[BwayDems] Defending New York from Trump Republicans

[Volunteer Team]

*Dear Broadway Democrats, It’s been almost a year since you and I worked
together to make sure I was elected as the 32nd Democrat in the New York
State Senate, and we have accomplished so much since then.Before we won
that election, I built affordable housing in Manhattan to help address the
affordability crisis working families were experiencing throughout the
city. Watching small businesses shuttered, neighborhoods changed, and
families forced from their homes drove me to to seek legislative and
community solutions to those problems. Working with advocates like Laura
Friedman and Barry Weinberg at the Morningside Heights Community Coalition,
I have supported thoughtful and holistic rezonings to defend neighborhoods,
and I have opposed predatory development that would injure their character
and economy. I introduced a bill to prevent the rebranding of neighborhoods
by outside influences, which were trying to turn “South Harlem” into
“SoHa,” and passed a law to help bring state resources to the preservation
of historic portions of Harlem. To address the affordability of our housing
stock, I introduced a bill with Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal which would
keep rent controlled apartments affordable by creating a parity between the
increase of rent controlled and rent stabilized apartments, and I have
co-sponsored bills to end vacancy decontrol, a process that takes rent
stabilized apartments out of rent regulation, and prevent landlords from
increasing a preferential rent to the maximum legal rent on renewal of a
lease, which often leaves New Yorkers unable to afford their homes. As the
State Senator with the most NYCHA developments in their district, I have
also been an advocate for NYCHA residents. With my Council Member, I formed
a NYCHA tenant leadership task force, and in Albany I successfully fought
for more funding for NYCHA from the state, ensured that NYCHA had
“design-build” authority to make repairs (an accelerated
contracting/construction technique), and demanded more oversight of the the
lead paint inspection process. Rising commercial rents driven by commercial
gentrification are making it increasingly difficult for mom and pop stores
to compete, as well. In their place, major chains and vacant storefronts
are becoming more and more common, removing a major source of local
business ownership, employment, and local affordable shopping. To help
address this, I have introduced legislation to ensure the state meets its
obligations to contract with M/WBEs, and I have taken every opportunity
possible to partner with local organizations to help small businesses
succeed. As you and I saw first hand in my special election, voting laws in
New York must be improved. One of the first bills I introduced would
require that the Board of Elections notify voters of special elections like
mine, so that everyone has a chance to participate in our democracy. New
York routinely ranks in the bottom ten states for voter turnout, and so I
have co-sponsored a package of legislation aimed at changing this, which
includes early voting, automatic registration, pre-registration, and the
restoration of voting rights to parolees. Early in my campaign, I promised
to fight to fix our broken criminal justice system and close Rikers Island,
which a report I urged the State Commission of Correction to write
described as violating the constitutional rights of New Yorkers. Though my
bill to close this facility in three years has not yet passed, I have
joined with advocates in continuously pushing this issue on the city and
state level, and we managed to have “design-build authority” to build new
jails to replace the facility included in the state budget. I am also the
sponsor and/or cosponsor of bills to fix our bail system which criminalizes
poverty, change our discovery laws to even out the playing field in the
courtroom, and ensure that every New Yorker has a right to a speedy trial.
Further, as the ranking member of the committee on Civil Service and
Pensions, I have sponsored a bill to divest our public pensions from
private prisons, which drive mass incarceration around our nation. Of
course, none of this would matter if we did not support high quality public
education for all of our students. My Democratic colleagues and I
successfully fought for the largest increase in public education spending
in New York State, and for increased transparency in how that money is
spent. After the city Department of Education tried to close a portion of
the Wadleigh School for the Arts in my district without input from the
community, I joined the successful movement to stop them and introduced
legislation which would require a majority vote of local elected officials
before the New York City Department of Education can act on a proposed
closure or major change to a school. With constant attacks from Trump
Republicans in D.C. and Albany, I am also proud to be fighting to ensure
the equal rights of all New Yorkers, regardless of their gender,
background, sexuaility, country of origin, or immigration status. I am
proud to be the co-sponsor of many bills in the Women’s Agenda, including
the Reproductive Health Act and legislation to address sexual harassment in
the workplace. I am also the co-sponsor of GENDA, the Liberty Act, and the
Dream Act. With Washington so clearly broken, New York can and must be a
leader on these issues. With a Democratic Majority in the State Senate, I
believe we will pass these bills, and pass the New York Health Act,
legislation I co-sponsor which would bring universal healthcare to every
New Yorker. Through it all, I have been proud to stand by the side of
Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who will soon make history as the first
female majority leader of the State Senate, and the mainline Democratic
Conference she leads. Even more importantly, I have been proud to have you
at my side - your support, advice, and vigilance have made me a better
public servant. I hope you will continue to offer me that advice, and that
I will have have your support in my re-election and in my first full term
fighting for the residents of our district as your State Senator. Thank
you,Brian A. Benjamin New York State Senator *

-- 
This email is intended only for the person or entity to which it is 
addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or 
otherwise protected from disclosure. Dissemination, distribution, or 
copying of this email or the information herein by anyone other than the 
intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering the 
message to the intended recipient, is prohibited. If you have received this 
email in error, please immediately notify us by calling 917-525-3578
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist8.pair.net/mailman/private/bwdupdates/attachments/20180509/e2186511/attachment-0001.html>