Please don't cast your vote for Dinowitz

To the editor:

You just cannot vote for Jeffrey Dinowitz. No matter your politics. No matter your socio-economic status. No matter if you’re part of the “wokest” left or the most conservative right — or even if you long for the days of centrist politicians who don’t kowtow to extremes. Our too-long-in-office Assemblyman has equally abhorrent qualities for each of you.

There are two things we can all agree on — Riverdale has gone down the tubes in the nearly 30 years that Dinowitz has been entrusted to look after our interests. And I should know: I’ve been here for the before and the disastrous after.

Also, the one thing practically all Americans hate is a politician who speaks more than he acts. From the disgraceful Dinowitz, we’ve gotten a whole bunch of hot air and a lot of attempts to attach his name and steal credit for the hard work of others, but nothing good to show for it.

In the places where we really needed him — revitalizing the local economy, improving our decrepit public transportation infrastructure, keeping our senior citizens and children safe from increasing crime levels — he has failed dismally.

And in the places where we didn’t want him — wrestling away religious prerogatives and family control of health decisions, destroying local democracy by turning the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club into his own personal club of bought-off zealots, focusing more on getting his son elected to extend his dynasty rather than supporting any of the local rising stars like Abigail Martin, Mino Lora and Jessica Haller who truly would have brought a fresh perspective and acted as true representatives of our community — he has intervened needlessly to all of our detriment.

We truly are at the point where Riverdale needs ABD — “Anybody But Dinowitz.” If Jessica Altagracia Woolford is your cup of tea, great! Vote for her. If she’s not, I would argue that simply abstaining from voting in the upcoming primary will do more good this time around.

We need some fresh faces. We need some new leadership. We need local representatives who care more about us than just staying in office.

No matter what, you just cannot vote for Jeffrey Dinowitz.

Willy Ramirez