Towards a Change in State Legislature

On Tuesday, voters in a number of districts in New York are called to participate once again in a democratic process that entails casting a ballot to elect representatives for seats in both chambers of the State’s Legislature.

Some of the contests in these Democratic primaries are crucial to areas with large minority populations, such as the 72th Assembly District (which includes Upper Manhattan and part of The Bronx) and the 31^st Senate District (Washington Heights, Inwood, parts of The Bronx and western and central Manhattan), where the seat for the left vacant by Adriano Espaillat will be filled.

Undoubtedly, these elections offer an opportunity to change to some extent the face of the legislative body in Albany, which has been tainted in recent times by corruption scandals.

For this reason, El Diario considers that the best option for District 72 is Dominican candidate Carmen De La Rosa, who is challenging Assemblyman Guillermo Linares. We acknowledge the work the veteran politician has carried out all this time, but we believe that it is time to make way for the new generations.

De La Rosa, a young woman who has earned her place by working with the community and at City Council level, is offering renewed energies to advocate for the preservation of affordable housing and to halt gentrification. She also has her sights set on supporting Dreamers and fighting for better education, as well as for true criminal justice reform. Her challenge will be to build bridges to form the necessary alliances to advance her plan of action.

Regarding the vacant seat for Senate District 31, we are inclined to support another Dominican, Marisol Alcántara, a community organizer who has worked in defense of workers’ rights, immigrants and the empowerment of minorities. It is little wonder that she has received the support of a number of labor unions and the New York State Immigrant Action.

Some are concerned about the endorsement Alcántara got from the Independent Democratic Conference – a faction that at some point gave the control to Republicans in Albany. However, she has said that, if she gets to Albany, she is committed to finding solutions to the district’s needs.

We hope that, if they win, both De La Rosa and Alcántara will make good on their promises and put constituents first when the time comes to legislate. Otherwise, we will be the first to criticize their work. They have the opportunity to strengthen Latino leadership at the table where the decisions affecting our communities are made.

We encourage all Hispanic voters to go out and exercise their civil duty on Tuesday 13.