I called my city councilman, Peter Koo (D-Flushing), in June. I wanted to know if he voted for or against the two community safety bills that were passed.
The staffer who answered the phone refused to tell me how Koo voted. She said it was a policy not to answer questions like mine. I asked her if that was Koo’s policy or someone else’s. She danced around that question.
I was shocked by this attitude. I reminded her that Koo works for me and everyone else in the district, not the other way around, and we have a right to know how he is representing us by his votes.
She tried to tell me to look online for the voting results. Has anyone ever tried to navigate through these websites?
To her credit, the staffer tried to walk me through, but still could not get me to the page where the results were posted. I laughingly told her that, in the few minutes that we unsuccessfully tried to find these results online, she could have just told me how he voted.
This lack of accountability and secrecy is shocking to me, not to mention arrogant. I reminded the staffer that we the people pay your salary and you have a legal and moral obligation to tell me where Koo stands on the issues.
I wonder if anyone else has had this experience with Koo or any other Council member or other elected representative.
By the way, I found out that Koo voted against these two bills.
But that is not the point, is it?
Martin Bender
Flushing
