Backs Dinowitz for Assembly

To the Editor:

Recently, I was invited to breakfast at Emily Hausman’s home. Emily, as you may know, is running for District Leader of the 81AD, the home to Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and his constituents.

Emily and her husband Joseph have welcomed me into their home on several occasions now, each time insisting I make myself at home and each time I am asked to “excuse all the children.” In addition to her own children, children in the neighborhood casually drop in and out on a regular basis.

When she isn’t home, Emily is an early childhood administrator who creates educational environments for the benefit of our youngest community members. When COVID hit, the Department of Education asked Emily to run an in-person emergency school at the Riverdale Y to provide help to our front line workers’ children when the pandemic hit.

This may be the type of work she does for a living, but I also see her commitment to supporting children woven into the other waking hours of her life.  

Emily’s four children can often be found campaigning around the neighborhood, and she has gone further and enlisted the help of other eager children. While I was visiting, other children who live in the building were streaming in and out of Emily and Joseph’s dining room.

 Two particularly informed and curious 10-year-olds questioned me during my visit — and they were not shy about it! 

“What do you do (to help Democrats)?  Do you work with Ritchie Torres? Who was the man here with you last time? (my husband) Do you think George W. Bush was a bad person?” 

The answer to that last one was that I don’t know George W. Bush, I did disagree with many of his policies, and that ultimately the question is not is someone a bad person but rather, do you agree or disagree with their policies as well as how they present themselves to the community?

Emily took the opportunity to remind all present that she lives by the principle of seeing the divine in everyone. That we are here to serve.  

It is evident to me through her words and actions that Emily is running for office because she believes it will give her another platform to meaningfully impact the community, providing measurable, practical solutions to problems, and opportunities for political progress.

Emily Hausman will generate excitement about voting because she’s not waiting to win the position; she is already doing it with our youngest community members.

Setting up a table and asking folks to register is one thing, but planting the seeds in the minds of young people of community values, that elections matter, that who governs makes a difference, is what will grow our party and form the future of our representation. 

I know Emily will do the practical work of petitioning for candidates that impact our Assembly District because she has been doing it for years, and started this year already by petitioning for Biden and his delegates along with Ben Jackson, Johanna Edmondson, Michael Heller and Jeffrey Dinowitz, the only candidates for Assembly, district leader and state committee in our district who did that work this year.

Emily understands the importance of running as a team, and how working with the Assemblyman will strengthen his ability to get things done for our district.

That is an element that may be lost by some voters who vote for Jeffrey Dinowitz but do not understand what a District Leader is supposed to do and how working with our elected officials, Assemblyman Dinowitz, Congressmembers Torres and Espaillat, Councilmember Dinowitz, and Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson not just makes them stronger.

That makes the voice of our district stronger to accomplish and protect our neighborhoods.

I am proud to support the Dinowitz team and hope you will vote for them in June.

Virginia Krompinger
Vice chair, Bronx
Democratic County Committee
President, Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club