January 11, 2010
Many of my friends and neighbors have encouraged me to run for New York state Senate in Western Queens. I am deeply honored by this support. I write to let you know that I will not be a candidate for Senate in 2010, but I am proud to support and endorse a reformer who shares our values: Assemblymember Mike Gianaris.
I was asked to run for Senate because I have spent my career fixing broken government systems and it is no secret that New York’s government is profoundly broken and that we desperately need reform - especially in Western Queens. Our economy and state budget are in shambles. Politicians in Albany are taking away Metrocards from school children at the same time that they are making six-figure salaries and pocketing big bonuses just for doing their jobs. In the last 3 years, Queens has lost 3 hospitals. As a child advocate, it angers and saddens me that our schools are overcrowded and underfunded. Astoria has too many unclean power plants; as a result, asthma rates are so high that our neighborhood is sometimes called “asthma alley.” At the same time, our own electrical grids are underdeveloped and our community is still at risk of blackouts. Over 100,000 children live in poverty in Queens - and, sadly, this number is growing.
Adding insult to injury, just last month, two state Senators in Western Queens denied civil rights to millions of New Yorkers by voting against marriage equality.
The litany of failures of our state government is nearly endless and, as someone who is in a position to help fix this broken system, I feel a moral obligation to improve our State’s government.
This December, I publicly promised that George Onorato would not be our state Senator in 2010. As a civil rights lawyer who fixes broken government systems on behalf of foster children, and as a community organizer and pro bono lawyer who helped win a $63 million dollar settlement for the people of Western Queens against ConEd, I would have been a strong fighter for reform in the Senate. I seriously considered running for Senate because government must be about helping people, not about protecting politicians and powerful interests.
However, the 2010 senate election was never about me. It is about all of us and our need for better - and more just - government. I have had extensive conversations with Assemblymember Gianaris; he has assured me that, as our Senator, he will continue to be a strong supporter of government reform and marriage equality. Over the past 9 years, Mike has been a leader in the Assembly on issues that matter to us. I intend to work my heart out to ensure that he brings that leadership to the Senate in 2010. I urge you to join me in supporting him.
We can all be proud that we are getting a new Senator; it came in large part because of the movement we created - because thousands of us stood up and demanded better government. Our voices were heard. In Mike Gianaris, the people of Senate District 12 will soon have a Senator who truly represents all of us.
But we can't stop demanding justice just because we are getting a new Senator. Martin Luther King said that “our lives begin to end the day we are silent about things that matter.” We cannot be silent. I will never be silent. I will continue to be a strong advocate on the causes we care about - for all of our community and especially for our children. I ask you to stand with me, because there's lots more work to do. If you have not already joined, please join the facebook group that some of my supporters created.
Karla and I look forward to working with you and to working to elect Mike Gianaris to the Senate. Thank you very much for your support and friendship.
Best,
Jeremiah
December 2, 2009
Marriage is a civil right and we will have equal marriage in New York.
Today the New York State Senate voted to deny the right to marry to millions of New Yorkers. I am deeply saddened by the actions of the New York Senate. By choosing to stand on the wrong side of history, they stood also against the wishes of the people of New York - because polls show that a majority of New Yorkers want equality.
I am especially saddened because my Senator, George Onorato, was among those who voted against equality. Senator Onorato stood against the wishes of the people he represents in Western Queens. In March, 2,500 of us rallied for equality. Less than 20 people rallied against. Our Senator once again ignored the voices of the people he represents.
Sadly, today's vote was about much more than a broken Senate that fails to represent the will of the people. It was an immoral decision that denied a fundamental civil right to millions of people. I believe that marriage is a civil right and that the love that many gay people share deserves the same legal protections as the love that my wife and I share.
Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said that "justice delayed is justice denied." Today, the New York Senate again denied justice to our fellow citizens. Dr. King also said that "the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Time is on our side. Like our brothers and sisters who marched for interracial marriage, we will win this great struggle for justice. We will get marriage equality in New York. And we will replace those Senators who voted against equal rights.
We are having a rally at 6:00 on Thursday at Union Square Park. Join us. Let's make our voices so loud that the Senate cannot ignore us.
2,500 people turned out in Astoria to rally for marriage equality - it was an awesome display of how our community really feels.
