PEF delegates give Gillibrand strong boost in congressional race

By SHERRY HALBROOK
Kirsten Gillibrand, the Democratic challenger in the 20th Congressional District which includes Lake Placid, was on hand at PEF’s 28th Annual Convention there in October to thank the delegates for PEF’s endorsement.

In his introduction of her, PEF President Ken Brynien cited Gillibrand’s record as a civic leader and an attorney who had drafted housing legislation when she served as counsel for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration.

Gillibrand thanked PEF for holding its convention in the sprawling 20th CD which, she noted, stretches from Essex County as far south as Dutchess County and west to Cooperstown.

Too much power
“This election is very important,” Gillibrand told the delegates, because the single-party domination of both houses of Congress and the presidency has not served the country well.

That consolidation of political power has allowed the president to become so powerful, she said, that he “writes on the bottom of a law (when he signs it) that he may not follow it if he doesn’t want to.”

She vowed, if she is elected, to “stand up to the president and put family values and veterans first” and to oppose international trade agreements that send U.S. jobs to other countries.

She also promised to support raising the federal minimum wage, which now provides workers with an annual income of just $10,700, which is “not a living wage.”

“When people work hard every day, they shouldn’t be in poverty,” Gillibrand said. “They should be able to feed their children. We need a Congress that puts our children first, and we need to secure our pensions and Social Security.”

And she decried statistics that show “47 million Americans have no health care (coverage) and about 20 million go to hospital emergency rooms for their health care.” A better plan, she said, would be to let them buy into Medicare coverage.

Members’ support matters
In closing, Gillibrand thanked PEF. “Your endorsement was an early endorsement, and it really matters,” she said. “Your members are some amazing volunteers. They win votes far better than TV spots. What wins elections are people. It really comes down to the grassroots.”

“We have a chance to send a bright, articulate, energetic friend to Washington,” Brynien told the delegates. “Every phone call and vote matters, because she’s now neck-and-neck with (the incumbent). Help push her over the top. We can win this race.”

In fact, a group of PEF Region 8 delegates were out campaigning hard for Gillibrand long before the convention and continued during and after it — handing out campaign buttons and literature and calling constituents on her behalf.