paid to private corporations with our tax dollars.

The main vehicle for these subsidies are the 115 statewide Industrial Development Agencies. We want standards put in place for the Industrial Development Agencies that would add accountability measures for things like wage standards and hiring provisions. Wage standards, for example, would ensure that our tax dollars aren't supporting low-wage work or shoddy contractors. This TAP post has more background.

We think these accountability standards are common sense. If we're going to give money to private firms, we should expect some accountability on what they do with the money.

Both the Assembly and Senate made Industrial Development Agency Reform proposals this session. Assemblymember Sam Hoyt led the way in the Assembly with a comprehensive IDA Reform bill that we support. The Senate's proposal, by contrast, had little to offer in terms of the accountability measures that we think are necessary to make sure IDAs do their job well. But because of the media attention on bad IDA deals across the state, the Senate agreed to negotiate.

Then, at the last minute, the Senate walked away from the negotiating table. The reason? They were unwilling to discuss wage standards on IDA projects. Assemblymember Hoyt and Labor Committee Chair Susan John insisted on discussing wage standards in exchange for negotiating on other aspects of IDA reform. And the Assembly was willing to negotiate. They offered an alternative proposal, presented by Assemblymember Hoyt last Friday, and directed central staff to work over the weekend to reach a negotiated agreement.

But the Senate still wouldn't come to the table.

Call and tell your state Senator that you hold the Senate majority responsible for not reforming Industrial Development Agencies. There's no other reason for it - the Assembly passed a comprehensive reform bill on Monday, and now it's the Senate's turn to act. You can call the Senate switchoard at 518-455-2800 if you don't know who your state senator is and the switchboard operator can connect you to your Senator.

There are two more people to call, and these two deserve our thanks. Call Assemblymember Sam Hoyt at 518-455-4886 and Assembly Labor Committee Chair Susan John at 518-455-4527 to thank them for their hard work to pass IDA Reform this session.

Assembly Starts to Move on Paid Family Leave

2007-06-19T17:17:00.000-04:00

Good news! The Assembly is taking up the Working Families Time to Care Act, which would give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

The Assembly Labor Committee is scheduled to vote on the bill, A9245, in the next 24 hours, and the full Assembly is scheduled to vote on it afterward. If the bill is voted on as scheduled, we expect it to pass. But this is the final week of the state legislative session, and time is short. We need your help to make sure those votes happen as scheduled.

We're asking everyone to remind the Assembly that you're watching what happens with paid family leave.

Email a friendly reminder to the Assembly in support of paid family leave.

DMI at Take Back America

2007-06-19T09:52:00.000-04:00

Head over to the Albany Project to watch Andrea Batista Schlesinger of the Drum Major Institute speak at the Take Back America conference. Then head over to DMI's web site to buy a ticket for the Drum Major for Justice Awards going on this Thursday, June 21st.

Albany Times-Union, Syracuse Post-Standard Editorialize in Support of Paid Family Leave

2007-06-18T16:51:00.000-04:00

More newspapers have run editorials in support of the Working Families Time to Care Act in recent days.

There's the Albany Times-Union:

Most Capitol observers agree that the Legislature is not likely to take up family paid leave legislation until next year. That would be a mistake. Governor Spitzer has outlined a sensible, affordable plan to help family members cope with a newborn or care for an ill family member. The longer the issue is put off, the greater the chances that it will fall victim to legislative gridlock.
. . .
While workers today are entitled to unpaid leave under federal law, that presents many family members with a difficult choice between forgoing a paycheck to provide care at home, or paying someone else to do so in their place while they are at work.

The Post-Standard:

Workers are often caught in a desperate crossroads of providing care, holding onto their jobs and paying their bills. Providing them with even a small family leave payment is the right thing to do.

And it's time to make it happen.
. . .
The proposed plan, backed by family advocates, would improve employee morale and make the workplace more responsive to, and in harmony with, America's most important institution - the family.

And this op-ed in the Lower Hudson Journal News:

Time off to care for a newborn shouldn't be a luxury that only some families can afford - it should be a cornerstone of our society.
. . .
If we believe in a society where working families take care of each other, one in which new parents have the ability to take care of their children, then we should pass the Working Families Time to Care Act. If we believe in a society where working people have responsibilities both to their employers and to their families, and that a balance between those two responsibilities is critical to building a healthy community for all of us, then we should pass this bill.

Let us know why you support paid family leave - sign a card with a message of support to state legislators today!

Employee Free Choice Act Vote Next Wednesday

2007-06-15T15:26:00.000-04:00

The Employee Free Choice Act is headed toward a Senate vote next week on Wednesday. The bill has already passed overwhelmingly in the House. Almost all of the New York House delegation voted for it - Tom Reynolds (R-NY 26) and John Kuhl (R-NY 29) were the only New York Reps in opposition - and New York's Senators support the bill. But whether the bill will pass the Senate is in doubt. Find out more about the opposition.

Why is this bill so important? Workers routinely face intimidation from employers when they try to form a union. In 25 percent of organizing campaigns, private-sector employers illegally fire workers because they want to form a union. Passing this law will restore American workers' freedom to join unions. And that will help workers improve their lives.

Don't think that's an issue? Listen to Greg Mendez's story.

Greg Mendez is an office systems coordinator at New York's Pace University. In 2004, Mendez and his co-workers sought to form a union with the New York State United Teachers/AFT. They wanted a transparent salary structure and grievance procedure in place of the university's arbitrary system of pay raises and promotions. In response, the university hired anti-worker consultants to run meetings several times a day. Union supporters who tried to speak up at these meetings were publicly attacked. "People got nervous, really nervous," says Mendez. "You would have thought we were trying to overthrow the government." Three years later, Pace University workers still are fighting the administration's campaign of intimidation.

And there are plenty more workers with stories just like Greg's.

In the end, it's all about workers making better lives for themselves and their families. Tell your U.S. Senator to pass the Employee Free Choice Act - and then, even more importanly, tell your friends in other states to take action. And when you've done that, take the poll.

Schenectady County Legislature Votes To Support Paid Family Leave

2007-06-15T11:08:00.000-04:00

The Schenectady County Legislature voted for a resolution that endorses the Working Families Time to Care Act. The resolution passed with the support of all the Democrats in the County Legislature and the opposition of all the Republicans. The Albany Common Council passed a similar resolution last week. Both resolutions urge the local legislative delegation to do all they can to make sure this bill becomes law.

Schenectady County Legislator Gary Hughes explained his support:

"Fast cars, personal jets, expensive yachts - these are luxuries. But time off to care for a newborn shouldn't be a luxury that only some families can afford. This is about the principle of the thing - we should support working people who want to meet their responsibilities both on the job and to their families."

The United States is one of only four countries in the world that has no national paid family leave policy. State paid family leave legislation would help New Yorkers balance family and work.

Now it's your turn. Show your support for paid family leave!

Save The Date: Celebrate With the Drum Major Institute

2007-06-14T17:45:00.000-04:00

Thursday, June 21st, is the night of the Drum Major for Justice Awards. We'll be there along with other New Yorkers committed to creating social change to celebrate the work of the Drum Major Institute. Find out more and come join us.

The Drum Major Institute pushes progressive public policy for social and economic fairness. One part of their work is researching important social and economic issues. The other part is using relationships with policymakers and opinion leaders to amplify the ideas of those who are working for social and economic fairness.

Want this badge?

Charity Begins At Home And Spreads Itself Abroad

2007-06-14T16:51:00.000-04:00

Having recently had to devote several days to helping my mother get herself admitted to a hospital, taking care of of her banking and financial concerns, as well as renting a small storage unit in her name, I can relate to the growing need for time off to care for ailing elders. My mother passed away 3 days after she was admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital, so I am grateful I was able to be there for her.
- Yvonne in New York City

I am presently caring for a relative as well and after you use all the time allowed from work then you're on your own and this is a very scary situation. "Charity begins at home and spreads itself abroad."
- Roslyn in Brooklyn

The talk is family values, but the walk is corporate values. Let's walk the talk of family values. Stronger families benefit everyone, even corporations, in the long run.
- Natalie in Valley Stream

If you need to take care of a sick family member, how can you afford not to get paid.
- Betty in Copiague

Let's take care of parents, kids and business by doing this. It just makes sense.
- Alicia in Brooklyn

We often talk about the benefit for new parents from the Working Families Time to Care Act. But when you need to take care of an ailing parent, paid family leave makes a big difference for you too. No more delay. Tell your legislators to pass the bill today!

Newsday Weighs In On Paid Family Leave

2007-06-13T16:48:00.000-04:00

Newsday weighed in on the Working Families Time to Care Act with an editorial in favor of paid family leave:

With a push from the politically potent Working Families Party, Albany leaders are negotiating a bill that would provide a modest income for those three months while an employee is caring for a newborn or a sick child or parent.
. . .
But the potential pluses are big, even for businesses, including a boost in worker morale and loyalty, which contribute to long-term improvements in productivity and profits. . . it's a reasonable compromise that will help families cope at critical times in their lives.

Agree? Sign on today!

2000 New Yorkers for Paid Family Leave

2007-06-13T14:13:00.000-04:00

Choosing between caring for my great grandmother when she broke her hip or teaching to support my 3yr old son, teenage sister, when our mother died of AIDS was devastating. I was the sole provider, the first to have a degree in my family, and her only chance because her daughter had already died of an anurism. I couldn't stay at home with Granny. She died.
- Marion in New York City

As an aspiring Veterinarian married to a teacher I am currently working 2 jobs, one in an animal hospital and another as a waiter, just to make ends meet. We have a mortgage and all the financial responsibility that comes along with life. Children are something we want, but might not be able to afford. To say that is pretty sad. To have paid time off to care for a new child would certainly help that situation.
- Jason in Haverstraw

As a pediatrician, I know the importance of parents having this time to bond with and care for their children. It is equally important to not have to worry about income during this already financially taxing time.
- Nadia in New York City

Giving workers who are parents time to be good parents is truly the way to support Families. The Time to Care Act is the way to vote for Family Values.
- Maeve in Rochester

These powerful stories show the need the Working Families Time to Care Act. But for all the talk, the bill still hasn't passed. As legislators in Albany decide whether they will give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives, more than 1950 people have shown their support for passing the bill now by signing our card with a message. Will we get to 2000 signatures?

Show your support and sign the card today!

Restore the Right to Bargain for a Better Life

2007-06-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

American workers are struggling to make ends meet and keep the vanishing middle class alive. But workers routinely face intimidation, harassment, and exploitation from employers when they try to form a union to bargain for a better life. It's a startling statistic: In 25 percent of organizing campaigns, private-sector employers illegally fire workers because they want to form a union.

