Dear Yonkers Voters:
What do you do when someone tells you that you have to wait to follow your dream? Consider that person is viewed as the gatekeeper to that dream. Do you “wait your turn”? Do you “get in line”? Do you “play the game”? Or do you persist? I was in that position when I decided that I wanted to become a Yonkers City Court Judge.
In the January issue of the Yonkers Rising, Yonkers Democratic Chairman Thomas Meier stated, “You don’t just wake up one morning and say, ‘I want to be a judge.’” My first thought when I read that quote was, “Why not?” He may have been referring to me when he made that statement because I chose to run in a manner he considers to be the wrong way. I did not become a district leader, I did not pay to attend numerous Yonkers Democratic Party events, I did not work for other candidates, nor did I “bow down and kiss his ring.” I chose to keep my money, my dignity, my integrity, and my respect. I chose to fight a battle that has been deemed impossible, which is winning a Yonkers election without the establishment leaders’ approval.
In the aforementioned issue of the Yonkers Rising, Meier also stated, “Most Yonkers Democrats don’t want a primary…” Fortunately, the Chairman cannot speak for most of Yonkers Democrats; they will speak for themselves when they cast their votes next month in the primary we have a right to hold. I hope Yonkers Democrats will cast a vote for me, for someone that dared to face a mountain and climb it; because by voting for me, that is the kind of person you can expect to ensure justice in this city.
I cannot say that forging ahead towards the Democratic primary on June 23rd has been easy. I have spent a lot of my own money and I have faced opposition from various people along the way. However, I continue to look forward to the primary because my campaign has become bigger than me. For me the Best 4 Yonkers City Court Judge Campaign has become a symbol of what I have done for other people throughout my career in Yonkers. I spent years of my career in Yonkers City Court advocating for the rights of others; advocating for the underdog.
Now, the underdog is me. I hope you join me in this movement for real social and economic justice in this city we call home.
Best regards,
Judge Karen Best
Editor’s Note:
We recently spoke to Yonkers Democratic Chairman Tom Meier about Karen Best and this letter, which has been printed in other media outlets. Meier told Yonkers Risng, “Karen Best attended the Yonkers Democratic convention earlier this year. I explained to her that she could not compete in the nominatoin process for City Judge unless she was nominated by a Yonkers democrat in attendance.”
Best could not get a Yonkers democrat in attendance to nominate her resulting in her receiving 0% of the vote at the convention. Judge Tom Daly, Judge Brendan McGrath and attorney Verris Shako were nominated at the convention to be the nominees of the Yonkers Democratic Party for the democratic primary June 23.
Karen Best, and attorney Dan Romano round out the field of five democrats running for three seats on the Yonkers City Court.
