• Activists Mobilize Support for Gipson
Poughkeepsie, NY, 2016 – On Monday, September 19th, progressive activists held a rally outside of the campaign office of Terry Gipson, in support of his candidacy for New York State Senate, District 41. The rally was led by Citizen Action of New York, who formally endorsed Terry Gipson, and members of the Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance, whose members are working hard to get out the vote for Terry Gipson.
Members of both groups pledged to spend the next 7 weeks doing everything they can to ensure Terry Gipson wins his election in November. Putting their words into action, members left the rally and immediately began knocking on doors and contacting voters. As Terry Gipson reminded them, this is the most important action someone can take who cares about making progressive political change.
“My work as the owner of a small software company that helps international NGOs has literally taken me around the world. I know what it looks like when local governments don’t spend money on infrastructure, education, and fail at meeting basic social needs,” said community leader, Andrea Mondello. “So I have very strong feelings about the core issues that Terry is committed to – getting big money out of politics, expanding voting rights, working to end systemic race and gender discrimination, making investments in education and infrastructure, and assuring that corporations start paying their fair share of taxes.”
“It’s pretty simple about why I support Terry Gipson’s campaign,” Said Paul Donnelly, Citizen Action member and teacher at Poughkeepsie High School. “He understands the challenges and attacks public education is currently facing. These include: funding equity, the charter school movement, and over testing. Terry Gipson is an advocate for public education and will fight for it to remain a democratically guaranteed right for all students regardless of their background.”
“While the Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance does not formally endorse candidates currently, members of our group have been strong supporters of Terry Gipson and everything that he stands for,” said Maria Quackenbush, from the Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance. “We are working hard to carry the momentum from the Bernie Sanders campaign to get out the vote for truly progressive local candidates like Terry.”
“Citizen Action of New York is a fierce advocate for many issues at the core of my campaign,” said Terry Gipson, candidate for NY State Senate. “Whether it’s raising the minimum wage, ending the school-to-prison pipeline, or creating a fair elections process, their members always show up for the fight. I’m proud to have earned the support of progressive voters in the Hudson Valley, from the members of Citizen Action of New York, to those still feeling the Bern with the Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance. Together, we will prove, once again, that grassroots action can defeat big money, and win this election!”
Citizen Action of New York is a grassroots, community organization with over 30,000 members across New York State. The organization works on issues important to our communities, including limiting the influence of money in politics, guaranteeing livable wages and economy-boosting jobs, quality public education for all children, reforms to the criminal justice system, and more. Citizen Action endorses candidates for public office who support the same vision for a New York that works for everyone, not just the wealthy.
The Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance is the organization formerly known as Dutchess County New York (DCNY) for Bernie. Their purpose is to inspire and mobilize sustained political activism through the involvement of the people of Dutchess County, New York, in order to promote progressive agendas at all levels of government.