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,
 
Catherine Borgia
, County Legislator, Westchester
 
Beau Harbin
, County Legislator, Cortland
 
Christopher Johnson,
 County Legislator, Westchester
 
Anna Kelles
, County Legislator, Westchester
 
Mary Kuhn,
 County Legislator, Onondaga
 
Kevindaryán Luján
, County Legislator, Orange
 
 
Nick Page,
 County Legislator, Dutchess
 
Christopher C. Rosenquest
, County Legislator, Clinton
 
Rachel Barnhart
, County Legislator, Monroe
 
Catherine Parker
, County Legislator, Westchester
 
Michael Chameides
, County Supervisor, Columbia
 
Tara Gaston
, County Supervisor, Saratoga
 
Vanessa Agudelo
, City Councilmember, Peekskill
 
Anasha Cummings
, City Councilmember, Troy
 
Anthony Grice
, City Councilmember, Newburgh
 
Brad Lander,
 City Councilmember, New York City
 
Mary Lupien,
City Councilmember, Rochester
 
Jodi McCredo,
City Councilmember, Beacon
 
Carlos Menchaca,
City Councilmember, New York City
 
Ramona Montverde,
 City Councilmember, Newburgh
 
Keith Powers,
 City Councilmember, New York City
 
Omari Shakur,
 City Councilmember, Newburgh
 
Antonio Reynoso,
 City Councilmember, New York City
 
Carlina Rivera
, City Councilmember, New York City
 
Jimmy VanBramer,
 City Councilmember, New York City
 
Maureen Cunningham,
 Town Board Member, Bethlehem
 
Kevin Spencer Beckford,
 Town Councilmember, Pittsford
 
Elaine Denton,
 Town Councilmember,, Manlius
 
Ken Jones,
 Town Councilmember, Greenburgh
 
Kerin Rigney,
Town Councilmember, DeWitt
 
Stephanie Townsend,
 Town Councilmember, Pittsford
 
Heather Allison Waters,
 Town Councilmember, Manlius
 
Robin Wilt,
 Town Councilmember, Brighton
 
Sam Young,
 Town Councilmember, DeWitt
 
Korin Kirk
, School Board Member, Binghamton
 
Jennifer Mecozzi
, School Board Member, Buffalo
 
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.
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