We have only about two months left before we elect a new president. I hope the fates are looking favorably at us. Our NYC mayoral election will be next November 2009 - but it is not too early to begin thinking about it. New York City needs a mayor who is both smart and compassionate - something we have not had in a very long time.
New Yorkers for Tony Avella support Council Member Tony Avella for Mayor because he is a breath of fresh air. He is not beholden to special interests and he is the only Council Member with a backbone. He remembers what democracy is all about - and it is not sucking up to the Speaker and forgetting who put you in office in the first place. Under Speaker Quinn, Council Members do what they are told - and most recently it is to try like hell to overturn term limits - something New Yorkers twice voted for on ballot initiatives.
We like Tony because he recognizes that animal issues are important to many people. He has compassion - something our present mayor lacks both for people and animals.
Animal issues are very important to New Yorkers. Read what Tony has to say about animal welfare. Tony is the leading advocate for animal issues in City government and has authored several bills. In December 2007, he sponsored Intro 658, which would ban the inhumane carriage horse industry in NYC. He did not come to this decision lightly having already introduced a bill in January 2006 to keep the horses in the park. But he came to realize that such a bill not only did not have the support of New Yorkers, but that something more needed to be done. Read more about the carriage horse issue at the web site of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages. He also sponsored the Pets in Housing bill, which would clarify the three-month law that allows people in apartments with no pet clauses to keep their pets. The real estate industry is preventing this bill from going anywhere.
We also like Tony because he has taken a stand against over development in our communities. Many of us are frustrated with the amount of construction going on in the neighborhoods in which we both live and work -- buildings going up with apartments that the average New Yorker cannot afford; new commercial developments that push out mom and pop businesses - turning parts of NYC into lack luster malls. Read what Tony says about over development on his web site www.tonyavellaformayor.com Because of his stance against big developers, he is not getting the support of the real estate community, which controls other politicians.
The Mayoral race will pick up in 2009 after our Presidential election. At that time, we expect several other candidates to announce their candidacy. Please find out all you can about them - including who has given them the most donations -- who supports their candidacy - what lobbyists you can expect to have entre into City Hall. Unless our present Mayor and City Council are successful in turning over the will of the people and defeating term limits - we will have an interesting race.
And please - Do two things:
Visit Tony's web site and sign the petition to support term limits.
And please donate to the Tony Avella for Mayor Campaign. Let's give City government back to the people. No more poltics as usual.
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