New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney will host a post-election town hall with her constituents of NY’s 12th Congressional District (including Greenpoint) tonight (11/19) from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., at Bushwick Inlet Park’s community room (86 Kent Ave.).
NY’s 12th Congressional District includes Greenpoint, and parts of Bushwick and Williamsburg, and the district stretches into the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Astoria, Queens.
Rep. Maloney was first elected to Congress in 1992 and won reelection with 86 percent of the vote two weeks ago in the 2018 midterm elections. During the campaign, she focused on her history of championing women’s issues in Washington.
A list of 70 measures that were passed with her effort includes the Sexual Assault Forensic Reporting (SAFER) Act (H.R. 594, 113th Congress), the Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 2722 – 114th Congress), and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (SaVE) Act (H.R. 812, 113th Congress).
While Rep. Maloney’s accomplishments and advocacy work on women’s issues are considered impressive, her progressive platform doesn’t extend to campaign finance like New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), who both refuse donations from shadowy super PACs.
With the 12th District covering the neighborhoods that will be impacted the most from Amazon’s HQ2 expansion in Long Island City, Rep. Maloney has not opposed the billion-plus dollar tax subsidy that Amazon will receive from the city and state when childhood homelessness is at an all-time high in NYC.
According to Open Secrets, financial institution Black Rock is Rep. Maloney’s largest donor for the 2018 election cycle, and the real estate and securities and investment industries are her top two contributors altogether.
With a Democratic-controlled House in Washington, low wage workers, largely comprised of women in retail and fast food, are expected to see greater representation in the current iteration of Congress. Ballot initiatives supporting a higher minimum wage and compulsory arbitration fly in the face of major corporations like Amazon, who are seeking to join the local economy.
As Amazon has faced allegations of discriminating against women in hiring, there’s a possibility that Rep. Maloney’s allegiance to real estate may come into conflict with her women’s rights stance.
Congresswomen, how about stop playing identity politics on put all your citizens on an equal footing. Your type of politics along with Hillary help elect the ego maniac demagogue Trump. Step away from your identity obsession and give equal billing to lousy transit, sky rocketing rents, universal health care, infrastructure, homelessness and other citizens in your district etc. etc.
You can start by finding the money to restart the Pete McG. senior center kitchen that you promise to do and then disappeared.
Congresswoman, people, male or female hate identity politics.