By Eric Schoen
On a return trip from Ireland with Congressman Eliot Engel, my friend Bob Stauf said to me, ‘When they make a movie about Eliot Engel, Woody Allen is going to play Engel. And so my friends in film production, get those cameras ready!
Big doings in Yonkers and the North Bronx on Primary Day. Despite the inability for the Westchester County Board of Elections to run a Primary that had people waiting on long lines in the heat, sometimes 300 at a time to vote, the 16th Congressional District in New York State has a new Congressman after 30 years, Jamaal Bowman. All of the residents of his district, the state and this country wish him well.
I knew change was on the horizon. I drove around a little on Primary Day and as I have told you before, was appalled when I saw 300 people in line in the heat of summer waiting to vote at Yonkers Middle High School. We don’t allow that crap to happen in Westchester County, or at least in the rest of the county other than Yonkers. Good old Yonkers always gets treated like a third world country, even though it is the 4th largest city in New York State, 3rd or 4th depending on who you ask.
Some people were upset about having to wait in the heat but people were taking it in stride. They were there for a purpose. That purpose was to retire Eliot Engel from Congress and elect Jamaal Bowman. I guess the voters knew what to expect, and some waited until 11 p.m. at night after the polls closed at 9 p.m. to exercise their civic duty. The comedian Red Buttons would have called the wait a ‘dirty rotten shame.’
I took it upon myself to call the Democratic Elections Commissioner, Reginald Lafayette to see if he was aware of the long line in the hot heat. He sent members of his crew down, they told me they never saw this many people waiting at a polling place anywhere in the county that day, and did absolutely nothing.
But now I think I understand what happened. They must have been privy to polls showing Eliot was going down, and as partisan workers did nothing to solve a relatively easy problem other than give lip service. They did this on their own because knowing Eliot for 30 years like I do he is is a fighter, a smart guy but would go ballistic if he heard senior Citizens were waiting in the heat 2-3 hour to vote.
Now the Lafayette Board of Elections (he gets paid $190,000 plus benefits, a car and pension) would probably say, ‘Eric. The People were not complaining so why should you be upset?’ I was upset because people in 2020 should not be treated the way they were on Primary Day.
As previously reported to you this writer and others called for a hearing on the Primary Day fiasco. The County Board had it. In record time County Executive Latimer put together a plan that he presented to the Board of Elections so that this disaster will not occur on Election Day. A sound plan. Assistance with additional polling place inspectors, replacement polling sites, additional temporary staff for absentee ballot counting and early voting. Thank you George for responding to the community!
So why did Eliot lose? In 30 years the district has changed. Even though people saw him on television discussing foreign affairs every day managing a House Committee, the people in the 16th district hit so hard by Covid 19 and the Coronavirus are worried about their pocketbooks and wallets. Support for Israel is very important to 16th district residents, but having a job, food on the table, a place to live and money in their pocket takes precedence. Without all these things you can’t unfortunately expect people to forget everything and march and support Israel. In fact support any foreign country who supports us..
A Congressperson should live in his district, not the outskirts of Washington, D.C. I can see your family living out of district if you were in Washington 7 days a week without a break, but most Congressman arrive in Washington Monday night and leave Thursday morning. You want to be a Congressman you have to expect to be away from your family with 2 homes. A law should be passed that Congressman have to reside with their family in the district they represent with the exception of the time they are on official legislative duties.
Eliot’s comments about being in a primary and if he wasn’t he would not have wanted to talk at a rally were wrong. Cost him a lot of votes. But he is no youngster. The CDC says that people like Eliot should be quarantined at home, not in the middle of the confusion of a rally. He is healthy but he should not have been running around the district at rallies. It’s not his fault that we are in the midst of a pandemic.
Though I am sure he will miss Congress, Eliot will do very well in Congressional retirement with a pension, health benefits, and use of a swimming pool, pandemic or no pandemic. Unlike my gym and pool which are closed because of the pandemic! He will sit on corporate boards, get lobbying contracts, and let’s just say keep very busy.
As for Mr. Bowman. I was shocked that he didn’t list membership in any community organizations. We’ve solved that problem. A generous anonymous donor of Friends of the Yonkers Public Library (of which I am President) will be paying the membership fee for Mr. Bowman to be a member of our organization. Eliot attended many of our events. I hope I will be able to say the same about Jamaal. Congressional library budgets are always so small. Maybe he can convince his colleagues to increase expenditures to our nations libraries. They serve people with no computer or access to the internet which is the case with so many people in the 16th District.
Jaamal’s district contains Yonkers. He proposes a new deal for .education. Welcome to the Yonkers Public Schools. Shortchanged every year from Albany and Washington. Green New Deal? Mr. Bowman will be proud of me. I have been using compact fluorescents since they came out and just put a new powerful one in the light fixture in my bedroom. So much better light than the ones from years ago!
A New Deal for Housing. The rent in Westchester is simply ‘ Too Damn High!’ In communities like Yonkers the housing stock is old and as we saw during 4th of July season we lost 2 Yonkers homes to fireworks.
The health system in this country is in shambles. Yes Obamacare helped many but folks are still suffering. Addressing Anti Semitism and supporting the state of Israel? Given for the district he represents.
So many issues i could go on and on. Right now Congressman Bowman’s phone is probably wringing off the hook with people who want to meet with him for their pet cause. People will say, ‘Oh, I knew you would win as Engel was out of touch, (god forbid) old, and I represent the hypothetical Bagels for America Organization that will help you win a second term. We’ve seen this game all before.
But one thing Congressman Bowman or Jamaal if I can call you that as you introduced yourself to me at an event at a hotel in White Plains, never forget those 300 people who waited in the hot sun Primary Day to vote for you. Their support is why you will receive the oath of office in January and how you will win a second term in Washington.
Good Luck Congressman. God Bless America! BTW I hear you are my neighbor in Park HILL!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge.