The House has already passed the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill aimed at restoring American workers' freedom to join unions. Almost all of New York's representatives voted in favor of the bill; Thomas Reynolds (R-NY 26) and John Kuhl (R-NY 29) were the exceptions.

In the next two weeks, the Senate will vote on this legislation. Supported by a bipartisan coalition in both houses of Congress, the Employee Free Choice Act would allow working people to bargain for better wages, benefits, and work environments. Unions have long been the cornerstone in the fight for fair working conditions, and it is essential that we restore this most fundamental right. The Employee Free Choice Act would:

Strengthen penalties for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form unions, including companies that illegally coerce or intimidate their employees
Provide a neutral third party to mediate and arbitrate contract settlements between companies and newly certified unions
Establish majority sign-up, which would force companies to recognize unions if a majority of employees sign union authorization cards

Resolutions in support of the Employee Free Choice Act have been passed in eight states and introduced in nine more. At the federal level, the bill is backed by a bipartisan coalition of 281 Congressmen, including 27 New York representatives and both senators. Here is why we at the Working Families Party support it...

Current labor law is severely biased towards employers. Under the National Labor Relations Board's current rules, penalties against employers for violations are spineless, while unions suffer greatly for their infringements. Since the current penalties are so weak, companies regularly use coercion and intimidation to draw out union election processes for months. By forcing companies to recognize unions and by implementing harsher penalties against employers who break laws, the Employee Free Choice Act would be a major step in leveling the playing field.

Time To Stand Up For Real Family Values

2007-06-08T14:24:00.000-04:00

"As a young woman currently on unpaid Family and Medical Leave, now in California tending to my terminally ill mother, I have direct and first-hand knowledge of how devastating this transition of being both in family crisis and jobless can be. This is the type of situation that is a part of life, and cannot be planed for. I urge this legislation to be passed swiftly; our families need us."

-- Afua in New York

"Thousands of New Yorkers are continuing to suffer from the dilemma of losing their job and support of their families, or allowing sick family members to suffer. Pass this legislation NOW!"

-- Edward in Staten Island

"Every employee should have the right to attend to his/her family when needed most. If that time is lost, it may never be regained."

-- Vanessa in Brooklyn

"This is about basic respect and human rights. It's time for those who claim to espouse family values to stand up for real family values."

-- Anthony in Broadalbin

All across the state, New Yorkers are speaking out about the need for Paid Family Leave. Sharing stories of their struggles, they are making it clear that legislation must be passed -and passed now.

The Working Families Time to Care Act would provide hard working New Yorkers with paid family leave up to 12 weeks a year, allowing them to take time to care for newborns, newly adopted children, or sick family members. As more and more households rely on both parents working, it is time for New York to join with California and Washington in providing paid leave to support families in their most crucial moments. Beyond helping families, the Time to Care Act would also strengthen productivity and morale in the workplace, providing critical support to all New Yorkers.

Our efforts have won us the support of Governor Spitzer and the Assembly, but there is still gridlock to overcome. We need your help to keep the momentum growing.

Want to show your support? Tell your state legislators that it's time to stand up for real family values.

Albany Common Council Votes To Support Paid Family Leave

2007-06-07T19:19:00.000-04:00

With Republicans in the State Senate delaying passage of a paid family leave bill, the Albany Common Council has weighed in and passed a resolution in support of the Working Families Time to Care Act. The resolution urges the local legislative delegation to do all they can to make sure this bill becomes law.

Ward 3 Councilmember Corey Ellis explains her support:

"Time off to care for a newborn shouldn't be a luxury that only some families can afford - it should be a basic cornerstone of our society."

Ward 4 Councilmember Barbara Smith added:

"[The Working Families Time To Care Act would] bring a little bit of much-needed peace of mind to working people across the state."

We agree. If you agree, sign on in support of paid family leave!

Reports Of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

2007-06-06T18:42:00.000-04:00

Paid family leave was the first topic on the agenda of today's 6-way Leadership Meeting between the Governor, Lt Governor, and majority and minority leaders of the Assembly and Senate. This is the first time the Working Families Time to Care Act has been on the agenda at a public leadership meeting. Today's elevation of the issue came hot on the heels of a less-than-optimistic report that the Republican State Senate wouldn't pass paid family leave.

So how did we do at today's leadership meeting?

Initial reports are promising. The talk was overwhelmingly positive. From the Empire Zone:

"they appeared to be close to an agreement that would offer workers up to 12 weeks of family leave to care for newborns or seriously ill family members."

But we're not there yet. Republican Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno warned everyone not to jump to any conclusions about whether the bill would pass, and admitted that some Republican Senators were, in his words, preening for the cameras. From the Daily Politics:

"Everyone made nice noises about family leave"

There's no better example of Albany dysfunction than a Republican State Senate that says they support giving paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives, but then not actually passing the bill. Everyone says they support it. Let's get it done.

Tell your state legislators it's time to give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

As a bonus, here's an editorial in favor of paid family leave by Karen Schimke, President and CEO of Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, and Carol Saginaw, Executive Director of the NYS Child Care Coordinating Council, in the Albany Times-Union.

Paid Family Leave in the News

2007-06-05T19:03:00.000-04:00

Our push for paid family leave got more coverage this weekend, this time from the New York Times:

Gov. Eliot Spitzer is pushing behind the scenes to win legislative backing for a plan that would give workers several weeks of paid leave to care for newborn children or seriously ill family members.

Under the plan — which would make New York one of three states to provide paid family leave — workers could take up to 12 weeks per year off, with a maximum benefit of $170 a week.
. . .
While Mr. Spitzer has been able to line up the support of the Democratic-controlled Assembly, advocates of the plan say he has not yet been able to gain enough support in the Republican-controlled Senate.
. . .
"For the first time, it will allow working New Yorkers to take the necessary time to care for a sick family member or bond with a newborn child without going broke," a top Spitzer aide said.
. . .
Labor unions, women's groups and the Working Families Party have been the primary advocates of paid leave.

"It's a common-sense reform, and for the governor it looks like a win-win," said Daniel Cantor, executive director of the Working Families Party. "We're still going to have to persuade the Republican Senate on this, but it feels doable because this is a very popular idea."

How do you show your support for paid family leave? Sign the card!

More coverage here:

corn & ticket scalpers vs. policies you care about at DMIBlog
A Shortage of Time, but Not of Ideas at Daily Gotham
It's 'time to care' for in the Syracuse Post-Standard
Family Leave Bill Gains Momentum in Albany in the Queens Chronicle

Family Leave Roundtable in Schenectady

2007-06-04T14:47:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Legislator Gary Hughes; Legislator Ed Kosiur, Vice Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature; Schenectady County Legislator Vince DiCerbo and Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton listened to Mia Puertas, working mother to Jada Puertas, and Doug Williams, working father to Maya and husband to Marie, talk about why they support the Working Families Time to Care Act.

When Mia was pregnant with Jada, her employer didn't offer any form of family leave. Mia had to choose between taking time off to care for Jada or going back to work right away. Mia took unpaid leave, and ended up leaving her job because of the inadequate benefits. Here's why Mia Puertas supports the Working Families Time to Care Act:

"This is crucial bonding time for the parent to have with the child, which no mother should be denied. . . However, my job did not provide me with any paid leave, and I had to take unpaid leave. . . I am willing to take a stand for the mothers that are facing this obstacle, so they don't have to go through the struggle that I was faced with at the time. . . After Jada's birth, I was feeling the same emotions that every new mother feels: exhaustion, overwhelmed, stressed. Adding financial worry was the last thing I needed at the time.

I have first hand experience in needing this benefit, and, when it was not available, I had to make choices that new mothers should not have to make in an already stressful time. This legislation should be passed because it will help working families, like mine, take care of each other in the times they need it most."

When Doug's daughter Maya was born, he was offered 4 weeks of paid leave. Doug used that time to bond with his wife and new daughter. Here's how Doug describes his experience:

"I was grateful to be able to spend four weeks of paid time with my wife and new daughter. I didn't get a vacation that year, but it was worth it to be able to spend time with them. But, somehow, four weeks just doesn't seem like enough time. With the Working Families Time to Care Act, I would have been able to spend up to 12 weeks with her!"

Then, Doug's wife, Marie, suffered a heart attack last year. Doug once again struggled to balance family and work:

"I was able to take the time off, but it meant exhausting all my vacation time and sick leave. Because this didn't add up to enough time, I did have to take a few unpaid days off. I needed to take care of my wife, even if it meant giving up my vacation time that year."

You couldn't help but be moved listening to Mia and Doug, and Legislator Gary Hughes gave us the good news that:

"The Schenectady County Legislature supports the Working Families Time to Care Act and we will be introducing a resolution in support of the bill at our next meeting [on June 12th]. It is time for us to make it easier for working families to take care of each other"

But we still need action in Albany. That's where you can make a difference.

Tell your state legislators it's time to give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

Momentum Builds For Paid Family Leave

2007-06-01T16:15:00.000-04:00

[T]he Working Families Time to Care Act is an idea whose time has come.
- Bill Hammond, Daily News

The paid leave bill was a top legislative priority for the labor-backed Working Families Party, a rising third party that was one of the first groups to have endorsed Mr. Spitzer's candidacy for governor.
- New York Sun

[Gov. Spitzer] quickly embraced organized labor and its muscular agent, the Working Families Party, which is behind the paid-leave bill.
- New York Post

Gov. Spitzer is now sponsoring paid family leave legislation, which is the WFP's top priority this year. . . From what I hear, though, he's making a "heavy-duty, behind-the-scenes push" to get this done.
- Daily Politics

We're getting noticed. Momentum is building. You can feel it in Albany. That's because the Working Families Party is championing a simple truth:

It's time to give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

More than 1700 people have signed our card with a message to show their support for the Working Families Time to Care Act. That's a solid beginning, and it's getting noticed in Albany.

Are you one of the 1719 signatures on the card? If you haven't signed yet then don't wait - sign today and tell a friend!

Dan Cantor on Brian Lehrer

2007-06-01T08:47:00.000-04:00

Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Cantor will be on the Brian Lehrer radio show today, talking about strengthening the middle class as part of a panel discussion at the New School.

Tune in today at 10AM on 93.9 FM or 820 AM or look for it online.

Family Leave Roundtable in Schenectady - Today!

