Support health of city retirees

To the editor:

If you are a regular reader of this newspaper, you are aware of the battle being fought by 250,000 New York City retirees to preserve their health insurance.

Last November, Community Board 8 considered a resolution urging Councilman Eric Dinowitz and other council members to support and advocate on behalf of city retirees to pass Intro 1099-2023, which would preserve retiree health care choices.

The community board resolution passed overwhelmingly — 25 in favor to nine abstentions — but to this day, Councilman Dinowitz has refused to support or sign onto legislation to protect retiree health care.

At that November CB8 meeting, several members of the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club, including Emily Hausman, voted to table the resolution.

And when that failed, they abstained from voting on it.

Emily Hausman’s actions are particularly concerning given her current candidacy for district leader as part of the “Dinowitz” team, running against incumbent district leader Abigail Martin.

By refusing to support the health care needs of more than 250,000 city retirees — many of whom reside in our corner of the Bronx — Hausman raises serious doubts about her commitment to the people she seeks to represent.

As voters, it is crucial to understand the allegiances of those seeking office. We encourage you to vote for the independent community leaders who genuinely prioritize our community, as opposed to supporting proxies for Jeffrey and Eric Dinowitz — both beholden to the same special interest groups that keep them in power, often to the detriment of our most vulnerable New Yorkers. 

Carol Foresta
Miriam Gomez