We have a representative in Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza who does not show up for work and was caught living outside her district. Residents in northeast Queens deserve a representative who they can trust and lives in the neighborhood and shows up for work.
The law requires an Assembly member live in the district he or she represents because how else would one know firsthand about the problems facing one’s constituents? Having a representative so removed from her district that she cannot be bothered to show up for work 64 percent of the time, and otherwise has shaken the dust off her feet and moved to Long Island, is beyond bizarre.
While the state Legislature is often called the most dysfunctional in America, the fact this is allowed to go on shows something is truly broken. Many feel Carrozza has constructively abandoned her office and the office should be deemed vacant. Because of her shifting stories and ambiguities as to legal standards, this may not be so clear-cut, even though common sense would seem to call for this result.
Perhaps this is just one more reason to call for a state constitutional convention. With all the problems facing our state, we cannot afford to accept politics as usual.
Vince Tabone
Executive Vice Chairman, Queens Republican Party