2007-05-31T12:28:00.000-04:00

Caring for my 82 year old father, my 39 year old disabled sister with mental health and developmental disabilities and caring for my FIVE children was taxing at best last year. Allowing my husband the ability to take time off of his NYS job last year after the birth of our fifth child without fear of the "Daddy Track" mentality that pervades our society would have been nice. Being able to continute to work in the traditional job market as a 40 year old woman wth five children and two additonal adult dependants would have been great. I sacrificed my teaching and university research career to stay home. I wish I had the choice!
- Anonymous in Albany

We're holding another living room roundtable for working parents today at 4:30, this one in Schenectady. Schenectady County Legislator Gary Hughes, his wife, Mayor Brian Stratton, and working parents from around the Capital Region will discuss the need for better state family leave policies so working parents can care for new kids and ailing relatives.

The Working Families Party supports the Working Families Time to Care Act, which would allow working families to take care of each other in times of need without risking financial hardship. Here's how it works:

The Working Families Time to Care Act would expand New York's existing Temporary Disability Insurance program to cover family needs like leave for either parent to care for a newborn child or a newly adopted child or a seriously-ill family member.
Workers would receive up to 12 weeks of benefits, funded through a modest increase of premiums paid within the existing TDI program.

Roundtable participants will encourage State Senator Hugh Farley to support the Working Families Time to Care Act.

You can show your support by signing our card with a message. Tell your state legislators it's time to give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

Here's retired probation officer Regina Corby-Graham of Mastic speaking at last week's roundtable on Long Island:

What Kind Of Map Do You Want?

2007-05-30T17:09:00.000-04:00

After last week's successful Affordable Housing Rally, New York Is Our Home launched a project to create a citywide map of rent hikes. Almost 100 people have taken the survey, which means there are enough responses to create the map. But first, you have the chance to weigh in on how you want to use the map.

Once you vote, ask your friends to take the survey.

Canvassing in Schenectady and Long Island for Family Leave

2007-05-30T15:01:00.000-04:00

Good family values come with devoting time with children. Give mothers (and fathers) a break and allow them the time to spend with their children, especially during their developmental age. Don't break their hearts by making them choose between motherhood and career. Give them better options and benefits!!
- Manisha in New York state

Parents and other caretakers "deserve" that special paid time off to be with their newborns and other family members that have special needs.
- Elizabeth in Rosedale

Time to honor women in a more substantial way than token cards and flowers. Paid time off will allow more mothers a chance to get their babies off to a good start in life.
- Sheila in Ithaca

We need to provide better support to working parents!
- Julie in Hawthorne

The Working Families Party canvassed in Schenectady last week, talking to State Senator Hugh Farley's constituents about Family Leave Insurance. Now we're getting ready to head out to Long Island. And support from all over the state is still pouring in online. We'll take the letters we collect at the door and signatures we collect online with us as we lobby in Albany to tell the stories of working families who want parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults with ailing relatives to get paid time off.

Share your story today!

Family Leave Roundtable on Long Island

2007-05-29T14:31:00.000-04:00

"We don't live in the 1950s anymore. With both parents working, we need policies in place that support couples when they decide to start a family or need to take time off to care for an ailing parent. That's what the Working Families Time to Care Act would do."

That's Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning (D-WFP), speaking at last Friday's Family Leave Roundtable in Mastic on Long Island. Working parents who have wrestled with the decision of how soon to return to their jobs after having a child discussed the need for better state family leave policies to care for new kids and ailing relatives.

Here's retired probation officer Regina Corby-Graham of Mastic speaking at the roundtable:

Ann Seifried of South Huntington, an economic development officer for manufacturing jobs, added,

"I shouldn't have to choose between my responsility to my job and my responsbility to my daughter. I have to do right by both, and our policies should reflect that."

More from Ann:

The Working Families Party supports the Working Families Time to Care Act, which would allow working families to take care of each other in times of need without risking financial hardship.

Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning (D-WFP) spoke about her own experiences and about the Working Families Time to Care Act:

Show your support by signing our card with a message. This is your chance to tell your state legislators it's time to give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

Sign the card today!

Family Leave Roundtable on Long Island - Today!

2007-05-25T13:05:00.001-04:00

We're holding a living room roundtable for working parents today at 2 in Mastic on Long Island to discuss the need for better state family leave policies so working parents can care for new kids and ailing relatives. Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning will moderate the discussion.

Speaking at the roundtable are working parents who have wrestled with the decision of how soon to return to their jobs after having a child and workers who have had to leave their jobs to care for their seriously ill parents. They'll tell their stories and discuss how the Working Families Time to Care Act would improve the lives of families facing similar choices about how to balance family and work.

Roundtable participants will encourage State Senator Trunzo to support the Working Families Time to Care Act.

The Working Families Party supports the Working Families Time to Care Act, which would allow working families to take care of each other in times of need without risking financial hardship. Here's how it works:

The Working Families Time to Care Act would expand New York's existing Temporary Disability Insurance program to cover family needs like leave for either parent to care for a newborn child or a newly adopted child or a seriously-ill family member.
Workers would receive up to 12 weeks of benefits, funded through a modest increase of premiums paid within the existing TDI program.

You can show your support by signing our card with a message. We've got over 1,500 signatures, but there's still room for your name. Tell your state legislators it's time to give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

Sign the card today!

7,000 Came

2007-05-24T20:28:00.000-04:00

The Hands Around Stuy Town Rally yesterday was a big success. Here's some of the coverage:

Ed Ott Gets Going on Affordable Housing [Politicker]
Hands Across the East Village [Daily Intelligencer]
Hands Across the Complex [Empire Zone]
Heading to Stuy Town Today? Bring Purell [Curbed]
10,000 Expected at Affordable Housing Rally [The Real Estate]
WFP Turns Up The Heat On Affordable Housing [Daily Politics]

Head over to NewYorkIsOurHome.org for more.

Today is the Day

2007-05-23T15:53:00.000-04:00

The Affordable Housing Rally is finally here! We'll rally for affordable housing at Stuy Town this Wednesday, May 23rd, at 5pm. Turnout is so strong that we're expecting 7,000 people at the rally - 1,000 more than we thought a week ago!

Come meet us at

Avenue C between 16th and 17th Street

As part of the rally, we're asking for your help to launch a new project to map rent increases in New York City. Fill out our online monthly rent increase survey with your address and recent monthly rent history. The result will be an interactive map at NewYorkIsOurHome.org charting how individual rents have risen in recent years and will collectively show areas of dramatic rent increases.

Take the survey today!

7,000 and Counting

2007-05-22T15:28:00.000-04:00

The New York Is Our Home! coalition is closing in on 100 groups. And with all those groups working to turn people out for tomorrow's Hands Around Stuy Town Rally, there are now over 7,000 people coming.

Before you leave work, download the flyer for the rally (pdf), print it out, make copies, and then flyer your building tonight when you go home. This last minute push to remind your neighbors about the rally will help boost turnout.

See you tomorrow!

We're Helping Moms and Dads

2007-05-21T14:51:00.000-04:00

My huband and I are expecting parents, and we feel that spending quality time with our babies is important. However, we are faced with the fact that we may not be able to afford to do this. As a father he only gets the time off that he has put in for vacation. He feels that if he is lucky he will have two weeks. When you use all the time you have saved up, what does that leave you will when your child is sick or for medical visits etc.

When you read about both parents recieving paid leave for the first year in counties overseas, for example Sweden it makes you wonder where are prioties are here in the United States.
- Mellissa in New York state

My daughter benefitted immensely from having my wife home for the first few months of her life. It took a real toll on our finances, however. This bill is a good investment in the future for all of our kids.
- David in New York state

As a mother of 4 children and at times it was very hard to care for the children while I had to go to work. It would have been nice to spend some time with my children in their formative years.
- Carol in New York state

As a mother of 3 who got no paid time off after the births of my children, I appreciate the importance of this. Let's make this the law of the land.
- Debra in Brooklyn

Parents are calling out for Family Leave Insurance. We're working to help them.

Last week, WFP canvassers were knocking on doors in Queens and Brooklyn. They're talking to constituents of New York State Senators Frank Padavan, Serph Maltese and Marty Golden and collecting letters in support of Family Leave Insurance to send the senators. We'll be knocking on doors and talking to voters until New Yorkers can take paid time off to care for their newborn children (or newly adopted children) and their ailing relatives.

Show your support and share your story!

Next Week We Rally

2007-05-18T08:03:00.000-04:00

Next week, you will be able to meet 6,000 other New Yorkers who care about affordable housing and join together to do something about it. Wednesday, May 23rd, is the day 6,000 of us join Hands Around Stuy Town.

RSVP today!

We're expecting the attention and excitement of the rally will bring new people to the New York Is Our Home web site to find out more. So we're planning now for ways to get all those people involved. It can be serious or it can be fun, but it needs to send the message that New York Is Our Home!

Here are a couple of our ideas. Vote for which one you like best, or post your own idea in the comments.

Reasons People Support Family Leave Insurance

2007-05-17T13:03:00.000-04:00

A government which claims to be "family friendly" should back that claim up with policies which allow families to survive in this challenging economy.
- Susan in New York state

It's time. Time to realize that working individuals also have the job of raising families and caring for elders. Give them the time to do it.
- Ann in Congers

New York should be a leader of the nation in its concern for the future of families.
- Susan in New York City

Supporting families creates better workers. So do the right thing and give New York families a break!
- Judith in Saugerties

Building strong family ties from the beginning of life leads to a stronger society as a whole. We all know this. Can our laws and policies please begin to reflect what we inherently know to be human?
- Leslie in New York City

More than sentiment, parents and adult children need public support to be genuinely there for the children and parents in thier care.
- Harriet in New York City

These are just a few of the reasons people have for supporting Family Leave Insurance. Read more reasons here (scroll to the bottom of the page).

What's your reason?

One of Only Five Countries In The World

2007-05-16T07:51:00.000-04:00

Europe is so far ahead of the US when it comes to taking care of families: day care, health insurance, family leave or compassionate leave for those with seriously ill family members. Let's join the 'developed countries' at last.
- Barbara in New York City

This is already a policy in most of Europe and even some "third world" countries. It's time for the U.S. to catch up on its agenda for women's rights.
- Margaret in New York City

It's time to join the rest of W. Europe and afford families much needed time together without sacrificing their jobs.
- Bernadette in New York City

It is time to follow the lead of the rest of the industrialized world.
- Timothy in Saugerties

A lot of people know that Family Leave Insurance is common in Europe, where it works to make businesses more family friendly and effective.

