32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York
My Vote against Peter Rivera
for New York State Labor Commissioner
When a person is elected to a public
office to protect and defend the poor and the needy, and instead that person
creates a collection agency to harass and scare the same constituents he
is supposed to defend and protect, when his constituents receive scary
and threatening letters because they are not able to pay their bills. When
that elected official just makes money from what he or she collects and
hides his or her interests in the company so he can go back at election
time and ask the same people to vote for him, that person deserves not
only to be rejected by the voters, but should not be rewarded with a Commissioner’s
post or any other post.
You should know that there are many
reasons why I should be happy, excited and overwhelmed with Assemblyman
Peter Rivera being named as the New York State Labor Commissioner. First,
Assemblyman Peter Rivera is a Puerto Rican like me. Second, he is someone
that I have known since 1975 when I was a student at Lehman College in
Bronx County. Third, in 1992 it was only Jose Rivera, Anna York and
I who took Peter Rivera by the hand, knocked on doors for him, hung posters
for him, let him use my campaign truck with music, and did everything possible
to get him elected as a State Assemblyman. Fourth, Assemblyman Peter Rivera
is an elected official who represents the district where I reside and the
district that I represent in the New York State Senate.
You should know that those same
reasons that should make me happy, excited and overwhelmed, are the same
reasons that compelled me to be the only State Senator who voted against
Assemblyman Peter Rivera’s nomination to become the New York State Labor
Commissioner.
It is well known that no Senator
goes against a governor’s nomination and no Senator votes against what
the governor wants. But as you know, this is not the first time
that I have been the only Senator who stood proudly on the Senate floor
and voted no.
I was the only Democratic Senator
that stood on the Senate floor and voted against Same Sex Marriage. I was
the only Democratic Senator that stood up on the Senate floor and spoke
against the Governor’s budget because it was oppressive, it cut services
to the poor and it hurt the needy in our communities, especially senior
citizens. I was one of only two Democratic Senators to vote against it.
The other one was Senator Tom Duane.
You should know that my voice, my
career and my life have always been to protect senior citizens, the needy
and the voiceless. When I hear that an elected official is taking
advantage of his constituents and is part of a company that sends scary
letters and takes away the resources of senior citizens and the poor because
they have not paid their bills, I believe that the elected official should
not be part of the New York State Senate, the New York State Assembly,
or any elected body., And that is why I proudly voted against the
nomination of Assemblyman Peter Rivera.
I am State Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
and this is what you should know.
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