Dear Friends:
Members of Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City will be meeting on Wednesday June 2, in order to decide upon the club's endorsements of candidates in the 2010 Primary and General Elections. Several candidates have expressed their desires to have formal written requests transmitted to our membership, asking for their support and endorsement. During the next few days, as these are received, I will send these to you via e-mail.
Below you will find a letter from Mark Levine, one of the three individuals running in the primary election of the New York State Senator for the 31st District.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Best regards,
Joseph G. Hagelmann, III
President
Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City
PO Box 514 - Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113
Tel.: (917) 567-6318 - e-mail: JoeHagelmann@gmail.com
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Dear Stonewall Member,
I am writing to ask for your support in the June 2nd endorsement vote of the Stonewall Democratic Club. I am a candidate for State Senate in the 31st District (covering parts of the Upper West Side, Northern Manhattan, and Riverdale). As a lifelong fighter for progressive causes--including issues of critical importance to the LGBT community--I would be honored to have your support.
I believe in the basic dignity of all human beings, which is why I profoundly believe that all New Yorkers should be able to marry the person they love. I am also a strong supporter of the GENDA legislation now pending in Albany, because it will be a vital tool in fighting discrimination based on gender expression. And I favor increasing funding of programs for LGBT youth, seniors, homeless youth, anti-violence education, community centers, and more. I won't just be another "yes" vote on these issues--I will be a leader in this fight for justice.
Today, however, the dysfunction in Albany has made it all but impossible for New York to move ahead on these and so many other issues that matter. That is why my campaign is driven by a commitment to bringing about ethics enforcement, transparency and real campaign finance reform.
For my entire adult life, I have fought for progressive causes and am dedicated to implementing pragmatic solutions to complex problems in our neighborhood and our city. In my role as Democratic District Leader, founder of the Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan, and Community Board Transportation Committee Chair, I have been an advocate for tenants, school children, mass transit riders, and senior citizens. And I have stood up for reform of our political system as the only way to assure a functioning government in Albany.
My community work started long before I entered the political arena. I began my career as a bilingual math and science teacher at JHS 149 in the Bronx. Working with a group of fellow teachers concerned that local families had been shut out by banks, I created Upper Manhattan's first and only community development union. In the years since, Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union has given thousands of low-income families a place to save their money, and receive financial literacy training, and has made over $10 million in small loans, helping residents start small businesses, pay for education, and more.
Today, I continue my leadership in the education field, drawing in part on the public policy training I received from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. I serve as Executive Director of an initiative that supports after-school programs in public schools throughout our district and around the five boroughs.
I am asking for your endorsement today to advance the progressive causes we have worked so hard on, and because I want to be a voice for a reform in a town where such voices are often too few or too timid. Please join me in ensuring that our progressive agenda reaches the New York State Senate.
I am proud to have been a long-time supporter of Stonewall--and your endorsement would mean a great deal to me.
Thanks for your consideration,
Mark Levine
Candidate, NY State Senate, 31st District www.Levine2010.com volunteer4mark@gmail.com