But it's not well known that the U.S. is one of only five countries in the world that doesn't offer Family Leave Insurance. From The 2007 Work, Family, and Equity Index: How Does the U.S. Measure Up? by Dr. Jody Heymann, Institute for Health and Social Policy Director:

Out of 173 countries studied, 168 guarantee paid maternal leave, with 98 of these countries offering 14 or more weeks of paid leave. The U.S. provides no paid leave for mothers. Lesotho, Liberia, Swaziland and Papua New Guinea are the only other countries studied that do not guarantee leave with income to mothers.

Sixty-five countries grant fathers either paid paternity leave or paid parental leave, with 31 of these countries offering 14 or more weeks of paid leave. The U.S. guarantees fathers neither paid paternity nor paid parental leave.

This is a national disgrace. But it's starting to change. California and Washington state both have Family Leave Insurance. And we're going to pass it here in New York.

Sign the card and make New York a world leader.

How Will You Care For Your Parents?

2007-05-15T13:40:00.000-04:00

As a grandparent of babies and a caregiver to my elderly mother, I am in the middle of the family crunch. I am the one who gives the help and does the paperwork as well as earns the money. Legislators must first consider working families otherwise the economy takes a dive.
- Barbara in Mount Kisco

As a person caring for a parent with Alzheimer's, I know how conflicting it can be to have to choose between work and the immediate needs of a family member.
- Dennis in Syracuse

My partner and I could have really used paid time off to care for our son when he was born. Now that both sets of our parents are in poor health, we could use paid time off to care for them while balancing parenting responsibilities.
- Stuart in the Bronx

It's time to make family values mean something. We need to be able to take care of each other.
- Gail in Slingerlands

People usually think of Family Leave Insurance as a policy that helps new parents care for their children, and it does. But it also helps working families care for ailing parents. What do you say to someone being forced to choose between caring for a parent with Alzheimer's and working?

No one should have to make that choice. We believe in a society where working families take care of each other. We believe in a society where adult children can care for their parents.

We are strongest when we stand together and share benefits and responsibilities.

Stand with us for Family Leave Insurance - sign the card today!

Income Inequality, Recommended Reading for May 2007

2007-05-14T18:54:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I found two good posts on income inequality: One from Amy Traub at DMI on progressive taxes and the other from Nancy Scola at MyDD on excessive executive pay. Give 'em both a read.

Dads Want Family Leave Insurance

2007-05-14T13:09:00.000-04:00

Having a child is a life changing event filled with Joy and stress. Being new to fatherhood, I can attest that you need time to bond with you new baby. It is essential for the development of the parent and the child.
- Frank in Yonkers

My brother and his wife shouldn't have to choose between taking care of their premature baby and paying their bills. Support real family values, support family leave insurance.
- Anonymous in Brooklyn

A 'must have' for so many people (I'm one) struggling to do the right thing by their children - soc sec and taxpayers of the future!
- Michael in New York City

Anyone who claims to be "pro-life" or "pro-family-values" should be first to sign on to this initiative! Say "Yes" to Working Families.
- Robert in Liverpool

Our Mother's Day card calling for paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives has been a big success - over 800 people have signed the card.

But Family Leave Insurance doesn't just help moms; dads benefit too. And the stories above show that dads want Family Leave Insurance.

Are you a dad or mom who wants to take time off when your new child arrives? Worried about how you'll care for an ailing parent? Want to show your support?

Sign the card - let's bring family leave insurance to New York!

Hands Around Stuy Town : 12 Days To Go

2007-05-11T18:23:00.000-04:00

We're now less than two weeks away from the Hands Around Stuy Town Affordable Housing Rally.

Momentum is building for the rally. Borough Meetings in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan were high energy and well attended.

May 23rd will be even bigger. Over 80 groups are on the phones calling their members to bring 6,000 people to the rally. And 70 people have RSVPed online.

We're expecting the attention and excitement of the rally to send a wave of people to the web site, and we're looking for ways to get those people involved. It can be serious or it can be fun, but it needs to send the message that New York Is Our Home!

Here are a couple of our ideas. Vote for which one you like best, or post your own idea in the comments.

Moms Want Family Leave Insurance

2007-05-11T16:29:00.000-04:00

As the breadwinner in my family (my husband lost his job last year) and the mother of a 1-1/2 year old with another on its way I am not in a position to forfeit 1, 2 or 3 months worth of pay. And going back to work sooner than 12 weeks is cruel and unhealthy to both the mother and the child. It is simply wrong that the U.S. does not provide the same benefits other developed countries do. And shocking.
- Lauren in New York City

As the mother of a 2 year old who was premature, I cannot stress how helpful paid time off would have been in our situation. It's time that NY demonstrates how it values families by paying leave!
- Jeanette in Blasdell

I had to purchase expensive disability insurance to cover post-birth income. And that only lasts 6 weeks and amounted to a small portion of my salary. We need to do a better job as a nation in supporting new families; infancy is a critical time in a child's development.
- Christine in New York City

What's more important than our children. Show you're really pro-family and sign on.
- Melissa in Penfield

There's been an outpouring of support for our Mother's Day card calling for paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives. More on the policy here and here. Over 700 people have already signed the card, with more signing every day. The four stories above are just four of the many that people are sharing (you can read all the stories starting at the bottom of this page).

Sign the card and make your story heard today!

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-10T15:07:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day is this weekend. And when it comes to Mother's Day, we here at the Working Families Party say it's better to give than to receive. We hope the legislators at the state capitol in Albany agree.

We're giving them a Mother's Day card with a message: It's time to give paid time off to parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives.

A teacher's aide in Queens should not have to face the choice of spending time with her newborn daughter or putting food on the table. A truck driver in Buffalo should not have to risk his family's economic security to take care of his father after a stroke.

Not in New York. Not anywhere.

But working families in New York face these choices every day. That's because the U.S. is one of only five countries in the world without a national policy allowing working families to take paid time off to care for newborn children and seriously ill relatives.

That's wrong, and we're going to do something about it.

We're working to expand an existing social insurance program - temporary disability insurance - to include family leave insurance. Family leave insurance would let parents of newborns (or newly adopted children) and adults who need time to care for ailing relatives take 12 weeks of paid time off. Working New Yorkers would be able to receive a portion of their wages to maintain their family's economic security and care for their family.

That's the message behind our Mother's Day card to legislators. We're asking everyone to sign the Mother's Day card, and we'll deliver it - and any message you want to send along with it - as we lobby in Albany.

Sign our Mother's Day card and send the message that you support family leave insurance.

And have a Happy Mother's Day!

House Vote Today on Iraq

2007-05-10T11:27:00.000-04:00

The House plan to keep Bush on a short leash is dividing Congressional Republicans:

The White House acknowledged public frustration with the Iraq war but tried to play down Republican anxieties
. . .
The White House confirmed that Bush held an unannounced meeting this week with House Republican moderates who expressed deepening concerns about the war. Several participants described a remarkably blunt discussion in which lawmakers told the president the war was unsustainable without public support, and was having a corrosive effect on GOP political fortunes.

Presidential spokesman Tony Snow refused to discuss details of the meeting but said, "Of course there are frustrations."

Bush, however, still refuses to change course:

The White House threatened on Wednesday to veto a proposed House bill that would pay for the Iraq war only through July
. . .
The warnings came as Gates also told reporters that his evaluation of force levels in Iraq in September will not lead to a rapid troop withdrawal, and that at least some U.S. forces are likely to be in Iraq for a protracted period of time.

But House Democrats aren't backing down:

The bill is hotly contested by the White House, opposed by nearly all Republicans and unlikely to survive in the Senate. But House Democratic leaders say the measure shows they refuse to back down in challenging President Bush on a deeply unpopular and costly war.
"The president refuses to listen to the American people who want this war to end," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said.

We agree. But if House Democrats want to end the war, a better strategy is to pass a funding bill that uses the power of the purse to limit the use of funds to protecting our troops' safety and bringing them home. That's the solution favored by the Working Families Party and the American people.

Tell your U.S. Representative to do just that and bring them home.

Then vote on what you think will happen:

Grassroots Action on Affordable Housing

2007-05-09T18:14:00.000-04:00

A shout out to Jason, who sent email in support of affordable housing legislation we support, A795, and heard back from Assemblymember Brodsky on the bill (Brodsky supports it). Let us know if you've heard back from your Assemblymember.

RSVP for the May 23rd Affordable Housing Rally and get involved!

Supplemental Negotiations Continue

2007-05-08T19:12:00.000-04:00

The House has taken the lead, and is proposing keeping Bush on a short leash:

In addition to the two months of Iraq funding, the bill would provide a $10 billion cushion to allow the military flexibility. It would also require the president to report back to Congress by July 13 on the extent to which the Iraqi government had met certain benchmarks for progress.

The plan would "fence off" additional combat funds until Congress voted to "unfence" them. Such a vote would be held on July 24.
. . .
One of the private meetings was with members of the Out of Iraq Caucus, who seemed pleased with the proposal, aides said.

The Senate seems a little reluctant to follow suit:

While the House could narrowly pass the measure, it is unlikely to find similar backing in the Senate, where some leading Democrats say they want to fund the war through September.
. . .
Numerous other ideas are being floated in the Senate, most of which involve some combination of goals the Iraqi government must reach. The key impasse, however, is whether to require the withdrawal of U.S. troops if the benchmarks are not met.

Congressional Republicans are trying to have it both ways, sticking with Bush but saying one day they might admit things aren't working. Here's House Minority Leader John Boehner:

Boehner said Bush's troop increase deserves a chance and should be funded even if benchmarks for success are not met.
. . .
"We don't even have all of the 30,000 additional troops in Iraq yet, so we're supporting the president. We want this plan to have a chance of succeeding," Boehner said.

"Over the course of the next three to four months, we'll have some idea how well the plan's working. Early signs are indicating there is clearly some success on a number of fronts," he said.

But, he added, "By the time we get to September or October, members are going to want to know how well this is working, and if it isn't, what's Plan B."

Thus far, Republicans have stood behind the president's increasingly unpopular war policies, including the troop increase and an open-ended war commitment.

Yet Boehner's comments were an acknowledgment of the concern expressed by some lawmakers in private that their support could further damage the party, which lost control of Congress in the November elections.

New York's Rep. Charles Rangel gets it right:

"It would be ridiculous to think that we're going to just drop this fight . . . This is not our fight. This is the American people's fight. They asked us to send a message to the president . . . We've got to have some restrictions on the money."

What do you think will happen?

