EDITORIAL
READERS WRITE
Thanks for life-changing adoptive parents bill
Assemblyman David
Weprin believes a birth
certificate is a legal document
which is important to one’s
identity. Well I agree.
Adoptees in New York state
are forbidden access to the
original document unless they
have a court order. I feel the
passage of a bill sponsored by
David Weprin know as A.5494,
The Clean Bill of Adoptee
Rights, gets passed and clears
the way for adoptees to know
who their biological parents
were and are.
I feel this is important
for the adoptees and their
biological parents who seek
to meet. I am one of those
biological parents who seek to
meet my children.
In 1975, while still in
the Navy, my children were
adopted after my wife had
left us and I had no means
to support them and had no
family, or friends that could
help me. I’m going to be 70
years old this year and would
like to make contact before I
pass away.
I would like to tell my sons
named Tommy and Bobby, who
will be 50 and 49 years old,
that I still love them and think
of them and would like to tell
them it was not their fault they
were adopted and tell them of
our family history.
Assemblyman Weprin, I
would like to thank you for
your efforts.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Glen Oaks Village
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MAKE A RUN FOR IT!
The Queens delegation to the City Council will
get an extreme makeover in 2021 when 11 out of
15 City Council districts will have open contests
as term limits will prevent the incumbent from
seeking re-election.
Familiar names like Lancman, Dromm, Van
Bramer, Constantinides, Koslowitz, Richards,
Ulrich, Vallone and Koo will head for the exits
and the city’s Campaign Finance Board wants to
expand the pool of candidates to replace them in
what will be the largest election cycle it has seen in
its 30-year history.
The CFB 5 Borough Tour seminar will debut at
the Queens Central Library Saturday and any city
resident that has thought running for City Council,
or working on a campaign, is invited to attend
and receive an overview of what it takes to run for
city office.
If you have ever protested against gentrification,
bad subway service, overcrowded school districts, the
lack of affordable housing and decent infrastructure,
the CFB training session for prospective
candidates and campaigners is a great first step
towards running for the City Council.
The LGBTQ community should pay special
attention because the five openly gay members
of the City Council will all be term limited out.
“LGBTQ in 2021” will recruit and support potential
candidates with essential training, education, key
resources, and networking possibilities with an
initial event planned for later this summer.
People who are interested in running for office
or supporting potential candidates are welcome to
visit the coalition website at www.lgbtqin2021.nyc
and sign up for further updates.
Gender equity will also be at stake. Former
City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and former
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito launched their
“21 in 21” initiative in 2017 that will arm women
with fundraising support, political training, issue
education and access to empowering networks with
the goal of gaining 21 of the City Council’s seats.
Membership information can be found at
www.21in21.org. The NYC 2021 elections will also
the Mayor’s office, the Public Advocate and all five
borough presidencies.
Get involved by taking part in the CFB’s
training seminar at Queens Central Library at 89-
11 Merrick Boulevard on Saturday, June 8 between
2 and 4 p.m.
To RSVP visit nycvotes.nyccfb.info/events and
check back for more training events this summer.
Don’t complain about city government, run for
office and help change it.
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16 TIMESLEDGER, JUNE 7-13, 2019 QNS.COM
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