Members Urged to Vote for Quinn, Stringer and Squadron on Primary Day

“The future of our city is at stake.”

That’s the way Hotel Trades Council President Peter Ward described this year’s political races on April 29, when the leading Democratic candidates for New York City Mayor and Public Advocate met with members of our Union at Gertrude Lane Auditorium. The message was clear then, and it is even more important now, as Primary Day approaches.

The primary votes will take place on Tuesday, September 10, and the Union is recommending that members who are registered Democrats vote for Christine Quinn for Mayor, Scott Stringer for Comptroller and Dan Squadron for Public Advocate.

These candidates have strong records as experienced public servants and elected officials, and they have been true friends of working men and women. They have shown a keen understanding of issues that are important to our Union, such as special permits for hotels in the proposed rezoning of Midtown East, and they were very well received by members on April 29, when they made presentations in the auditorium. The Union endorses them with pride and enthusiasm. 

Christine Quinn for Mayor

As the Speaker of the New York City Council, Christine Quinn has been the city’s second most powerful elected official, leaving a record that tells us the kind of excellent Mayor she will be. She has had a long, friendly relationship with our Union and its members, and her vision of New York is the same one that many of our members have: the creation of good-paying jobs where workers will be totally free to be union members, safe neighborhoods without racial profiling, more affordable housing, quality education and access to affordable college classes, and responsible development. In speaking about these issues Quinn offers more than words. She has a comprehensive plan to achieve these goals.

Christine Quinn earned extremely favorable grades from members who were present in the auditorium on April 29 for the Union’s “candidates day.” She appeared again at the auditorium on June 27 and was robustly cheered by members, as she explained that she came from a family of workers, including her father who was a union electrician and a shop steward. On that day Quinn said, “When I’m elected, the mayor will be the daughter of a union shop steward and don’t you forget it!”

The Union’s endorsement of Quinn is based on not only her vision for the city but on her track record, too. She began her career as a community organizer, coordinating the Housing Justice campaign. She later led the NYC Anti-Violence Project. She served as chief of staff for Council Member Thomas Duane, and was elected to her own council seat (for the lower Westside, where the Union’s offices are located) in 1999. She was elected Speaker of the City Council in 2006, a position where she has displayed strong leadership without sacrificing her recognition of compromise as a valuable tool to get things done.

Few people, even her political opponents, will deny that Christine Quinn has proven herself to be one of the most effective elected officials in New York. She is both responsible and responsive. She fought against overcrowding in the classrooms and stopped 4,000 teachers from being laid off. She passed balanced budgets. She helped create thousands of new jobs. She banned smoking in bars, restaurants and other workplaces and areas of public use. She passed the Climate Protection Act, requiring the City to reduce greenhouse emissions. She helped build thousands of new units of affordable housing for middle class New Yorkers, while willingly taking on bad landlords. She helped keep our neighborhoods safe by putting more cops on the street, while also working to improve police-community relations.

On June 27, the date the Union endorsed Christine Quinn, Peter Ward reminded members that she supported the Union in its campaign to save the Plaza Hotel, throughout the Boathouse strike in 2011 and during other initiatives. He noted that her four grandparents were all immigrants and that she came from a working class background. He said her exemplary career in public service and her experience as Speaker of the City Council provided the governing experience required for mayor of New York, a position that is often referred to as “the second-toughest job in America.” He also reminded all that she had told members directly in an earlier visit to the Union that she favored special permits for hotels in the Midtown East redevelopment project.

“This is the right choice for our Union and clearly the right choice for our city,” Peter Ward said again this week. “We have had a long and productive relationship with Christine Quinn and we are totally confidant that she will be an outstanding Mayor of New York. We urge all members to support her candidacy. We urge all members who are registered Democrats to go to the polls on Tuesday, September 10 and vote for Christine Quinn for Mayor!”

Scott Stringer for Comptroller

The Union is also urging members who are registered Democrats to vote in the September 10 Democratic primary for Scott Stringer for Comptroller and Daniel Squadron for Public Advocate.
Scott Stringer is a longtime friend of our Union, speaking at Hotel Trades Council rallies at the Plaza Hotel and Central Park, and publicly stating that special permits for hotels should be included in the Midtown East rezoning project.

