I agree with Vince Tabone when he wrote in his letter to the editor “enough is enough” (“Carrozza should resign from office,” Bayside Times, Sept. 17).
How many more of the same letters to the editor from the Queens GOP attacking state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside) and distorting her record will TimesLedger Newspapers print?
Carrozza said at a recent East Bayside Homeowners Association meeting that her attendance rate since she took office is over 87 percent. We did not read that in a recent story about her attendance by a TimesLedger reporter, who did not do his research before going to print. But why let facts get in the way of a good smear campaign?
I have checked out Carrozza’s campaign finance records online, along with those of many other elected officials, and comparatively she does the least amount of fund-raising as possible even when she had opponents in an election. That is probably why we do not see many advertisements from her in local newspapers paid for with campaign funds and why she is not tied to special interests.
From my own experience with Carrozza’s office, I have learned she is not a publicity hound and does not take advantage of her constituents’ misfortunes in order to get coverage in the media, which means you might not read about all the things she does for her community and why you might believe some of these GOP attacks.
But anyone who has dealt with Carrozza and her staff knows she cares about her constituents and never stops fighting for them. I called her office for help with an issue, for example, and I received a call at 8 a.m. the next morning from the agency dealing with my case.
There are two sides to every story even if you are only reading the same one-sided version over and over. I hope people are not taking these political attacks from the Queens GOP as gospel but judging Carrozza fairly based on her long history of assisting the elderly, veterans, parents, civic organizations, local public and private schools and other constituents since she took office.
I am proud to have Carrozza representing our community in the Assembly. I hope she continues to do so for many years despite this continuing smear campaign against her.
Seth Urbinder
Bayside
