Helen Sears ignores the needs of immigrant constituents in the "melting pot" of Queens: Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Rego Park, Woodside, and Corona. She's also suspiciously silent about the homophobic smear campaign being waged against one of her opponents.
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New York Assemblyman José R. Peralta endorses Daniel Dromm in race to unseat third-termer Helen Sears.
"Danny Dromm as a district leader and as a community activist has made sure that tenants rights are protected," Assemblyman Peralta said. "He has fought against unscrupulous landlords."
In his remarks at the rally, Peralta added, "Danny Dromm has fought against discrimination against any type of individual, and that's why we are here today to say that I, as a Latino-elected official, here I am supporting Danny Dromm. And I'm making a call to all of the Latinos that on September 15, please come out -- salgan, vamos a votar por nuestro proximo consejal, Daniel Dromm."
"She betrayed the expressed will of the people and voted to extend term limits for herself." -- Source: You're a Disgrace, Helen Sears
#02 : Prejudice, hate, and homophobia are not important to Helen Sears
A spokesperson for councilwoman Sears had no comment about the sleazy homophobic smear campaign being waged against one of her politicial opponents.
#03 : Flashback to 2003
We just can't trust Helen Sears. Here's one reason why from NYC Council Watch :
"Lots of Democrats are in the pocket of real estate interests. But most of them pretend to be on the side of tenants when there is a really obvious, blatant issue at hand, especially one that impacts children’s health.
"And then there is Helen Sears. Quirky, cranky Helen Sears. The (now) octogenarian Queens Council member was one of two Dems to vote on the "other" (wrong) side of the lead paint bill when it came up, back in 2003."
Helen Sears' love of lead paint reminds me of a video I once saw on YouTube :
#04 : No hot dogs, pretzels, or roasted nuts ? Hey, lady, this is New York !!
Helen Sears opposes sidewalk Halal cart vendors, other food cart operators, and street vendors -- on the silver spoon notion that street vending hurts the economy. In reality, her advocacy is anti-immigrant and related to the race of the street vendors, who tend to be immigrants trying to make a decent, honest living in New York.
#05 : Helen Sears voted "YES" to the biggest property tax hike in New York City History !!
#06 : She calls herself a "former healthcare professional," maybe it's because there's a reason.
From Councilwoman Sears' official webpage :
"As a former healthcare professionall, Sears is particularly sensitive to healthcare issues, having served as Director of Government and Community Affairs for the Health and Hospitals Corporation at Elmhurst Medical Center. There she gained experience managing budgets and union negotiations. As a board member of the NYC Health Systems Agency, Sears played an important role in the expansion and modernization of citywide hospitals."
One has to question how has Sears used her "former" healthcare professional experience, when it has come to finding a solution to the dangerous overcrowded conditions at several Queens County hospital, especially following the bankruptcy and closing of St. John's Queens Hospital in Elmhurst. Overflow patients are now flooding into Elmhurst hospital, among others. This redistribution of patients is resulting in dangerous overcrowding, decreasing response times, and increasing anxiety. How well can other hospitals be expected to perform if they are constantly over-crowded ? (Incidentally, on the link provided below, somebody commented that as a result of the hospital closings, "The community also lost 11 ambulances.")
Emergency room doctors at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center used to notice that patient volume followed a pattern each week - starting with a big uptick on Mondays and Tuesdays.
"And then it would sort of correct itself during the course of the week," said Dr. Geoffrey Doughlin, the hospital's chairman of emergency medicine.
But ever since two neighboring hospitals - Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica and St. John's Queens in Elmhurst - filed for bankruptcy in early February, that pattern has been thrown out of whack.
"The problem is that, in the last couple of weeks, it's not really correcting during the course of the week," Doughlin said.
As Queens residents began seeking new health care options as the bankrupt hospitals prepared to shut down, volume at Jamaica Hospital's ER began "trending upward in a very significant fashion," Doughlin said.
And things may get worse. Mary Immaculate and St. John's Queens were closed Sunday as part of the bankruptcy plan for embattled hospital operator Caritas Health Care.
Mary Immaculate used to have a trauma center. That means Jamaica Hospital, which also has a trauma center, will be forced to pick up much of the slack.
MORE REASONS TO FOLLOW SOON.Please feel free to leave comments, if you can think of other reasons why we should not elect Helen Sears to the New York City Council.
... In 2008 [Helen Sears] voted to overturn term limits-no surprise that she herself was term-limited at that point. None of the other Council members who voted for it however complained that the opposition voices against it (namely the population at large) were “intimidating” her.
"I don't think my office has ever been so threatened, I don't think my phones have ever been so tied up” (AFP, 10/23/2008). One hopes that calls to one’s Councilperson’s office in support of twice-affirmed term limits will not be interpreted as “threats,” but clearly Ms. Sears feels differently.
