‘No taxation without representation’: Good government groups call for special elections to fill vacant seats

PA James: 12 percent of NYers have no voice in state legislature

March 10, 2014 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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“You want that pothole fixed outside your house? You may not have an assemblyperson or senator to call,” said New York City Public Advocate Letitia James on Thursday at a City Hall press conference.

Eleven seats in the New York State legislature are vacant, and Public Advocate James, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and good government advocates are calling on Governor Cuomo to hold special elections as soon as possible this spring.

It’s important to move fast, the groups say, because important budget discussions are taking place right now – and 12 percent of the residents of the state have no voice in these discussions.

“Having nearly 1.8 million New Yorkers without a full voice in state government is unacceptable, especially as critical issues are being deliberated,” James said. “For the sake of good government and fair representation for all, we must have special elections in districts with missing representatives and we must do so now.”

Calling the situation “taxation without representation,” BP Adams said in a joint statement, “The constituents of the 20th State Senatorial District, which I proudly served for seven years, now lack any representation in Albany.” He called the situation a “failure of democracy.”

“When I look at all the vacancies in the State Legislature, I have to ask: who’s fighting for those districts? There are far too many citizens of New York living in districts without a say in their state government,” said Karim Camara (Crown Heights, East Flatbush), Assemblyman and Chair, Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus.

The seats are open for a variety of reasons, including retirement, new positions, and legal problems. At least half of the unrepresented districts are majority-minority districts, good government groups said.

Assemblyman William Boyland’s Brownsville seat is the latest to become vacated, after his recent bribery conviction.

It’s up to Governor Andrew Cuomo to call the special elections, which are expensive and often have low turnout. Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, said that was no reason to deny citizens a voice. “The less than ideal Special Election procedure should not be the reason we deny almost 2 million New Yorkers a place at the table in Albany.”

“This is the most basic of civil rights issues in New York State –the right to elect representation to the state legislature,” Esmeralda Simmons, Executive Director, Center for Law and Social Justice said.

She added, “In recent years, New York’s state government has been attempting to polish up its tarnished reputation with the governor leading the clean- up crew. Devaluing the importance of filling the eleven vacant seats in the legislature sends the wrong signal”

Also at the press conference were NAACP New York State Conference President Hazel Dukes, Common Cause New York Executive Director Susan Lerner, Center for Law and Social Justice General Counsel Joan Gibbs, Brennan Center for Justice Counsel Ian Vandewalker, UnitedNY Executive Director Camille Rivera, and representatives of New York Communities for Change, Make the Road Action Fund and LatinoJustice PRLDEF.