FEBRUARY 24, 2020
Members of the State Legislature and Governor Cuomo, You should be commended for the pretrial laws you enacted last session around reforming the bail system. The new laws significantly reduce the footprint of cash bail, expand criminal discovery, and further enforce the right of a speedy trial. But fearmongers are leading a vicious campaign relying on stereotypes and disinformation to rollback these laws and reverse the progress we have made in the Empire State.
New York’s bai
l law was never designed to protect the public from supposedly dangerous people. As you well know, the only reason to set bail in New York State is to ensure that the accused returns to court proceedings. Our former system served only criminalized poverty and let people that our system supposedly considered innocent languish in jails. This botched system contributed to mass incarceration and cost our local communities millions of dollars a year in jail costs. We, the undersigned local elected officials from across New York State herby urge our representatives in the state legislature to resist the misinformation and the fearmongering and stand by your decision to make the pretrial system fairer to thousands of New Yorkers. We ask that you preserve bail reform in its current form and not end this transformative change for our state. Sincerely,
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Catherine Borgia
, County Legislator, Westchester
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Beau Harbin
, County Legislator, Cortland
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Christopher Johnson,
County Legislator, Westchester
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Anna Kelles
, County Legislator, Westchester
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Mary Kuhn,
County Legislator, Onondaga
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Kevindaryán Luján
, County Legislator, Orange
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Nick Page,
County Legislator, Dutchess
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Christopher C. Rosenquest
, County Legislator, Clinton
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Rachel Barnhart
, County Legislator, Monroe
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Catherine Parker
, County Legislator, Westchester
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Michael Chameides
, County Supervisor, Columbia
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Tara Gaston
, County Supervisor, Saratoga
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Vanessa Agudelo
, City Councilmember, Peekskill
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Anasha Cummings
, City Councilmember, Troy
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Anthony Grice
, City Councilmember, Newburgh
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Brad Lander,
City Councilmember, New York City
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Mary Lupien,
City Councilmember, Rochester
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Jodi McCredo,
City Councilmember, Beacon
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Carlos Menchaca,
City Councilmember, New York City
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Ramona Montverde,
City Councilmember, Newburgh
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Keith Powers,
City Councilmember, New York City
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Omari Shakur,
City Councilmember, Newburgh
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Antonio Reynoso,
City Councilmember, New York City
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Carlina Rivera
, City Councilmember, New York City
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Jimmy VanBramer,
City Councilmember, New York City
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Maureen Cunningham,
Town Board Member, Bethlehem
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Kevin Spencer Beckford,
Town Councilmember, Pittsford
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Elaine Denton,
Town Councilmember,, Manlius
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Ken Jones,
Town Councilmember, Greenburgh
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Kerin Rigney,
Town Councilmember, DeWitt
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Stephanie Townsend,
Town Councilmember, Pittsford
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Heather Allison Waters,
Town Councilmember, Manlius
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Robin Wilt,
Town Councilmember, Brighton
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Sam Young,
Town Councilmember, DeWitt
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Korin Kirk
, School Board Member, Binghamton
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Jennifer Mecozzi
, School Board Member, Buffalo
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Larry Scott
, School Board Member, Buffalo
Local Progress is a movement of local elected officials advancing a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of local government. We are elected leaders who build power with underrepresented communities, share bold ideas and policy among our network, and fight to reshape what is possible in our localities all across the country.