Dear Lucas,
I wanted you to be among the first to know that I am taking a step that will lead to the second act of my life.
This September I will run for the State Senate and take on Reverend Ruben Diaz, Sr. in the Democratic primary.
I'm running because the people of the Bronx are hurting and our State government is not helping our community, but making living conditions worsen.
Unemployment is skyrocketing, and set to escalate even higher. Similarly, asthma is rising in our neighborhoods, spread by trucks rumbling down our streets day and night, and putting our children at risk.
Furthermore, people are being evicted from their homes, and the supply of affordable housing is dwindling by the day as the landlord lobby has its way with our current representative.
This must stop. The people of the Bronx deserve better than this. I would go a step further and say the people of the Bronx are at risk because of the failure of our State government.
If I become your State Senator - I will be accountable only to you. My very first priority will be to protect our children and bring jobs to our community.
But I'm going to need your help. The incumbent has the backing of the entrenched interests, the Landlord Lobby, and the corrupt powers that have mismanaged the Bronx for years.
But I have something much more important - I have you, my closest friends, supporters and colleagues.
Together, we can create a State government that will protect our children, bring jobs to those who desperately need them, and protect our civil liberties - including the right to marriage. That is my firm conviction and that is why I am running for office.
In the coming days and weeks, I'll be reaching out to you to talk about how we can create a winning campaign together. For our community the stakes couldn't be higher.
Thank you for your friendship and support. Thank you for everything you do.
Warmest regards,
Carlos 'Charlie' Ramos