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To the editor:
As a city retiree and former vice president of Local 1549, I cannot vote for Andrew Cuomo for mayor. Zohran Mamdani is my choice.
It was Andrew Cuomo who gave our members a Tier 6 pension. This has proven to be an unlivable income for our retirees.
In his second term as governor, he took money meant for the MTA and used it to balance the state budget instead of raising revenue by taxing billionaires. And we wonder why the MTA is raising fares every year.
Cuomo cut state funding in 2011 for a rental voucher program known as Advantage. Thanks to that, the city had to eliminate the program altogether, leading to an increase in homelessness.
Cuomo spoke to the Real Estate Board of New York during his mayoral campaign and said he regretted the reforms he put for rent-regulated apartments that helped tenants. Since my partner and I live in a rent-regulated apartment, we cannot trust that he will look out for us.
While governor, Cuomo channeled funding that should have gone to our public hospital system and other safety net hospitals to the large private hospitals run by millionaire CEOs. Our members and patients face short staffing and long waits for doctor appointments as a result.
Cuomo criticizes Mamdani for his lack of experience. He says Mamdani has never had a “real job” and calls him “the kid,” It reminds me of the Republican criticisms of Barack Obama for the same reasons.
They said that in the short time Obama was a state senator and U.S. Senator that he accomplished nothing. Yet he became the second youngest president, and an accomplished one. The voters did not buy what the Republicans were selling then and hopefully now they will not buy what Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa say about him now.
Ralph Palladino
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DOTHERIGHTTHING
To gain DC37/UFT endorsements Mamdani does not support current NYC Council Bill 1096. Protection of NYC Medicare Retirees earned healthcare.
Only Sliwa and Cuomo have signed pledge to protect NYC Retirees Healthcare.
Tuesday, October 28 Report this
MARIANNE.PIZZITOLA
Supporting a candidate who won’t even work with the NYC Retirees, the largest retiree organization in the state, is not just insane- it’s negligent. Peoples lives are at stake. And the people he’s surrounded himself with leveraged the Retirees in a heartbeat and never looked back. We’ve been fighting this for 4 1/2 years.
In the inner circle of Zohran Mamdani is Dc37 Henry Garrido, Uft, Michael Mulgrew, former mayor, Bill de Blasio Dean Fuleihan formally Bill de Blasio’s first Deputy Mayor and Omb Director. All of them were architects of the 2014 MLC a deal that sold off Retiree healthcare.
And you want me to blindly support a man who aligned himself with all of those people in his inner circle, and refuses to communicate over the last 10 months with our organization?
No way. I’ve tried building bridges. I spoke with people who supported me and didn’t support me. The only ones that ignore me are the ones that leveraged me and the lives of other others. We laid it out on a video today. You could actually find on our YouTube channel and we brought receipt receipts.
Henry Garrido at the Dc37 delegates assembly past motion to un endorse any candidate that supported Retirees.
Zohran prefers the union vote over the Retiree vote.
Go watch for yourself. I would rather work with people who are willing to speak and work on a solution. Not ignore us.
We’re retired. We should be able to relax and enjoy your retirement. It is cruel and inhumane to make us fight for the last 4 1/2 years for something we already earned and paid for. Our former union should’ve protected us and not sold us out. Our former union should’ve made sure that our retirees don’t go into medical debt. And they haven’t fixed that either. Today they have their raises and we are in debt and have trouble accessing our doctors because of the costs they imposed on us to finance their contract contracts
No, Ralph, I don’t choose that path. He had a choice. He could’ve met with us even if he disagreed. He didn’t. And as a Retiree said to me today, no response is a response.
Wednesday, October 29 Report this
Ralder
Hey folks I stand by my letter that you never refuted that facts I stated about Cuomo.
Mamdani did say he did not support medicare advantage and also is a staunch supporter of universal healthcare like they have in Canada that would cover retirees.
I worked in the healthcare system for 40 years and did advocacy for 25 of them.
Andrew Cuomo never supported public health. We fought him on getting more for the city and public hospitals and safety net hospitals and he did not do it. He just supported private institutions with millionaire CEO’s.
You really expect a promise by someone desperate for votes with his record!
I have a bridge in Brooklyn I will sell ya!
Thursday, October 30 Report this