High Speed New York

2007-05-04T13:06:00.000-04:00

There's a good discussion on Assemblyman Brodsky and Senator Leibell's Telecommunications Reform Act (A.3980B/S.5124) going on over at The Albany Project. This is a bill the Working Families Party supports. Here are two reasons why:

Telecom companies are moving away from the copper wires that form our current communications infrastructure toward high speed fiber optic wires. If you've seen Verizon's ads for FIOS, that's what they're talking about. To switch from copper wire to fiber optic wire, that wire has to be laid out first and homes need to be wired to it.

The emerging trend is that high income places are getting wired and the rest of us are getting left out. Are you living in a luxury condo? You get fiber optic cable. Are you a working family? No dice. Are you upstate? Forget about it. Brodsky's bill would change that and stimulate development of universal broadband.

The transition from copper to fiber optics is opening up new business opportunities. That's drawing new companies like Vonage into the telecom business. These new entrants aren't regulated under the existing system and aren't held to the same service requirements. What does that mean in practice? No guarantee of 911 emergency phone service is one example.

If we want a 21st century economy - and the good jobs that come with it - we need a 21st century communications system. We're not there. The United States ranks 16th in the world in broadband penetration - and our rank is getting lower when it should be getting higher.

Universal high speed internet service is a cornerstone of 21st century communications. New York needs to be out front on this, and needs to take charge in managing this transition so that everyone is included in a high speed New York.

Head over to The Albany Project for more - and be sure to read the comments section too.

Save the Date, May 23rd Affordable Housing Rally

2007-05-03T13:52:00.000-04:00

Always complaining about the cost of housing in New York? Do something about it. An unprecedented coalition including the Working Families Party, labor unions, and nearly every housing organization in New York City has united to form New York is Our Home.

We're launching a massive, grassroots campaign to break the logjam in Albany and protect our homes. And we're kicking things off with a rally and march at Stuy Town in Manhattan on May 23rd.

We're holding the rally at Stuy Town, but it's a rally for everyone in New York City. It's a rally about the threat to Starrett City. It's about the nearly 1.5 million existing affordable units we're at risk of losing. It's about what's happening to housing prices all over New York City and the rising price of housing that we're all struggling with.

Will New York City be taken over by luxury condos? New York Is Our Home believes in a New York City in which working families have just as much right to live as hedge fund managers. This is your chance to stand up and be counted.

Send the message that New York Is Our Home! RSVP today!

What: "Hands Around Stuy Town" Affordable Housing March and Rally.

Why: Because rent is out of control, and New York Is Our Home!

When: Wednesday, May 23rd, at 5pm sharp

Where: Stuyvesant Town between 14th and 23rd Street on 1st Avenue in Manhattan

Who: You and 6,000 other New Yorkers who care about affordable housing and are willing to stand up and be counted.

How: RSVP today!

Mission, um, Accomplished?

2007-05-02T20:14:00.000-04:00

Four years after Bush landed on an aircraft carrier to tell us that the mission in Iraq was accomplished, he's vetoed Congress' supplemental budget bill for Iraq.

Congressional Republicans are so far siding with Bush to uphold the veto. But they're not also starting to hedge their bets:

"There are some types of benchmarks that might well achieve bipartisan support and might actually even conceivably be helpful to the efforts in Iraq," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

But Republicans were reluctant to say whether they supported benchmarks with real consequences. Some said they would support tying benchmarks to foreign aid to Iraq totaling more than $5 billion but nothing that would tie the hands of military commanders.

"It depends on what the benchmarks are and what the consequences are," said Trent Lott of Mississippi, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate.

Even as they win more public support, Congressional Democrats don't yet have the votes to override Bush's veto. So they're discussing what comes next:

Hoyer was reluctant to say exactly what the bill will look like, but said he anticipates a minimum-wage increase will be part of it. He also said the bill should fund combat through Sept. 30 as Bush has requested, casting doubt that Democratic leaders would adopt a proposal by Rep. John Murtha, R-Pa., to fund the war two or three months at a time.
. . .
The party's most liberal members, especially in the House, say they will vote against money for continuing the war if there's no binding language on troop drawdowns. The bill Bush rejected would require the first U.S. combat troops to be withdrawn by Oct. 1 with a goal of a complete pullout six months later.
. . .
Numerous possible compromises are being floated on Capitol Hill, all involving some combination of benchmarks. Some would require Bush to certify monthly that the Iraqi government is fully cooperating with U.S. efforts in several areas, such as giving troops the authority to pursue extremists. Others would require an Iraqi-run program to disarm militias and a plan to distribute oil revenues fairly among the various population groups.

The key impasse in Congress is whether to require redeployments of U.S. troops if the benchmarks are not met. Many Democrats insist on it, and many Republicans vow not to budge. It's far from clear whether Bush would accept such an approach.

Under one proposal being floated, unmet benchmarks would cause some U.S. troops to be removed from especially violent regions such as Baghdad. They would redeploy to places in Iraq where they presumably could fight terrorists but avoid the worst centers of Sunni-Shia conflict.

Still another possibility would change the bill that Bush vetoed only by allowing the president to waive the redeployment requirements under certain conditions

A new spending bill "has got to be tied to redeployment," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., the House's fourth-ranking Democratic leader. Emanuel conceded, however, that Democrats have yet to figure out where they will find the votes.

What do you think will happen?

Iraq Supplemental: Veto Watch

2007-05-01T15:54:00.000-04:00

Congress is close to passing the Iraq supplemental budget bill, which Bush will promptly veto. And then? From the Washington Post:

House Democrats are beginning to coalesce around a $19 billion bill -- enough to fund the war for about 60 days -- without any withdrawal dates, according to aides. The measure would include additional funds for military health care; new standards for resting, training and equipping troops before deployment; and prohibitions on torture and permanent bases in Iraq. Benchmarks would be included, but with no punishments for failing to meet them.

The idea would be to pass the measure quickly, as soon as early next week, to deprive Bush of the argument that Democrats are withholding needed funds from the troops. Then negotiations would begin immediately on yet another bill.

Congressional Democrats have the backing of the American public to end the war. They'd be in a better position now if they had taken the popular position from the start, held by the Working Families Party and many others, and used the power of the purse to limit the use of funds to protecting our troops' safety and bringing them home. Still, they're taking steps toward ending the war.

How do you think this plays out?

Honor the Peacemakers

2007-04-30T17:33:00.000-04:00

Congratulations go out to the Capital District WFP Chapter. The Chapter honored Congressman Michael McNulty, Albany District Attorney David Soares and Community Activist Charles LaCourt last week at their annual fundraiser. The keynote speaker was Anne Mulderry from September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.

An extra round of applause for the Fundraising Committee. This team of members made the night a HUGE success - turning out 227 Chapter members, local elected officials, labor leaders and peace activists and raising $20,000. Here they are:

Mike Iannone for countless hours of phone calls.
Ed Hennessy for his dedication in reaching out to labor and proofreading all the honoree bios.
Steve Redler for his wealth of experience and willingness to impart all that he knew knew to the rest of the committee.
Anita Thayer for her poise under pressure and stressful situations.
Nina Esaki for her constant optimism amidst adversity - and willingness to do turnout calls even while at the airport!
And "Mike" Michelson who dedicated every spare second to making this event a success, even though she wasn't even ON the committee. Her relationships in the peace community helped with turnout and delivered a phenomenal keynote speaker.

And I want to share the closing lines Anne Mulderry keynote speech:

"I have hoped that the great blessings of freedom that we have been given as citizens of the United States would not be abused, but would be vibrantly employed to urge the citizenry ever further toward our country's highest ideals. The Working Families Party marches under that banner.

I thank you all for doing what you do, and I thank you, too, for inviting me here tonight to be a part of what you do."

It's worth reading the whole speech.

For me, the highlight of the event was when the young lady tending the bar approached me after the program. She told me she hed been moved by our program and asked how she could sign up to become a member. We welcome Yolanda to our Chapter with open arms!

The New York State Working Families Party Spring Gala is this Thursday, May 3rd. Buy your ticket today!

Jobs and Energy Forum in Upstate NY - Tomorrow!

2007-04-27T18:05:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow's the day. The Center for Working Families is hosting a Jobs and Energy Forum for elected officials in Upstate New York. The forum will bring together local and county elected officials and legislative staff with a panel of policy experts to talk about local legislation ranging from green building codes to renewable power standards to energy efficient purchasing standards.

Here's a list of elected officials coming to the event:

Adam McFadden, Albany City Council
Ray Joyce, Albany County Legislature
David Dempsey, Auburn (City)
George Farenthold, Aurora Town Board
Dominic Frongillo, Caroline
Daniel Schuster, Cayuga
Jessica Zambrano, Cicero Town Board
Richard Keller-Coffey, Dutchess
William Pauly, Erie
Russ Carey, Fenner
Elizabeth Moran, Madison
John Heindorf, North Syracuse
Mark Atkinson, North Syracuse (Village)
Rose Ann Convertino, Oneida
William Morehouse, Oneida
Frank Puma, Oneida
Tom Buckel, Onondaga
Luz Encarnacion, Onondaga
Dale Sweetland, Onondaga
Sam Laguzza, Onondaga County Legislature
Fred Beardsley, Oswego
Leonard Ponzi, Oswego
Philip Durkin, Otsego
Tom Wood, Plattsburgh
Angela Petty, Rome
Mike Giarusso, Salina Town Board
Thomas David, Seneca Falls (Town)
Jim Williams, Skaneateles
Bill Simmons, Syracuse Common Council
Mike McMahon, Syracuse Common Council
Tom Seals, Syracuse Common Council
Kathy Luz Herrera, Tompkins
Pamela Mackesey, Tompkins
Duane Tyke Randall, Tompkins
Clem Campana, Troy City Council
Frank Dart, Ulster
Daniel DiBella, Utica
Joel Tyner, Duchess

Speakers include:

Mike Allen, UAW
Steve Bellone, Town of Babylon Supervisor
Lisa Donner, Center for Working Families Co-Director
Rhea Jezer, LCV and Cazenovia College
Josh Mason, Working Families Party
Bob Muldroon, Sierra Club
Gay Nicholson, NYSERDA
Rick Opedesiano, UAW and Central New York WFP Chapter Chair
Satya Rhodes-Conway, Apollo Strategy Center, Madison WI Alderperson
Deirdre Schifeling, Center for Working Families Co-Director
Bill Simmons, Syracuse Common Council, Public Works Committee Chair

and a keynote address from Rick Fedrizzi, President of the National Green Building Council.

Queens Borough Meeting

2007-04-26T18:31:00.000-04:00

Last night a diverse coalition of tenants and affordable housing advocates met at Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens as part of the Queens Affordable Housing Borough Meeting.

