To the editor:
(re: “So, has Bowman abandoned Riverdale?” Oct. 21)
I was struck by the front-page headline in the Oct. 21 edition, “So has Bowman abandoned Riverdale?”
As a Riverdale resident, I have great respect for Congressman Jamaal Bowman’s prioritizing living wages for this staff members over opening extra district offices.
With a district office in the Bronx (Co-op City), and one in Westchester County — and a mobile constituent services van that regularly travels the district, including a six-hour visit to Riverdale on Oct. 28 — residents of the 16th Congressional District are well covered.
I disagree with Kathy Solomon of Northwest Bronx Indivisible who links a district office to access and presence. In my experience — and that of many I know — Congressman Bowman and his staff members have been extremely accessible and responsive to a wide range of needs. In addition, Mr. Bowman and staff members have participated in many events in Riverdale proper and adjacent neighborhoods.
As a champion of progressive struggles, the congressman’s decision to pay his hard-working staff a living wage rather than spending the same money on more district offices is exactly what I look for. In addition, I don’t see my “interests” as different from those of my fellow Bronxites in Co-op City, where Mr. Bowman’s Bronx district office is located.
Thank you for being a consistent voice for racial, housing, economic and environmental justice, Mr. Bowman. You’re a breath of fresh air in this district.
Jennifer Scarlott