Laura Kavanagh: 212-239-7323
(Rep. Yvette Clarke)
Sharon Lee: 212-669-3733
(Comptroller John Liu)
Albert Alvarez: 646-342-4346
(CM Joel Rivera)
Lynsey Kryzwick: 212-388-3696
917-683-4474(32BJ)
Leah Gonzalez: 212-603-1190
(1199)
City Hall, NY—Black, Latino and Asian leaders from across the City, labor unions and community organizations today rallied on the steps of City Hall today in opposition to a plan to hold a referendum this fall on non-partisan elections. The leaders, including Congress Members Yvette Clark and Nydia Velazquez, City Comptroller John Liu and dozens of state Senators, Assembly Members and City Council Members, called on the City’s Charter Revision Commission to stop a proposal to institute non-partisan elections citing concerns that a switch to a non-partisan system could disenfranchise communities of color and benefit wealthy candidates.
At the rally, elected officials and groups announced the formation of the “Coalition for Fair and Free Elections,” which will fight against any attempts to reform the city’s electoral system without appropriate evaluation of the consequences that proposed changes would have on minority voters. Members of the newly formed coalition also made a public “Pledge for Fair Elections for All New Yorkers” and committed to work together and mobilize communities across the City to protect democracy. Some of the groups participating in this coalition, including 1199, 32BJ, HTC, RWDSU and WFP, were part of the successful campaign that led New Yorkers to overwhelmingly vote down non-partisan elections in 2003.
Congresswoman Yvette Clark said, “The City should be doing more to encourage New Yorkers to exercise their right to vote. Non-partisan elections will hurt the very communities already struggling to have their voices heard.”
City Comptroller John Liu said, “Non-partisan elections have depressed voter turnout, disproportionately affect communities of color and have built-in advantages to far better-resourced, affluent candidates. New Yorkers rejected the non-partisan elections proposal in 2003 because it is a bad fit for a city like New York. Primaries don’t exclude voters -- they ensure that voters have a choice.”
City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera said, “Party identification is extremely important towards ensuring that those who represent us in office are those who share our same ideology and goals. Our constituents make a conscious decision on which party to identify with when they register. Our constituents are proud to have a choice and to deny them that opportunity will only serve to depress voter turn-out and to disproportionately disenfranchise communities of color, while benefiting the wealthy.”
Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat said, “It is imperative that we fight to preserve free elections. Non-partisan elections will only serve to disenfranchise our city’s minority communities. In order to ensure that all New Yorkers are fairly represented by their elected officials, I strongly oppose non-partisan elections.”
Assemblyman Carl Heastie, Bronx County Democratic Committee Chairman, “Political parties operate under a set of values and principles that have meaning. I am member of the Democratic Party because I agree with its values and principles, and I support candidates that agree with that the Democratic party philosophy is one that speaks more closely to America’s core values. Creating an inability to caucus with like-minded individuals is un-American, and I deplore the effort to institute non-partisan elections in New York.”
Assemblyman Keith Wright said, “Non-partisan elections would effectively do away with the vibrant primary elections that New Yorker’s rely upon to ensure fair and diverse representation in City government and allow for candidates who receive a much smaller segment of the vote or buy their name recognition to slide their way on to the general election ballot, position unearned.”
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr, “Nonpartisan elections are a bad idea, and the voters agree, having rejected their implementation by a two-to-one margin in 2003. The Charter Revision Commission should walk away from the wrongheaded ideas of the past, especially when those ideas would provide a disproportionate advantage to wealthy candidates while potentially disenfranchising minority voters. Non-partisan elections should not be on the ballot this fall, and I urge the Charter Revision Commission to allow more time to discuss this hotly contested issue.”
32BJ Vice-President Kyle Bragg said, “By giving very wealthy candidates even greater leeway to run for office, non-partisan elections would further distance communities of color from the democratic process and make it even harder to elect leaders who represent their interests,” said Kyle Bragg, 32BJ Vice-President. With 70,000 members, 32BJ is the largest private-sector union in New York. “Popular but modestly funded candidates would run up against even higher hurdles to overcome in non-partisan campaigns dominated by big money.”
The pledge made by the Coalition reads as follows:
“I pledge to support fair and free elections. As a member of the Coalition for Fair and Free Elections, I will oppose efforts to turn back our Democracy this November.
You can count on me to join the fight to stop nonpartisan elections by:
The growing “Coalition for Fair and Free Elections” already includes over 30 elected officials from federal, state and city government, as well as leading labor and advocacy organizations. Members include: US Congress Members Yvette Clarke and Nydia Velazquez; City Comptroller John Liu; State Senators Serrano, Peralta, Diaz, Sr., Montgomery, and Perkins; State Assembly Members Wright, Espaillat, Ortiz, Barron, Crespo, Gibson, José Rivera, Naomi Rivera, Farrell; Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr; City Council Members James, Mendez, Dickens, Eugene, Foster, Palma, Rivera, Foster, Arroyo, Seabrook and Ferreras; and the following groups: 32 BJ, 1199, Hotels Trades Council, RWDSU, the Working Families Party, and New York Communities for Change.
updated 8/5/2010
