FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 2, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 15
Suozzi offi cially launches bid for governor
BY MORGAN C. MULLINGS
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Democratic Congressman
Tom Suozzi (D-Queens/Long
Island) announced Monday at
a virtual press conference that
he is offi cially running for governor
in 2022, and he believes
that every job he has had leads
up to championing the executive
branch of New York state.
Th e former mayor of Glen
Cove and Nassau County executive
now describes himself as a
“commonsense Democrat” representing
parts of Queens and
Long Island in Congress.
“I’m the only one with a proven
executive experience. I’ve got a
record of doing this stuff and getting
stuff done. And again, I’m a
common sense Democrat. I don’t
pander,” Suozzi said via Zoom.
“I think that people are concerned
about COVID in the
economy. Th ey’re concerned
about property taxes. Th ey’re
concerned about income taxes.
Th ey’re concerned about crime,”
he said, and will be campaigning
to prove that he can address
these problems.
He has been compared to current
Governor Kathy Hochul
and former Governor Andrew
Cuomo, but said he wants to run
in the “Suozzi lane” rather than
just continue their work.
One thing he defi nitely is not:
a progressive.
He’ll be in stark opposition
to liberal leader and Public
Advocate Jumaane Williams,
who confi rmed his run earlier
in November. It’s more
crowded close to the center
of the Democratic ticket, with
Governor Kathy Hochul and
Attorney General Letitia James
also announcing runs. “It’s not
about being politically correct.
It’s about doing the correct thing
to actually help people,” he said.
Suozzi has a proven track
record of reaching across the
aisle despite his own politics.
He currently serves as vice chair
of the Congressional Problem
Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan
eff ort in Washington that works
across party lines to complete
initiatives they agree on.
“I’ll work with anybody. I’ll
work with Democrats. I’ll work
with Republicans. I’ll work
with progressives. I’ll work with
moderates. I’ll work with anybody
to actually solve problems
and get things done on behalf
of the people that I serve. I’ve
got a proven record throughout
my career of always doing that,”
he said.
In his campaign video, Suozzi
features Wayne J. Hall, former
mayor of Hempstead and Louise
Skolnik, former Nassau County
director of social services, as two
of his main supporters.
“He’s really interested in other
people,” Skolnik said.
But as governor, he’ll be
inheriting a host of problems,
including yet another variant of
COVID-19. Governor Hochul
announced another state of
emergency on Sunday in light
of the omicron variant, though
it hasn’t been detected in New
York state yet.
“We have to address the issue
of COVID constantly every single
day working with the scientists
and the Health Department
offi cials. It’s got to be always top
of mind or it’s going to get
away from us the way it is right
now,” Suozzi said of Hochul’s
announcement. He also advocated
for the COVID-19 vaccine
booster shots during the
call. Th is announcement to run
for governor comes just
aft er he declined Mayorelect
Eric Adams’ invitation
to join him as deputy
mayor of New York City.
Suozzi said Adams knew
he was considering a run
for governor.
“I just believe that I
can best help the mayor
of New York City and
other local elected offi cials
throughout the state succeed
by being the governor,
because I understand I
understand what mayors go
through,” he said,
adding that he
has a great relationship
with
Adams.
Though his gubernatorial
campaign will likely end his bid
to retain his Congressional seat
in a purple district, Suozzi did
not completely rule out becoming
a candidate for Congress
again.
He said he currently has about
$3 million in his congressional
account that he will likely be
using it the race for governor.
One of the other challengers in
the race, state Attorney General
Letitia James, released a statement
Congressman Tom Suozzi
in response to his candidacy.
“We welcome Representative
Tom Suozzi to the campaign.
In a short time, there has
been a groundswell of excitement
and enthusiasm around
Attorney General Letitia James’
historic candidacy because
New Yorkers know we need
a change maker who can break
the status quo as our next governor,
and the only person who
can deliver that transformational
change is Letitia James,” she
wrote.
NYC Council ready to give non-citizens voting rights
BY MORGAN C. MULLINGS
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
City Council member Ydanis
Rodriguez (D-Manhattan) led other
elected offi cials and several dozen advocate
organizations in a City Hall Park
rally Tuesday celebrating a measure that
will allow roughly 800,000 non-citizens
living in New York City for at least 30
days to vote in all city elections.
Th e measure dubbed “Our City, Our
Vote ” now has a veto-proof supermajority
34 out of 51 City Council supporting
the legislation, guaranteeing passage
at the council’s stated meeting on Dec.
9. It comes as nearly half of New York
City households have a member with
green card status or other undocumented
status.
It also comes as a number of city lawmakers
— once part of those immigrant
households themselves — are leading
the movement to pass the bill.
“My mom had all of her kids in a public
hospital,” said City Council member
and Brooklyn Borough Presidentelect
Antonio Reynoso, who attended
the rally. “My mom couldn’t vote for a
representative that could ensure a quality
education for her kids.”
Reynoso’s family came from the
Dominican Republic and raised him in
Williamsburg, which he now represents
in the Council.
“It’s about time that we fi nally get an
opportunity where we show these representatives
what we want, what we
need and what we deserve at the voting
booth, where it most matters,” Reynoso
said.
He thanked Rodriguez and the work
of the New York Immigrant Coalition,
who have been organizing the rallies
and the letters as part of the campaign
to get the bill passed.
While Mayor Bill de Blasio has said
he has “mixed feelings” about the bill
because he feared that allowing non-citizens
to vote might remove the incentive
for people to become full citizens,
Mayor-elect Eric Adams has voiced support
for it.
Under the proposed legislation the
New York City Board of Elections
(BOE) would issue a separate voter registration
form for green cardholders and
other non-citizens who have the right to
work. Th ose voters would then fi ll out a
ballot with only New York City offi ces
on it at the polls.
Th e bill also calls for training poll
workers and community education campaigns
to ensure every voter receives the
correct ballot.
Green card holder Dolma Lama, originally
from Nepal and a member of the
immigrant advocacy organization Desis
Rising Up Movement (DRUM) noted
how she helped get out the vote during
the recent Nov. 2 election but was not
allowed to vote herself.
“I’m a permanent resident living in
New York for almost a decade. I came
to the United States when I was a teen.
I went to college here. I went to high
school here. I even pay my taxes here,”
Lama said.
“Th e one thing that I’m not allowed
to do is vote. Interestingly, my love for
the diverse communities here created
the platform for me to be working at
a social justice organization here,” she
added.
Once Lama is able to vote in municipal
elections, she will join a group
of hundreds of thousands that could
change the trajectory of how lawmakers
measure candidate support and how
this country looks at voting rights on
the city, state and national level.
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
link
