Klee Hood is committed to unions and sustainability
To the editor:
As a union carpenter and young man living in central New York, I am writing this letter to express my support for Congresswoman Sarah Cree Hood. As someone deeply invested in union labor and the environment, I believe Creefood is best placed to tackle important issues and build a future that works for us all.
For me, unions are not political pawns, they are lifelines. Through Local 277, I have access to medical care, training opportunities, and safe working conditions. Membership improves the quality of life for me, my family and my community. I also see my union as a partner in promoting more sustainable industry practices and ensuring our work contributes to a livable future for generations to come. For these reasons, I have no choice but to support Clay Hood in this election.
Cree Hood recognizes the connection between our sustainable future and preserving the good-wage union jobs that so many Central New Yorkers need to make a living. Unlike his opponents, Clay Hood understands that he can have both a sustainable future and strong unions. You don't have to choose just one or the other.
I urge my colleagues to do their own research ahead of the June primary. We must ensure that NY-22 is represented by someone who will advocate for our collective interests, because our lives depend on it. I'll be rooting for Clay Hood in the primary, so please join me.
allegra karen
new hartford
Williams Town Hall was a monologue.
To the editor:
Representatives in the House of Peoples, the lower house of the United States Congress, are by definition considered to represent you. And this further assumes that at least a representative is going to talk to you. With this hope and anticipation, I drove to Vernon Verona Sherrill High School to attend NY-22 Congressman Brandon Williams' public town hall. It came as a shocking surprise that Williams was completely uninterested in dialogue of any kind. Williams will stand in front of the VVS auditorium and will only accept questions submitted to the Offside moderator, he said. Verbal questions from participants will not be accepted under any circumstances. The written questions were hand-picked and selected by the moderator. Even if an attendee asked for an explanation for his one of his answers, it was not accepted or allowed. What followed was a boring monologue and an exercise in power and control. Not to mention that it obscures the actual problem. For example, someone asked about his support for the continuation of Social Security and Medicare. Williams insisted he always supported it. This is clearly false. As a member of the Republican Research Committee, he supported the budget, which includes a link between raising the retirement age and life expectancy, means-testing to exclude high-income earners from receiving benefits, and privatizing Medicare. . Please see pages 108 and 100. The whole hour and a half at City Hall went like this. I couldn't help but think of former NY22 Congressman Anthony Brindisi's town hall in Utica. At City Hall, he took questions directly from the audience and answered them respectfully on the spot. Thinking that Williams might be interested in a different format, I approached him at the end of the event and asked if we could talk for a bit. His answer was: “We had time.'' Then he turned his back on me and left the stage. No handshakes. No, “Thank you for coming.'' I was surprised. Needless to say, I will not vote for this non-representative, and in fact, I will work hard to ensure that he is not re-elected.Judith A. Jerome
syracuse
Support public schools.vote for manion
To the editor
I am writing to you today to ensure that the voters of NY-22 know what I know about State Senator John Mannion. I first learned about Mannion when he was teaching his AP Biology class to my kids at West Genesee High School. He was undoubtedly one of their greatest teachers, but his influence went far beyond mastering the curriculum. With his legendary humor (they still perform his DNA replication dance) and his supportive attitude, his classes were always a pleasure for students to attend. But most importantly, he laid the foundation for a lifelong love of science and learning. Both of my children credit him with inspiring them to pursue degrees in biology. My children owe their success to the public school system and educators like John Mannion.
Today, as a state senator, Mannion continues to be an effective advocate for public education. He is committed to fully funding foundation aid, expanding access to preschool, improving and supporting special education, universal free school meals, mental health services, and literacy through programs such as Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. We support further capacity building and teacher pension reform.
Conversely, on May 19, 2023, I attended Camillus City Hall with Congressman Brandon Williams of NY-22. Among the many concerns he spoke about was support for school voucher programs disguised as “parental rights” and “school choice.” It takes money away from public education and allocates it to unregulated, expensive private and charter schools. As this system in other states has shown, vouchers do not fully fund attendance at these schools. By only providing subsidies to wealthy people who can already afford to pay tuition, other students are left behind in underfunded public schools.
With this in mind, I support Mr. Mannion's candidacy for NY-22. His commitment to all issues affecting the constituents of NY-22 echoes the many lessons he taught my children and the work he does for our community in the New York State Senate. I know it will be very influential.
Donna Brill
syracuse
