THE URBAN SHIFT
Posted on 08/06/14
Every day on this journey exposes
me to new experiences, awakens my perspective and provides me with a unique
opportunity to connect, listen, understand and proactively engage with people
from all walks of life in such a vibrant and diverse community.
From joining Shabbat celebrations
to sharing with the Hispanic community at church, to attending service at the
New York Zen Center in Brooklyn… I can assure you, the energy of New York’s 7th
District is amazing!
But there is a huge contrast
between me and my opponent, Nydia Velázquez.
Even though she has been in office for 22 years, I am perplexed by the
huge gap with her constituency. I am not
only talking about people who have a different political viewpoint… it’s the
people who voted for her and gave her the opportunity to represent them in
Washington, who now say she doesn’t show up, that she is never available, that
they have not seen her involved with the community…
I am not sitting in an office
waiting to get reports on what is happening around Bushwick, Prospect Heights,
Maspeth or Williamsburg. I walk every
day, and introduce myself to citizens throughout the neighborhoods. You should see their faces when they see me
walk in with my jeans, tennis shoes and backpack, presenting myself as a
candidate for New York’s 7th Congressional District. They give me that look… and I can read their minds… “Is this guy
really running for Congress”? We
initiate a conversation and they tell me, “Well, I have never been visited by
my representative, or I have never seen a candidate stop by my shop and
introduce himself”. We connect at a new
personal level.
The other day I spoke with
Rafael, a regular at Los Primos, a Dominican/Puerto Rican restaurant, and he
told me he only voted once in NY, and never again… He went on to express how
frustrated it is when politicians take advantage of the people…”they promise
and promise, and then turn on their backs when they win”… Another guy told me
“I can’t deal with corrupt politicians”.
I told him it’s just that some politicians are unable to honor being a
public servant. People are very
apathetic about politics in the city, reason why there is such a low voter
turnout. But we are starting to notice
THE SHIFT…
I am an urban candidate with an
urban campaign and an urban message of consensus, integration and
collaboration. As I connect with
constituents, even with those who have different political viewpoints, I tell
them that we may not agree 100%, but our goal is to find common ground, respect
each other and strengthen out of those congruent spaces, which allow us to work
together towards achieving a better quality of life for NY7 and our nation. This is why every day, we have new followers,
volunteers and people who come on board with us…. from all backgrounds and
throughout the political spectrum. They
value commitments, not false promises.
Your contribution is critical to
keep on walking, sharing and expanding the message. Please, share the word and
support our campaign today at www.JoseLFernandez.com
No comments:
Post a Comment