To the editor:
(re: “Congressional district serves someone who’ll actually be present,” “Engel deserves to be elected again,” June 11)
Your paper published a letter supporting our congressman, Eliot Engel, as well as a letter supporting his opponent, Jamaal Bowman. I am not writing to support either candidate, but because our recently elected state senator, Alessandra Biaggi, stated she supports Jamaal Bowman because he is not the incumbent, that disturbs me.
I believe that when you vote in an election between someone who wants to be re-elected and a challenger, you must answer two questions:
• Has the incumbent (or community representative) in his duties as a lawmaker been absent from or indifferent to the issues raised by the challenger? And …
• Do you believe that the challenger has the qualifications necessary to do a better job than the person currently holding the office?
One important fact that each of us must consider is that our voting district is a one-party district. Until running for his office, Mr. Bowman had never attempted to influence the Democratic Party — he was an independent.
The only power we have to choose a candidate in a one-party district is in a primary.
Ask the questions, and vote!
Howard Wasserfall