Marilyn Charles captured the mood of the crowd with her story:

"I have lived in Queens for over 30 years. As a longtime resident, I fear the impact that bad rent laws and sky-high rents are having on me and my community. We need an affordable place to live."

The New York is Our Home citywide campaign is organizing tenants to fight to preserve affordable housing in New York by changing unfair rent regulation laws.

Marilyn's story is already to common. From 2002 to 2005, rents increased citywide by 10 percent. And if we don't act now, it will become even more common. Over the next ten years, the City will lose an estimated 300,000 affordable apartments. There's a looming exodus of working families from New York City.

The Queens Borough Meeting was one in a series of meetings happening across the city, all leading up to a massive rally May 23rd expected to draw thousands of New Yorkers that will highlight these troubling trends. The May 23rd rally is at the Stuyvesant Town public housing development in Manhattan. Rally participants will demand protections for the rapidly dwindling City supply of affordable housing.

I'll give the last word to Julie Miles of Housing Here & Now, Director of the New York Is Our Home Campaign:

"Securing the hundreds of thousands of affordable units that we are losing is the most important action government leaders can take to solve the affordable housing crisis."

Affordable Housing Borough Meetings Happening Now

2007-04-25T16:14:00.000-04:00

Queens Affordable Housing Borough Meeting details

Wednesday, April 25 - Tonight!
6:30pm
Queens Borough Hall in Room 213, 120-55 Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens
Meeting in Spanish and English

Tenants, affordable housing advocates, clergy, Queens Borough President Helen M. Marshall, Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Assemblyman Jose Peralta and Councilman Joseph Addabbo are meeting tonight as part of the Queens Affordable Housing Borough Meeting. We'll talk about increasing rents and the decreasing number of available affordable apartments and discuss ways to preserve affordable housing in New York by changing unfair rent regulation laws.

Tonight's Queens Borough Meeting is part of a series of Affordable Housing Borough Meetings going on now. Over 200 people came to the Bronx Affordable Housing Borough Meeting last week. I've posted pictures from the meeting to the right and on flickr. If you've got pictures of your own, share them with everyone by posting them on flickr and tagging them "NewYorkIsOurHome"

Some of the groups that came to the Bronx Borough Meeting include the Working Families Party, CASA, NWBCCC, Tenants & Neighbors, CVH, NYCAHN, ACORN, CB #4, Sheridan Ave Coalition, Twin Parks TA, MOM, Bronx Pentecostal Food Pantry, Zion Faith D.L.U., Concourse Village Inc. Mitchell Lama Residents, POTS, 1889 Sedgwick Ave TA, BHNCC, PTH, NIDC, Picture the Homeless, RAIN, NYC Labor Chorus, Skyview TA, Youth CAHN, UHAB, Nos Quedamos, CB #2, Housing Council Pct, Soundview Senior Center, United We Stand Tenant Association, South Bronx Action Group, Janel Towers TA, and the National Alliance of HUD tenants: Low Income Housing Coalition. Elected officials in attendance included NYC Councilmember Joel Rivera, NY State Senator Jose Serrano and staff from Assemblymember Jose Rivera's office, Public Advocate Betsey Gotbaum's office, Assemblymember Aurelia Greene's office, NYC Councilmember Anabel Palma's office and Councilmember Maria Carmen del Arroyo's office.

There are three more upcoming Borough Meetings, all leading up to a May 23rd "Hands Around Stuy-Town" rally where thousands of New Yorkers will demand protections for New York City's rapidly dwindling supply of affordable housing.

Which Borough Meeting are you coming to?

Iraq Supplemental: What Next

2007-04-24T16:19:00.000-04:00

Congress is scheduled to vote this week on the final version of the Iraq supplemental budget bill. The bill stops short of using the power of the purse to limit the use of funds to protecting our troops' safety and bringing them home, which is the Working Families position. But it still takes steps toward bringing our troops home. That's enough for Bush to threaten to veto the bill. And that means we're approaching another moment of truth in the debate over Iraq.

Rep. Jim McDermott gets it right when he says:

"My feeling is at a certain point we're going to have a 'come-to-Jesus' moment in the caucus and talk about whether you fund (the war) or not."

Exactly right. Now is the time to hold fast to our principles.

Tell your U.S. Representative to limit the use of funds to protecting our troops' safety and bringing them home now.

Congratulations to the Fingerlakes WFP Chapter

2007-04-24T10:52:00.000-04:00

After 3 months of work, the Fingerlakes WFP Chapter held their chapter elections last week.

Congratulations to the Fingerlakes Steering Committee members:

Rosemary Rivera from Metro Justice
Mike Patterson from Metro Justice
community activist Mazie White
Dan Power from CWA
Frank Besser from PEF
Eric Martin from UAW
Kevin Kolb from UAW
Patrick Christopher from UAW
Renee Simmons from UAW
Jesse Lenney from Unite HERE!
Frank Gehan from Unite HERE!

And a big thank you to Dan Maloney, Tony Bernardo, Eric Martin, Dan Power and Bob Trowski for their leadership in the rebuilding process.

Bloomberg Proposes Congestion Pricing

2007-04-23T16:23:00.000-04:00

Mayor Bloomberg was the story this Earth Day as he made official his congestion pricing proposal.

The basics of congestion pricing are to charge an $8 toll for driving in the most congested part of Manhattan during the day. The money raised would be used to expand mass transit so it runs more frequently and to more places. You can read more details in the Daily Politics and the Politicker.

Reaction has been come quickly. What do you think?

Update: Read Bloomberg's speech or watch it on video.

WFP Calls for Judicial and Legislative Pay Raises

2007-04-23T14:35:00.000-04:00

The Working Families Party agrees with the growing call for judicial pay raises. Calling this an issue that is "fundamentally about valuing government," Working Families Party Executive Director Dan Cantor spoke in support of both judicial and legislative pay raises:

"It's not just that New York State judges haven't gotten a raise in eight years, although that's bad enough. The issue goes deeper.

Public service – both in the judiciary and in our state legislature – is critical if we are going to successfully address the shared challenges that New York faces. Through government we work together to address collective issues, from growing income inequality to climate change, from the crisis of affordable housing in New York City to job loss upstate. And it's through government that we express our common dreams for a decent and just society. So while those who serve in government shouldn't get rich doing it, they should receive compensation that matches the importance of their work.

We have high standards for our government officials, and we'll hold them accountable to those standards. But we also believe in the value of government, and raising judicial and legislative salaries appropriately is fundamentally about valuing government."

'08 Congressional Races Heat Up

2007-04-20T14:04:00.000-04:00

This week saw the 2008 New York Congressional races heat up. Here's a recap:

NY-3 : This far before the election, fundraising is the measure of an incumbent's commitment to their next election. So people will be asking questions about Rep. Peter King, who spent $115,690 and raised only $99,005 in the last quarter. That's right, King went in the hole to the tune of almost $17,000 - good news for any potential challenger. He's still got $287,090 in the bank, but all eyes will be watching to see if King can turn things around and regain lost support.

NY-19 : It was campaign launch week for Republican challengers, with millionaire Andrew Saul announcing he was running against John Hall. Hall raised $350,061 and has $342,401 in cash on hand. That's right - Hall is ahead of the much more senior Peter King. Still, expect a fight here.

NY-20 : Look for this to be an expensive race. Kirsten Gillibrand led the pack when it came to fundraising with $668,000 raised, more than any other first-term Rep. But she also picked up a millionaire opponent, Sandy Treadwell. Treadwell was Pataki's Secretary of State and then Chairman of the New York GOP. He made his fortune as an heir to the General Electric fortune. Guess we know where he'll stand on inheritance tax cuts.

NY-25 : This one's a rematch: Dan Maffei is running against James Walsh. Walsh raised $105,091 and has $131,636 in cash on hand. Maffei did surprisingly well in a Democratic year, expect his higher name recognition to translate into a stronger run this time around.

NY-29 : Another rematch: Eric Massa is making a second run against Randy Kuhl. Kuhl raised $115,746 and has $103,559 in cash on hand. Netroots hero Eric Massa will benefit from his increased name recognition and track record as a candidate.

Walsh and Kuhl are being held accountable for their blind support of Bush in Iraq. From the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:

"Some politicians lead and others follow, and President Bush has been leading the country into an abyss, and Randy Kuhl has been following," said Ted Wilcox, a Metro Justice member. "And we're here to say that he should follow the public, which wants to go a different way."

Walsh and Kuhl voted against an Iraq war funding bill last month that set deadlines for withdrawal of U.S. troops, saying that Congress should not micromanage the war. Kuhl reiterated his stance Thursday, saying the troop buildup in Iraq that he supported earlier this year has had positive results.

Your turn. Take the poll:

Weather Bad Enough For You?

2007-04-19T15:26:00.000-04:00

Global warming is the great challenge of the 21st Century, a crisis at the global, national, state and local levels. Human activity is transforming the climate of the whole planet in ways that endanger economic growth, political stability and human civilization itself.

Just look at our recent weather. Winter seemed like summer. Now our spring is more like winter. And we just got hit with record rain. If we don't get serious about global warming, things will get worse.

But it's not all threat. There's also opportunity.

The WFP is starting local. Local governments actually have an important role to play in dealing with global warming. Local building codes determine the energy efficiency of office buildings and homes. Local governments are major energy consumers. And local governments control many of the daily activities that determine the amount of energy and waste generated by our communities.

Working Families Party members are lobbying local and county elected officials to pass legislation that will reduce carbon emissions and also stimulate the local economy to create good jobs in new "green" industries here in New York. We're pushing policies like green building codes, renewable power standards and energy efficient purchasing standards.

Sign a petition telling your local legislators that good jobs and clean energy is a winning combination.

Global Warming Threatens New York

2007-04-18T16:12:00.000-04:00

This weekend's record-setting storm throws into stark relief the need to take action on global warming. Otherwise, we're in for worse. The New York Observer has a must-read article on the topic.

The article includes quotes from Princeton Geosciences Professor Michael Oppenheimer:

"This is exactly the type of event that we'd expect to see more of in the future - this kind of gully-washing, incredibly intense downpour."

"The storm was kind of a preview of things to come."

From Columbia University Center for Climate Systems Research Climatologist Radley Horton:

"We think climate change is going to threaten New Yorkers' health and wealth through a cocktail of higher temperatures, higher seas and possibly changes in precipitation patterns. Those are the three main variables."

More on the threat to New York from rising water levels:

As global warming heats the earth, the waters of the seas and oceans expand, elevating water levels across the planet. In New York, this means that by 2020 - just 13 years from now - rising sea levels will have raised the waters around the city by three to four inches; by 2050, the waters will have crept up a total of eight to 10 inches; by 2080, 14 to 19 inches.