Scott Stringer is a lifelong New Yorker. He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1992, representing Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and served effectively there for 13 years. He was elected Manhattan Borough President in 2006.

Stringer has done a commendable job over the last seven years leading the Borough of Manhattan. He has issued numerous reports on government waste and mismanagement, and they show that he is extraordinarily qualified to be Comptroller — the top watchdog of the City’s money, contracts, public programs and pension funds. His efforts have led to improvement in many programs and reform of others. He has released a blueprint on the future of New York City’s economy, including core recommendations to grow it from the bottom-up and keep New York competitive on the world stage. He is considered an expert on public transportation and has proposed a plan to strengthen the MTA economically to bring about more capital improvement projects and fewer fare increases.

Scott Stringer understands the way New York City operates. He knows how to create good-paying jobs and his position on the Midtown East redevelopment proposal shows a very sharp appreciation for the future of our city and the necessary component of good-paying jobs. He is the only candidate for Comptroller who has addressed the serious issue of the growing income gap in New York. He has promised tax fairness for the middle class and has pledged to have performance audits of every city agency to make sure tax dollars are spent wisely.

It is said that the office of Comptroller is that of chief whistleblower, a person to draw attention to programs that aren’t working as well as they should. Our Union endorses Scott Stringer for Comptroller because we know he will blow the whistle whenever it is necessary and that he will blow it as loud and as long as it takes to fix the problem. The Union believes he will make New Yorkers proud to have him as Comptroller and urges members who are registered Democrats to vote for him in the September 10 primary.

Daniel Squadron for Public Advocate

The Union is also urging members to vote for Dan Squadron for Public Advocate.
Squadron is a familiar face to Hotel Trades Council members. The Union worked hard to elect him State Senator in 2008, when at the age of 28 he defeated a 30-year entrenched incumbent. Since then, Squadron has done an exemplary job not only representing his district, which includes parts of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, but representing all working families. In the State Senate he has worked tirelessly for stronger gun safety laws, new ethics measures, and a repair of the disjointed campaign finance system.

Dan Squadron’s efforts to improve public transportation have been well publicized. These efforts have led to improved reliability, frequency and cleanliness on several different subway lines. He worked to secure almost $3 billion to improve and expand our city’s subways and buses.

Squadron has also been a leader in the State Legislature for better public housing. As an example, he sponsored legislation that will bring in over $1 billion in federal funding for New York public housing. He has helped pass other housing initiatives.

Dan Squadron has worked hard for the public school system to move money out of the bureaucracy and into the classroom. He has received the very highest marks from environmental groups. And, as he told members of our Union on April 29, he understands why special permits for hotels are so important in the redevelopment of New York City and he appreciates the fact that unions like our own keep the middle class strong.

The job of the Public Advocate is to take up the causes and concerns of the public that are not being adequately addressed by elected officials and the various legislatures. The Union believes that Dan Squadron will make an exemplary public servant as Public Advocate and urges members to vote for him.
Support Quinn, Stringer and Squadron!

Once again, Primary Day is Tuesday, September 10, and polls will be open in New York City from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. You must be a registered Democrat to vote in the Democratic primary on that date and again in a run-off on October 1, if no candidate receives 40% or more of the vote on September 10.

This is an exceedingly important election for our Union and for the city itself. Members are urged to vote for the candidates that have proven track records in support of our Union and working families in general — Christine Quinn for Mayor, Scott Stringer for Comptroller and Dan Squadron for Public Advocate!

The Union endorses Christine Quinn for Mayor of New York.

Scott Stringer is not shy about his support for unions, including ours. The Union endorses Springer for New York City Comptroller and urges members to vote for him.

Dan Squadron is seen here with Peter Ward, General Organizer Jim Donovan and other members after the Union’s support helped his election to the New York State Senate. The Union urges members to vote for Squadron for Public Advocate.