YONKERS, NY: A message from Shelley Mayer

Shelley Mayer, Democratic and Working Families Party Candidate for the State Assembly 93rd District, Yonkers

I am writing to you to introduce myself and seek your support. My name is Shelley Mayer; I am running as the Democratic and Working Families Party candidate for the 93rd State Assembly District in Yonkers.

I entered this race because I believe that we need new voices in the Democratic Party and a new fighting spirit. We must reject the "business as usual" and "go-along to get along attitude" of too many elected officials. We need representatives that will lead - voting the right way is not enough – we need to lead the right way.

I have been a Democratic activist all my life, starting at PS 26 in Yonkers when I handed out leaflets for my father, running as the Democratic candidate for the State Senate and continuing as a democratic district leader for more than 20 years in White Plains and Yonkers (5th Ward).

I have been fortunate enough to be able to devote my professional life to serving the public interest and to work at the intersection of politics and policy. For 12 years I served as an Assistant Attorney General for one of the great progressive democrats of our State, Attorney General Bob Abrams. I specialized in women's, family and housing issues, including a landmark prosecution of Randall Terry, a key figure in the anti-choice crusade. After leaving the AG's office, I worked on health care issues in Albany and Washington as the VP for government and community affairs for a large not-for-profit hospital system based in Manhattan. After 7 years in the trenches of the health care battle, I joined a New York law firm where I represented a wide array of not-for-profit organizations, including health care, social service, education, and arts groups on their state and federal government issues.

As someone who has more than a decade of experience in Albany, I know how to get things done. As someone who was born and raised in Yonkers, I know this city.

My campaign has attracted early support from leading progressive organizations and elected officials, including the hospital workers union – 1199 SEIU, the Working Families Party, WCLA, NARAL Pro-Choice NY PAC, County Legislator and State Senate Candidate Andrea Stewart-Cousins, County Legislator Jose Alvarado, and City Council President Chuck Lesnick.

I need your help to win this tough election. As you may know, the Republicans "persuaded" the incumbent, Lou Mosiello, to resign in favor of what they think will be a stronger candidate, Mike Spano, the brother of Nick Spano. Yet this political maneuvering so typical of Yonkers politics, treating elected office as just a pawn in a political chess game, is not going down so well this time. There is a new spirit afoot in Yonkers. People want change, not "business as usual", and they want new leaders.

I am heartened by the desire for reform now evident in Yonkers. If we build on it, we can make Yonkers a better place. And, it gives us an opportunity to elect an Assembly member who will represent our Democratic values with integrity and passion.

There are many ways you can help: volunteer: we are running a grass roots campaign and you can help us reach out to voters; contribute: your donation (via mail or our website) will help get our message out; introduce me to your friends/neighbors: host an informal gathering so your friends/neighbors can meet me. I need your help. Call my campaign at 914-613-4851 or send me an email at shelley.mayer@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Shelley Mayer
Democratic and Working Families Party candidate for Assembly in the 93rd district, in Yonkers