Those numbers may be conservative, because they ignore the whole troubling and uncertain issue of the polar ice caps.
. . .
According to the latest models, New York neighborhoods that currently flood every 100 or so years - victims of what is known as the 100-year storm, in climatologist-speak - can expect to experience this kind of dousing as frequently as every four years by 2080, in a worst-case scenario.

And more on the threat to New York from higher temperatures:

Afterward, New York will get heat: the kind of intense, smoggy swelter that will sap energy, strain the power grid and wreak unimaginable havoc on certain types of female hair. It will also kill people.

Already, over the past century, climate change has pushed the city's average annual temperatures up nearly two degrees Fahrenheit, while a deceptively bland-sounding phenomenon known as the "urban heat-island effect" - a heat-trapping effect that turns cities like New York into giant hot-air bubbles - has boosted it another degree. Along the way, winters have become warmer and the number of 90-degree scorchers has doubled from roughly seven to 14 days a summer - a trend, scientists say, that does not bode well for the future.

But it's not all threat, there's also opportunity.

That's the message of our Jobs and Energy Forum, taking place upstate on April 28th. The Jobs and Energy Forum will bring local and county elected officials together with policy experts to talk about legislation that local governments can pass to provide jobs AND increase energy efficiency and reduce pollution.

More to come.

Jobs and Energy Forum in Upstate NY

2007-04-17T15:17:00.000-04:00

It's time to start dealing with global warming. We know how to fight global warming in a way that benefits the environment, saves taxpayers money, and creates new "green" jobs.

While a lot of attention is focused on federal and state level policies on global warming, local governments also have an important role to play. Local building codes determine the energy efficiency of office buildings and homes. Local governments are major energy consumers. And local governments control many of the daily activities that determine the amount of energy and waste generated by our communities.

The Center for Working Families is hosting a Jobs and Energy Forum for elected officials in Upstate New York on April 28th. The forum will bring together local and county elected officials and legislative staff with a panel of policy experts to talk about local legislation ranging from green building codes to renewable power standards to energy efficient purchasing standards.

The forum will feature a panel of environmental experts from the New York State League of Conservation Voters, Apollo Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and more. Experts will provide technical assistance and guidance on legislation that city, town and county legislatures can pass to provide jobs AND increase energy efficiency and reduce pollution.

And local elected officials who have experience passing landmark environmental legislation on municipal and county levels will be on hand to share their experience and useful information.

Read about specific policies we're talking about.

If your elected official is concerned about global warming or you're an elected official who wants to stimulate the local economy, here's the event flyer (pdf) and invitation (pdf).

More to come as we get closer to Earth Day.

Global Warming Threatens National Security

2007-04-16T19:05:00.000-04:00

This weekend brought another reminder of the threat posed by global warming. And no, I'm not talking about our latest bout of extreme weather (does anyone else feel like winter and spring have switched places on the calendar?).

Six retired admirals and five retired generals with the CNA Corporation, a national security think-tank, laid out the "serious threat to America's national security" from global warming (via CNN).

Global climate change presents a serious national security threat that could affect Americans at home, impact U.S. military operations and heighten global tensions, according to a study released today by a blue-ribbon panel of retired admirals and generals.

The report says that in the next 30 to 40 years there will be wars over water, increased hunger instability from worsening disease and rising sea levels and global warming-induced refugees. "The chaos that results can be an incubator of civil strife, genocide and the growth of terrorism"
. . .
They warn of a future of rampant disease, water shortages and flooding that will make already dicey areas - such as the Middle East, Asia and Africa - even worse.

From former U.S. Army chief of staff Gordon Sullivan:

"Climate change is a national security issue . . . We found that climate instability will lead to instability in geopolitics and impact American military operations around the world.

People are saying they want to be perfectly convinced about climate science projections . . . But speaking as a soldier, we never have 100 percent certainty. If you wait until you have 100 percent certainty, something bad is going to happen on the battlefield.

There is a relationship between carbon emissions and our national security . . . I think that the evidence is there that would suggest that we have to start paying attention.

Carbon emissions are clearly part of the problem"

From former commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Anthony Zinni:

"It's not hard to make the connection between climate change and instability, or climate change and terrorism.
. . .
We will pay to reduce greenhouse gas emissions today, and we'll have to take an economic hit of some kind. Or, we will pay the price later in military terms. And that will involve human lives. There will be a human toll."

The report also suggests solutions:

"the path to mitigating the worst security consequences of climate change involves reducing global greenhouse gas emissions."

There's plenty we can do in New York. It's time to act. More on what you can do later this week.

Weekend Entertainment

2007-04-13T18:47:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for something to do this weekend (and if you're reading this blog on a Friday night then trust me, you're looking for something to do this weekend) you should check out Armed & Naked in America: A Naked Angels Issues Project.

Armed and Naked in America is 14 established and emerging playwrights' responses to life during wartime America. They're presented together on one stage over two weeks in April by the New 42nd Street at The Duke Theater.

Week 1 (April 11-15) features eight plays, including

Naked Angels company member Theresa Rebeck
Academy Award nominee Jose Rivera (Motercycle Diaries)
Arab-American playwright Betty Shamieh
Itamar Moses (Bach at Leipzig)

Week 2 (April 18-22) features six plays, including

Tony and Drama Desk Winner David Rabe
Tony Award Winner Warren Leight
Will Eno
Naked Angels company member Pippin Parker

As an added bonus, short videos by some of the city's hottest sketch comedy groups, music performances and special guests from the worlds of politics, media and entertainment will compliment the theatrical performances.

Buy your tickets online or call 212-239-6200.

WFP on ABC

2007-04-13T14:48:00.000-04:00

A little late, but good for a Friday afternoon: ABC News did a piece last week on New York's shrinking middle class that featured the WFP.

Watch the ABC News clip.

If you want to read more, a good place to start is the newly released Drum Major Institute study entitled Saving Our Middle Class.

Affordable Housing in Westchester County

2007-04-12T13:44:00.000-04:00

From Lower Hudson Online:

Using federal subsidies and state programs like Mitchell-Lama, developers built large complexes around New York, some with thousands of units in New York City and perhaps a few hundred in places like Ossining, Greenburgh, Mount Vernon and Yonkers.

But those subsidy programs had 20-, 30- or 40-year lifespans and, for several years now, buildings around Westchester County have been hitting the expiration dates.
. . .
Claremont Gardens in Ossining is raising rents to market level as tenants move out.

Claremont tenants such as Robert Smith, 59, a retired postal worker, are already feeling the effects. His rent went from $600 to $735 a month.

"I can afford the rent, but I can't afford it going higher," Smith said.

Thousands of units in Westchester have already converted to market rates, and many more buildings in the coming years will reach the end of their affordability programs, throwing their tenants into uncertainty over the future of their homes.

Thomas McGrath of CPC Resources, an affordable-housing developer, has said that almost 4,000 units in some 25 complexes in the county could be taken out of subsidy programs designed to keep them affordable for low- and moderate-income people in the next several years. In New York City, the sale of the middle-income enclave of Stuyvesant Town and the proposed sale of Starrett City in Brooklyn, each with thousands of units, sparked huge controversy that led the federal government to reject the initial Starrett deal. Without the drama of one huge complex, Westchester faces the same questions 50 or 100 units at a time in buildings around the county.

"We need more than what's currently available and yet we're losing what we have currently available," said Pepi Powell, a tenant activist in Ossining and Peekskill.

Tell your Assemblymember to be part of the solution and pass the "Save Starrett City Law", Assembly Bill 795.

Maybe Rudy Giuliani Buys Milk at the Dollar Store

2007-04-11T16:17:00.000-04:00

Well, that would be one explanation. From the mouth of Rudy Giuliani:

But when asked about more mundane matters - like the price of some basic staples - Giuliani had trouble with a reporter's question.

"A gallon of milk is probably about a $1.50, a loaf of bread about a $1.25, $1.30," he said.

A check of the Web site for D'Agostino supermarket on Manhattan's Upper East Side showed a gallon of milk priced at $4.19 and a loaf of white bread at $2.99 to $3.39. In Montgomery, Ala., a gallon of milk goes for about $3.39 and bread is about $2.

Look, does anyone really expect a guy who made $80,000 from a tsunami relief fundraising event to buy his own milk?

Update: Rudy's hungry for more:

"The mistake that I made was that I mixed up the gallon or the half gallon but you never - or I never - buy a gallon because you can't fit it in your refrigerator," the former mayor said on KRIB in Mason City, Iowa, yesterday.

Does anyone really think Rudy Giuliani has a tiny fridge? Probably the same person who thinks he buys his own milk.

What You Can Do: Assembly Bill 795

2007-04-11T11:56:00.000-04:00

Will working families be able to live in New York City or will we be overwhelmed by luxury condos? If you live in New York City, you care about the answer to that question. The proposal to buy Starrett City and turn it into luxury condos has thrown that into stark relief, and given us momentum for a larger fight over affordable housing.

The City of New York has committed to create 94,000 new affordable units and preserve 71,000 existing units. But even with that commitment, we're losing our existing affordable housing faster than we're building new affordable housing. And nearly 1.5 million existing affordable units are still at risk. We need to do more.

Tell your Assemblymember to be part of the solution and pass the "Save Starrett City Law", Assembly Bill 795.

Save the Date: Affordable Housing Borough Meetings

2007-04-10T18:32:00.000-04:00

Millions of New Yorkers cannot afford a decent place to live. The most recent City data shows that 26% of New York City renters pay at least half of their income for rent. Thousands of affordable units in Mitchell-Lama, Section 8, and public housing are being lost every year, and hundreds of thousands of rent-stabilized apartments are decontrolled when they hit the $2000 rent level.

I've been blogging about Starrett City because that fight is a high profile example of the affordable housing fights going on all over New York. What the Starrett City fight does, since it's so big and so many people live there, is focus attention and light a fire under our elected officials that we need to act to increase the housing covered by rent regulations and protect the affordable housing we have now.

An unprecedented coalition including the Working Families Party, labor unions, and nearly every housing organization in New York City have joined forces to do just that. We'll be hosting Borough Planning Meetings across the city starting later this month, all leading up to a massive affordable housing rally on May 23 at Stuyvesant Town.

You're invited: find the closest Affordable Housing Borough Meeting and mark it down on your calendar. Let's do all we can to make sure working families can afford to stay in New York.

Starrett City Still Under Siege

2007-04-09T15:45:00.000-04:00

As predicted, past rejections haven't stopped Clipper Equities and David Bistricer from putting a new proposal on the table to buy Starrett City and turn it into luxury condos.

