Dear friends,
I often express the wish to hear from readers, since writing is sometimes like spitting in the wind.
While I was enjoying a weekend away, I received a missive from someone who received my most recent post from one of you. The reader was disturbed by my remark about Maya Wiley. I had written:
I caught enough of the latter half [of the mayoral debate] to feel that Wiley emerged more focused and credible than I’d found her in previous forums, though she never persuades me that she has the management chops of Morales or Garcia.
They responded:
How much, exactly, is “enough of the latter half”... to draw conclusions that you share with a mass audience? And what do you mean by “management chops” and what does it take to persuade you, exactly? Examples would be really helpful, considering that in the half of the debate that you missed Wiley discussed managing the rollout of broadband access in the city’s largest public housing complex, which to my mind requires at least a pinch of “chops.”
As someone who listens to many interviews with individual candidates and tunes into the entirety of forums, I feel so frustrated by newsletters like yours that let people off the hook from engagement while simultaneously trading in generalities and perpetuating political participation by way of influencers.
I confess that I was flattered to be confused with an influencer, and insulted to be regarded as unserious. After I got over myself, I realized that this person — like me, I think — really wants a mayoral candidate they can believe in. Here is my response:
Thank you for taking the time to read my post and to respond. I'd like to clarify a few things and try to address your question and your underlying concern. A little context might take the edge off your feelings of indignation.
First of all, I'm not sure I qualify as an influencer. In June, I started writing a daily email to a few dozen friends and friends of friends. In September, as my mailing list expanded, I switched to Substack. Currently, I have 124 folks on my mailing list, including a handful from outside NYC; on a given day, about 50 or so people open my emails. It is never possible to know how many people read them.
I am not posing as a political pundit. I'm an unapologetically progressive person and I participated in the Working Families Party endorsement process. In addition, I volunteer as a writer and editor for The People's Plan NYC. I will cop to some amateur wonkiness. As most of my regular readers know, I'm also a retired public school teacher and public library volunteer, active in mutual aid efforts.
I admire the work that Wiley has done as an educator to explore the best ways to improve access to broadband and I'm aware of her initiative under de Blasio to invest in expanded broadband. I readily acknowledged that I missed the first half of the debate — one is always missing something. Wiley's work on broadband as a public employee is not, however, a glorious illustration of her management capacity. Again, I admire her ideas and initiative.
I am looking for a mayor who will be effective at enacting policies, and of course, I want someone in the job whose vision aligns with my justice goals. Right now, I think Morales is the best fit, though I acknowledge that she may not get there. Wiley has good, progressive ideas, many plans, and some vision about what would make NYC a better, fairer city. What would persuade me that she will be effective? I guess I'd like an example of a policy she saw all the way through successful implementation.
If you are knowledgeable about Wiley or any of the candidates and wish to direct me to sources, I will definitely read and consider them. My posts are intended to engage readers in conversation and to encourage civic engagement and action for justice. My message is that none of us is off the hook; we are all on the hook to educate ourselves and work for justice.
Remember that your input really is welcome, and that we can’t just sit around looking pretty. Our power is in our actions. So, here’s one powerful action for today:
There is a bill before the NYS legislature, the Build Public Renewables Act,
To enable the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to own and build new renewable generation, storage, and transmission, require NYPA to provide renewable energy to all State owned and municipal properties by 2025, ban for-profit Energy Service Companies (ESCOs), and lay the groundwork for the 100% renewable, democratically controlled, publicly owned energy system New York needs in order to meet the goals of the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and lead the nation on climate.
Use this script to call your state representative and senator to ask them to support A1466/S6453.
Have a great day!
with love,
L