| First, here is what I wrote to him:
Dear Assemblyman Dinowitz,
I am a constituent and Iam writing to ask you not to vote for a legislative pay raise without first ensuring the passage of three reforms:
1. Following the lead of the Sunlight Foundation's "Punchclock Campaign", all New York state lawmakers must publish their schedules online while the legislature is in session.
2. Independent non partisan redistricting. New York's redistricting process is a mess of insider baseball partisan protection of incumbents. It does not serve the public's interest nor the democratic process. It has created a legislature that is unresponsive, unaccountable and undemocratic. It serves only to perpetuate the status quo.
3. Every piece of member item spending must a separate line item in the budget with the sponsoring legislator's name attached.
I have always thought you were a good Assemblyman, but if you vote yourself a pay raise without these reforms becoming law first (don't just vote for the reforms- they must pass both houses and be signed by the Governor first), I will vote against you and bankroll your opponents in both primary and general elections.
Thank you for your time
Here is his response:
I support reforms #2 and #3 listed in your letter, but not #1. I am not publishing my schedule on-line. Why should I? In addition, I would vote for a pay increase, if presented the opportunity, before during or after votes on reform. I have not had a salary increase in 8 years. That means I am living on a fixed income. Have you had a salary increase in the past 8 years? While I strongly support many reforms, I believe that I am entitled to a salary increase independent of how I vote on any issue. I don't believe a salary increase should be seen by you or anyone else as a bribe to support any particular legislation. Thank you for writing.
I actually kinda of give him credit for not sending some whitewashed overly-polite response, but I don't think I've ever seen a politician reply to a constituent in this manner. What do y'all think I should do? Should I reply about how its just not fair for such a terrible legislature to give itself a pay raise despite any alleged hardship that an individual assemblyman might have? Thoughts would be definitely welcome.
UPDATE: I wrote him back:
Dear Assemblyman Dinowitz, Thank you for your candid response. I am glad to hear that you support reforms 2 and 3. In response to your stance on #1, there is a very clear reason why you should publish your public schedule online- because you work for the public and we have the right to know if you are actually spending your time serving New Yorkers. Maybe this wouldn't be necessary if the Assembly didn't use punch-card voting (where an assemblyman could theoretically "clock in" to the assembly in the morning and then skip out to meet with lobbyists or fundraisers while Sheldon Silver has that assemblyman automatically vote for whatever he wants). Regardless, I don't think it's too much to ask for the taxpayers of a state to want to know what their elected representatives are doing on their dime. Regarding the pay increase, I have to view your response with skepticism- I find it hard to take seriously complaints from someone who makes over twice as much as the average New Yorker while only working half a year. $80,000 is pretty darn good for a part-time job. If money is a concern for you, I'm sure a man of your stature and talents could easily find work when the Assembly is not in session. But more importantly, the issue of a pay raise is not about you personally. As a taxpayer and a voter, I cannot describe the anger I feel when I think of this legislature giving itself a pay raise. In any other job, a pay raise is only given for good performance. The NY legislature is the antithesis of good performance. Despite the existence of a few good men, I'm sure you're aware of the criticism that has been heaped on this legislature, notably by the Brennan Center report. A state legislature in the United States of America is not supposed to have a lower turnover ratio than the Politburo. A functioning state legislature is not supposed to rack up unbearable debt even in years it runs budget surpluses. A functioning state legislature is not supposed to irresponsibly pass unfunded mandates onto localities and drive property taxes through the roof. A functioning state legislature is not supposed to appropriate over $200 million dollars every year of public money for its members to hand out to political supporters to ensure that their elected office becomes a lifetime appointment. A functioning state legislature is not supposed to defy the NY constitution on school funding for over 15 years, or go 20 years without passing a budget on time. A functioning state legislature is supposed to have committees that actually operate. A functioning state legislature would refuse to seat members who have been indicted or convicted of felonies. And the individual members of a functioning state legislature are not supposed to subrogate complete power to the legislative leaders of each house to the extent that the leader's vote is the only vote that ever matters on any piece of legislation.
This legislature is not functioning. It is broken. It is the shame of all of New York State. Regardless of the quality of any individual members, the legislature as a whole does not deserve a pay raise without at least starting to make headway on these reforms. Please consider this reasoning. New Yorkers can only take so much abuse by their own government.
XXXX
P.S. In case you are unaware of how much New Yorkers are outraged at the legislature, I suggest you visit http://www.thealbany... It might be very informative for you.
UPDATE 2:
In the most bizarre of bizarre outcomes, now I get a form letter reply:
Thank you for your recent Internet message. I appreciate and encourage
your initiative and participation in the legislative process.
However, due to the volume of Internet e-mail my office receives, I am
not always able to provide individual responses, especially if you are
not a constituent of mine.
To enable my office to better respond to your concerns, ideas and
suggestions, or to provide issue-related or regional information that
may be of interest to you, please be sure to include your name, postal
mailing address and telephone number in your message. If you have
already done so, thank you.
You can contact my Capitol or district office by mail or telephone at: LOB 627 3107 Kingsbridge Avenue
Albany, NY 12248 Bronx, NY 10463
(518) 455-5965 (718) 796-5345
(718) 796-0694 (fax)
You may also be interested in exploring the free legislative
information provided by the New York State Assembly on the World Wide
Web. The URL is: http://assembly.stat...
Again, thank you for your message. Sincerely,
Jeffrey Dinowitz
Member of Assembly
[This message has been sent automatically in response to your email.]
Now I'm annoyed. |