First, a quick recap: The Clipper Equities development group led by David Bistricer proposed buying Starrett City, home to 14,000 people, for $1.3 billion. Analysts agree that a price tag that high means Bistricer intends to convert Starrett City to luxury condos. The proposed sale quickly became a proxy fight over affordable housing, and was derailed by an outpouring of community outrage. More detail here.

Bistricer's latest proposal shamelessly calls for tens of millions of dollars in new public subsidies to Clipper Equities. In return, they'll convert Starrett City to luxury condos slowly instead of doing it right away.

Governor Spitzer and Senator Schumer both came out against Bistricer's new proposal to purchase Starrett City. From the New York Times:

Mr. Bistricer's latest plan to buy Starrett City for $1.3 billion has already received a chilly reception from Governor Spitzer, who spoke out in support of the tenants early on. In a letter last night to the Bistricer group, Mr. Spitzer's housing commissioner, Deborah Van Amerongen, said the plan "failed to adequately ensure that Starrett City would be preserved as viable affordable housing in the future, and would be unworkable under existing statutory law."
. . .
Senator Charles E. Schumer also sent Mr. Bistricer a letter this week saying he had "serious concerns" that the proposal "shifts a significant burden to the federal government, while not doing enough to protect the middle-class character of the development."
. . .
"I will do anything I can to keep it middle class," Mr. Schumer said of Starrett City. "But I'm not going to fight for more subsidies so the seller can make a bigger profit."

This is a major victory, but it's still a temporary one. The proposed sale of Starrett City and the sale of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village needs to light a fire under city and state officials to protect our existing affordable housing.

Starrett City won't be out of the woods until the New York State Legislature and Governor Spitzer pass legislation to keep Starrett City rent stabilized and repeal vacancy decontrol. That will be a lasting victory for Starrett City and affordable housing throughout New York. Until then, Starrett City residents have to live with the threat of eviction hanging over their heads.

Sign the petition.

(crossposted at New York Is Our Home!)

Are Ford's Executives Looting the Company?

2007-04-06T11:02:00.000-04:00

Is there a better example of corporate greed - and a better argument for taxing the superrich - than Ford CEO Alan Mulally? Ford posted a record $12.7 billion net loss in 2006. But Mulally was just paid $28 million for four months of work.

Actually, former Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr might be a better example. Billy said in May 2005 that he wouldn't accept any pay, bonus or stock until the company started making money again. But now it turns out he got $10.5 million in 2006 and $13.3 million in 2005.

And who pays when executives loot the company till? You guessed it. Ford wants to cut 30,000 jobs and is demanding more concessions from their unionized workers. What do you think the chances are that they'll cut Mulally's pay?

Tell Governor Spitzer that we need a statewide discussion about progressive taxation.

Investigate Bob Mirch

2007-04-05T15:57:00.000-04:00

The Working Families Party is calling for an investigation into Bob Mirch.

Who is Bob Mirch? Mirch's day job is Commissioner of the Department of Public Works in Troy, a political appointment he got through his real work as a Troy-area political boss. Mirch is nicknamed 3-Job Bob: that's because he's also Republican Majority Leader for the County Legislature and Political Liason for Joe Bruno.

It's as a political boss that Mirch is accused of coercing an employee into recording two fradulent autocalls attacking a pair of City Council candidates. From the Troy Record:

[Colleen Regan] said Mirch, also the Legislature's majority leader, picked her up at the county building in a city vehicle and took her to Crawley's office in City Hall shortly before the 2005 election.

While there, she was made to make two phone calls. In one she pretended to be "Tonya" and said she was sexually harassed by Councilman Bill Dunne, D-District 4, while the two worked at the state Dormitory Authority. In the second she said council candidate Dan Doran stood by while a city staffer stole thousands of dollars.

More here.

We'll know soon if a County Judge will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Mirch, but it looks unlikely that the majority of the Troy City Council will hold Mirch - who helped them get elected - accountable.

The Troy Polloi has (much) more.

Tonight: Representative Nadler on Iraq

2007-04-05T13:53:00.000-04:00

The Columbia University Working Families Party Chapter is cosponsoring an event tonight featuring U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler and Todd Gitlin, a 60s activist, author and Columbia Journalism professor.

They'll talk about ending the war in Iraq and what withdrawal means for Middle East geopolitical stability.

Thursday, April 5, at 8pm
Columbia University
Barnard Hall, Room 304

Cosponsored by the Columbia University Working Families Party Chapter and the Columbia Coalition Against the War.

WFP on the New York State Budget

2007-04-04T18:33:00.000-04:00

This year's state budget battle is over. The final budget increases education spending and reduces the health care cuts - both good outcomes.

The flaw in the budget debate – and it's a serious one – was on the revenue side. New York continues to have not just high taxes, but highly unfair taxes.

The wealthier you are in New York State, the less you pay in taxes as a percentage of your income. Look at all the taxes a person pays – income, payroll, sales, property, capital gains – and you find that the middle class and working class pay higher percentages of their overall income in taxes than the wealthy. Here's a chart of the effective tax rate in New York State from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (via the Fiscal Policy Institute) that illustrates this point:

Sooner or later, we have to face this. New York State government has the good fortune to be rolling in money, and so they increased spending and cut property taxes at the same time. We may not be so lucky in next year's budget.

A responsible government – like a responsible household – must inventory its needs for both the short and long term, and then make decisions. We didn't really do that in Albany this year. The passion for an on-time budget got in the way of a more serious exploration of the state's fiscal situation.

The Working Families Party remains committed to just such an exploration. We live in a rich state, but the distribution of income, security, opportunity, and peace of mind is truly screwed up. It's a topic that deserves the attention of our elected leaders.

Tell Governor Spitzer that you think we need a statewide discussion about progressive taxation.

Real Estate Prices Rising

2007-04-03T16:52:00.000-04:00

The April release of quarterly real estate data shows the New York City real estate market is getting less affordable. From a New York Times article focused on Manhattan and Brooklyn (via Gothamist):

the average price of an apartment in Manhattan rose to $1.22 million in the first quarter of this year, up from $1.14 million in the last quarter of 2006
. . .
Buyers also seemed more willing to pay higher prices for new condominiums in Brooklyn. Corcoran said the average overall prices in Brooklyn rose 22 percent, to $628,000 in the first quarter of this year from $514,000 in the first quarter of 2006.

And prices are only going up:

"In the second quarter, I think we're going to see more appreciation because of the high level of activity" early this year, said Jonathan Miller, president of Miller Samuel, an appraisal firm.
. . .
"People were holding back a little bit more a year ago,” said Hall Wilkie, president of Brown Harris Stevens, though he added, "Anybody who was holding back, isn't."

But there's also an increasing willingness to take on and solve this problem. Witness yesterday's conference by the Drum Major Institute asking, "Is New York City still a middle-class town?" Alongside discussion by a number of mayoral candidates (here and here), DMI released a survey entitled Saving Our Middle Class. From their report:

"Affordable rent" tops the list of the middle class's biggest challenges. Two out of three respondents describe affordable rent as one of the top three middle-class concerns in the city and it is the only one to get a majority response.
. . .
New York City leaders agree: building more government-funded affordable housing and increasing funding for k-12 education would be very effective at strengthening and expanding the city’s middle class.

And there's this blog post on Room 8 by State Senator Serrano on reforming the 421a tax exemption:

The 421a tax exemption looms somewhere on the Albany horizon, and it's not yet getting the attention it deserves.

Created in the 1970s to fuel development in a depressed city, the exemption program has been periodically reformed to help protect affordable housing in a now booming market.
. . .
I believe there is room for improvement in the city proposal

You can get involved. Find the Affordable Housing Borough Meeting nearest you.

And read more about what New York Is Our Home! would like to see happen.

(crossposted at New York Is Our Home!)

Wal-Mart Walks Away

2007-03-29T12:21:00.000-04:00

Good news for New York City - Wal-Mart is picking up it's ball and going home. From the New York Times:

Frustrated by a bruising, and so far unsuccessful battle to open its first discount store in the nation's largest city, Wal-Mart's chief executive said yesterday, "I don't care if we are ever [in New York City]."

H. Lee Scott Jr., the chief executive of the nation's largest retailer, said that trying to conduct business in New York was so expensive - and exasperating - that "I don't think it's worth the effort."

Mr. Scott's remarks, delivered at a meeting with editors and reporters of The New York Times, amounted to a surprising admission of defeat, given the company's vigorous efforts to crack into urban markets and expand beyond its suburban base in much of the country. In recent years, Wal-Mart has encountered stout resistance to its plans to enter America's bigger cities, which stand as its last domestic frontier.

And Lee has a childish explanation for why Wal-Mart has failed in New York City:

But as Mr. Scott sees it, there is another reason Wal-Mart has such a hard time making inroads into some of the nation's biggest enclaves. Speaking about what he sees as snobbish elites in New York and across the country, Mr. Scott added, "You have people who are just better than us and don't want a Wal-Mart in their community."

Or maybe it's Wal-Mart's poverty wages. It could be Wal-Mart's policy of pushing workers onto public assistance instead of providing real benefits. It's definitely the way Wal-Mart uses its size to undercut local businesses and drive them under to eliminate competition. Don't forget the gender-discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart. There's also Wal-Mart's punitive sick leave policies where a worker can be fired for taking care of a sick child. Frankly, when you're talking about reasons to not want Wal-Mart in your community, it's a pretty long list.

So here's some free advice to Mr. Scott : instead of sticking your head in the sand and insulting potential customers because they won't shop at your store, try treating your employees decently.

Two More Nassau Election Wins

2007-03-28T16:35:00.000-04:00

There were two special elections in Nassau County yesterday, one for State Assembly to fill Tom DiNapoli's seat and one for County Legislature to fill Craig Johnson's seat.

The Working Families-endorsed candidate won both races, and the WFP was the biggest third party in each race.

Here are the results:

Assembly District 16

Candidate Name	Party	Results	Candidate Total
Michelle Schimel	D	4,735
Michelle Schimel	I	243
Michelle Schimel	W	406	5,384
Ryan D DeCicco	R	899	899

County Legislator District 11

Candidate Name	Party	Results	Candidate Total
Wayne Wink	D	2,539
Wayne Wink	I	135
Wayne Wink	W	198	2,872
Louis F Chisari	R	513
Louis F Chisari	C	86	599

Congratulations to our two new elected officials, the Nassau County Working Families Chapter, and everyone else who worked hard on these campaigns!