May 18, 2024
To the Editor:
I am writing to ask Democratic voters in Congressional District 16 to support George Latimer in the June 25th Democratic primary. I believe that George is by far the best person to represent our District.
Most of the media attention on this race has portrayed the contest as a microcosm of a split within the Democratic Party over support for Israel in the war in Gaza. In reality, most people are concerned about who can best serve the needs of the District’s many diverse communities and work with local governments and organizations to solve problems.
It doesn’t diminish the importance of U.S. foreign policy to acknowledge that people want their congressman to be focused on issues that concern their daily lives. In District 16 these issues include a housing shortage, especially of affordable housing, flooding, gun control and safety, access to medical care, the environment and climate change. George has worked on these issues in Westchester in many capacities over multiple decades. Especially noteworthy to me are his immediate ban on gun shows at the County Center after he was elected County Executive and his role in enacting Westchester County’s safe passage law for access to reproductive health care facilities.
The media has also generally ignored the way the boundaries of District 16 have changed. When Mr. Bowman ran against former Congressman Eliot Engel in the 2020 Democratic primary, the District was primarily in the Bronx with a small extension north into Westchester. In 2022 the District became a mainly Westchester district with a small bit of the Bronx included. Those lines have since been tweaked slightly to incorporate a different section of the Bronx, but it is still mainly a southern Westchester district.
I do not believe that Congressman Bowman has made a significant effort to get to know the communities in Westchester. In contrast, George Latimer already knows Westchester inside and out. He is working hard to build relationships with local residents in the Bronx portion of District 16. He will be able to step right into a new role working with local Westchester and Bronx leaders as a member of Congress. There is a reason why 11 local Democratic Committees have endorsed George – while Bowman has been endorsed by none.
Voters like to know that their congressman is securing discretionary funds to be used for projects in their district. According to his campaign literature, Congressman Bowman claims to have brought a billion dollars in federal money to District 16. This simply isn’t possible. Even Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, has brought only $22 million dollars to his district.
Unfortunately, Congressman Bowman has a pattern of distorting the truth in his campaigns. In 2020 he tried to portray Eliot Engel as a conservative when, in fact, Eliot Engel was one of the most progressive members of Congress. In 2022, with no evidence, he accused one of the other candidates in the primary of sending out a racist postcard. The Bowman campaign is now making absurd claims about George Latimer. It’s hard to believe that anyone would fall for the nonsense his campaign is sending out but it does reflect on Congressman Bowman’s integrity. Indeed, Westchester voters won’t be fooled by the accusations because they already know George well.
George Latimer is pragmatic, dedicated to the public good, and works incredibly hard to improve the lives of Westchester residents. I urge Democratic voters in Westchester and the Bronx to vote for George in the June 25th primary. Early voting and absentee ballots are also available for those who can’t get to the polls on June 25th.
Sincerely,
Betsy Harding, Bronxville Village Democratic District Leader and former Bronxville Village Democratic Committee Chair
