A Democrat? Or Republican?

To the editor:

I’m heartened that The Riverdale Press has begun to cover, in some detail, Alessandra Biaggi’s campaign to unseat Jeff Klein, a Bronx “Democrat” who happily handed over senate leadership to Republicans in 2011.

We’re beginning to understand that something has been seriously wrong for the past seven years in Riverdale/Kingsbridge and the 34th District more broadly. Why has a solidly Democratic district, with true progressive values like ours, had as its state senator not just an unhelpful senator in Jeff Klein, but one who has actively worked — through his leadership role in the Independent Democratic Conference — to empower a Republican majority and sabotage a progressive agenda by preventing progressive bills from getting to the senate floor?

Why have we accepted someone so thoroughly in the pay of landlords and monied special interests? Why have we allowed him to block issues like reproductive health, full funding to public schools, and tenant protections? And taken his word for it when (even in his most recent campaign literature) to actually claim he is “fighting for” and “co-sponsoring” legislation he is actually blocking from getting to a vote?

Perhaps we weren’t paying attention, and we got the representation we deserved. 

Even now, with coverage in The New York Times and on WNYC (and revelations that IDC members were being given perks like additional money, staff and plum office space for aiding and abetting a Republican majority), many still don’t understand how they have been betrayed by their supposedly Democratic (actually Republican) representative.

Luckily, we are paying attention now. And we have a young, energetic, genuine, positive and truly progressive alternative in Alessandra Biaggi — a candidate who is in-tune with the moment, when we are turning away from entrenched politics, and embracing change.

Rob Jacklosky