Sayward stands up
Ed Koch, the “how’m I doin’?” former mayor of New York City, has been buttonholing lawmakers for his New York Uprising movement. Basically, he’s asked all state lawmakers to sign a “reform pledge.”
People who sign are “heroes of reform,” he says. People who don’t sign, he promises, are on his “enemies of reform” list.
Hats-off to one who didn’t sign: Willsboro Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward, quoted in the Times Union’s Capitol Connection
“Look at some of the people on your list,” she said. “You’re really going to call them heroes?” Sayward said of NY Uprising’s “Heroes of Reform.”
Sayward, a Republican, is known for her independence. She told the TU she doesn’t like “hard and fast pledges.” And,
“The only people who are important to me are the people in my district. They know how I vote.”
You can read the whole blogpost here, but here’s Saywward’s response to Mayor Koch’s request for her signature:
Dear Mr. Koch,
From the very beginning of my political career I made a promise to myself to take no pledges. I have kept and will continue to keep that promise. I was elected to represent all of the people, not just the people who believe as I do.
I am very surprised that a man of your principles would name people who have a proven record of voting consistently for reform and against out of control spending to a list of “Enemies of Reform.” Your lists mean nothing if in fact those who have taken your pledge as reformers have legislative voting records against reform and those named to the list as enemies have consistent reform records. To say the least I am very disappointed in this action and will make it known to the public through the press – my line in the sand.
Instead of talking the talk, let’s walk the walk together and vote in candidates who pledge to the people that they will be working toward reform. We already know those who say they will but won’t!!
Respectfully,
Assemblywoman Teresa R. Sayward
113th AD
More about the Uprising, here.
Koch is bring his Uprising upstate next week. So far, it looks like he’s sticking to I-81, visiting Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. No mention of a trip up the Northway.
People like things painted black and white for them, don’t they? So much easier than actually do the research and finding out what people really stand for. I’m surprised he settled for Enemies of Reform. He should use Axis of Evil…gets more mileage.
If he’s going to Rochester and Buffalo, he sticking to 90, not 81.
I’m all in favor of using GAAP and non-partisan re-districting.
Dan’s right.
All you need to know about cut and dry nonsense like this is that according to Koch’s website, the infamous Sen. Pedro Espada is a “hero of reform.”
Nuff said!
First, a tip of the hat to Sayward.
Two, why would anyone care a hoot about Koch?
Three, could we please pass a law to prevent further use of the word hero?
It is used so often now-a-days it is in danger of losing all meaning.
Pete, too late. It already has lost any real meaning.
I finally got around to going to the Web site and had a good laugh when I read, “Joining Mayor Koch in his effort to stop what has become the downward spiral of New York politics, are Citizens Union Director Dick Dadey, former New York City Parks Commissioner and New York Civic Director Henry Stern and a group of prominent New Yorkers serving as Trustees.”
I laughed because of the phrase “prominent New Yorkers.” This is the problem. They think highly of themselves. Our fearless leaders! Our heroes! They who just know they are better than us. We are not supposed to notice that they don’t think we are very prominent.
I’m just waiting for one of these prominent people to say, “They don’t have any bread? Let them eat cake.”
They are so full of themselves, they must have a bad case of acid indigestion.
You know we are just like the pile of garbage their limo has to pull up next to when there is a garbage worker strike. We are there, we smell bad, but we can be ignored from behind mirrored glass.
The big news here: Ed Koch is still alive!
I did not know that.
Hey Mateo —
My mistake, in haste. Perhaps reflecting my far north lens on the upstate/downstate picture.
Martha