Letter to the Editor: Common Council member endorses Jamie Cheney for Congress

This is a Letter to the Editor written by City of Ithaca Common Council Alderperson George McGonigal. It was not written by The Ithaca Voice. To submit letters to the editor, send them to Matt Butler at mbutler@ithacavoice.com.

I didn’t know much about Congressional candidate Jamie Cheney until I met her a few weeks ago.  That meeting was offered by Jamie and her campaign staff, something I very much appreciated as a member of Ithaca’s Common Council.  There are many issues here in Ithaca and Tompkins County that I would like our Congressional representative to know about and act upon.

Talking with Jamie left me impressed in many ways.  She is a down to earth person, and a good listener.  Jamie is a strong supporter of core Democratic Party positions: on reproductive rights; LGBTQ+ rights; advocating for unions and labor vs. corporate interests; gun legislation and climate change.  She is particularly interested in devising and supporting legislation that will improve economic conditions for working families, farmers and small business owners. Central to these efforts is her support for bringing back the federal extended child care tax credit, protecting and expanding Medicare and Social Security by raising the Social Security and Medicare income cap limits. This would allow vision, dental and hearing care to be included under Medicare, and would ensure Social Security’s long term viability.