About Corey Quinn for City Council
An activist-based Web site telling the truth
This Web site is primarily about New York City Councilmember Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea), who is running for reëlection in 2017. It asks the central question : Is Corey different from his predecessor, Christine Quinn ?
The initial idea for this Web site came from an activist. Other activists contributed ideas for some of the issues discussed on this Web site. And as a result of so much contact I have had with voters in the West Village, Chelsea, and Hell’s Kitchen, I have learned that the main concern on many voters’ minds is corruption.
On a recent week-end, I was greeting voters on West 26th Street. One voter came up to me, and we had a long discussion about what were the trends in politics. The voter told me that for traditional politicians, like Corey Johnson, the trend was accumulating more campaign contributions at the expense of proper representation of the voters. For everybody else, the voter said, the trend was honesty in Government. Why is there such a disconnect ?
Corey Johnson appears to be bought and paid for by big money donors, so much so that Corey has dropped out of the matching dollar program of the New York City Campaign Finance Board. By fully embracing the role of money in politics, Corey Johnson invokes the spectre of corruption, since his campaign committee has raised approximately $500,000 for this election cycle alone. Of this $500,000, approximately 70 per cent. of that money came from donations of $1,000 or more. Of that lion’s share, approximately 68% came from real estate, Wall Street, nightlife, and corporate philanthropy interests. It’s not difficult to see who Corey Johnson owes his career to — his big money donors, not to voters. Critics of Corey Johnson’s predecessor, Christine Quinn, made the same charge against her.
For voters, who care about eliminating corruption in Government, finding a way to decrease the role of money in politics begins with responsibility. It is irresponsible to embrace the role of money in politics to such a degree that one’s entire political future hinges on so many large campaign contributions. When constituents cannot get their issues address — from major concerns about the endless closure of small businesses due to unaffordable commercial rents, to smaller, but no less unimportant concerns, like a large water tank in a state of disrepair overlooking 9th Avenue, between West 26th and West 27th Street — it is no wonder that the voters in this City Council district worry about corruption. It is Corey Johnson’s preöccupation with fundraising and with leadership posts that distract him from properly representing the interests of his constituents.
It’s time for a change.