Mayor Michael Bloomberg 

“This is a major turning point in the history of American civil rights. No American president has ever supported a major expansion of civil rights that has not ultimately been adopted by the American people – and I have no doubt that this will be no exception. The march of freedom that has sustained our country since the Revolution of 1776 continues, and no matter what setbacks may occur in a given state, freedom will triumph over fear and equality will prevail over exclusion. Today’s announcement is a testament to the President’s convictions, and it builds on the courageous stands that so many Americans have taken over the years on behalf of equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans, stretching back to the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village.”

Congressman Jerrold Nadler

“I applaud President Obama for announcing his support for marriage equality today.  For the first time in this nation’s history, a sitting president has shown the courage and leadership to stand up for all American families by pledging to support the fundamental right of every person to marry the person they love, and to have that marriage fully respected.  I commend President Obama for this brave and honest step.  Those who seek to politicize civil rights for personal or political gain will certainly attack him, but the course toward marriage equality and justice is the correct and inevitable path.”

Senator Thomas Duane

The announcement today by President Barack Obama in support of marriage equality is historic. If you would have told me five years ago that a sitting President of the United States would publicly express the right of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) citizens to marry, and for full equality for our families, I would not have believed it.

As the first openly gay State Senator in the State of New York, I was the original and prime sponsor of NY’s historic Marriage Equality Act. As proud as I was of New York for its passage of Marriage Equality, so too am I proud of President Obama’s courageous decision to publicly support it nationwide.  We must do all we can as a community to insure Barack Obama remains President for another four years.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn

“This is an amazing day, our President coming out in support of marriage equality. President Obama’s declaration that marriage is a right for all people is an act of courage that will go down in history as the moment the tide changed for LGBT Americans. When the President of the United States validates you, your family, your friends and your loved ones by saying that yes – you are full citizens who deserve full equal rights – it’s a truly American moment. Today President Obama gave hope to a new generation of LGBT youth who will grow up knowing there is nothing wrong with who they are, and that no matter how bad things may seem, the President, and the United States of America stands with them. Even with a recent setback in North Carolina, now that we have the support of President Obama, we have never been closer to making marriage equality a reality for everyone, everywhere then we are now. Today, we are on the cusp of change, and I’m enormously grateful and proud of President Obama, marriage equality advocates and everyone who has worked so hard to bring us to this moment. Thank you for all you have done, and all we will continue to do for equality.”

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer

“President Obama’s endorsement of same sex marriage is a transformational moment in the fight for equality worldwide. By stating definitively that he supports expanding a fundamental right that most Americans take for granted, President Obama has shown his commitment to being on the right side of history.”

]]> http://nypress.com/local-politicians-react-to-president-obamas-support-of-same-sex-marriage/feed/ 0 http://nypress.com/nadler-picks-thompson/ http://nypress.com/nadler-picks-thompson/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:13:33 +0000 admin http://westsidespirit.com/?p=3310 Comptroller Bill Thompson rallied Democratic support on the Upper West Side against Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Thompson held a press conference at Verde Square, on Broadway and West 73rd Street, to formally accept support from Rep. Jerrold Nadler, State Sen. Eric Schneiderman, Assembly members Linda Rosenthal and Richard Gottfried, and Council Member Gale Brewer.

Nadler, a senior member of Congress, said this mayor’s race is about “ending an eight-year rule in which the needs of the middle class, needs of low income people are on the backburner”—a criticism lobbed at the two-term mayor. Nadler also slammed the city’s reliance on Wall Street for revenue at the expense of small business.

“We need, as mayor, someone who understands the city cannot survive only on Wall Street,” Nadler said.

The law bans the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, which denies couples certain protections and benefits.

With the proliferation of same-sex marriage in some states since the law was passed, Nadler said its repeal is necessary to give full rights to legally married gays and lesbians.

“The full repeal of [the Defense of Marriage Act] is long overdue,” said Nadler, who chairs a subcommittee on the constitution and civil rights, in a statement. “Discrimination against committed couples and stable families is terrible federal policy.”

Nadler’s bill, the Respect for Marriage Act, would only have the federal government recognize same-sex marriages from states where they are permitted.

Nadler’s two bills would open up any post office closings to public scrutiny. The U.S. Postal Service would have to justify closings of branches, hold public hearings and require a public assessment for need of the closure. To save money, another bill would let the Postal Service tap into the retiree health benefits fund to pay health insurance for retirees.

Nadler stood with Postal Service union representatives and elected officials from the West Side and downtown Manhattan on August 20 to announce his plan.

“I am far from convinced that these…cuts and closures are actually creating real relief from the Postal Service’s massive budget woes,” Nadler said in a statement. “There is no excuse for the Postal Service to give short shrift to customers and cut services that every person and business depends on.”

As donations to these groups dwindled in the sagging economy, the federal money will be intended for job preservation.

“It’s always essential to support the arts in our communities,” Nadler said in a statement. “But these stimulus funds are particularly significant right now for the retention of thousands of local jobs.”

Groups receiving the grants from the National Endowment of the Arts include the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Lincoln Center and the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

“Other candidates have not been doing it,” Nadler said in the interview. “I have not been doing a public campaign.”

Nadler has climbed the ranks of the House Democrats, and was recently elected by his party colleagues to chair the caucus’ steering and policy committee’s New York region. His district, based in the Upper West Side, covers Lower Manhattan and extends into Brooklyn, including Coney Island.

Nadler’s office was closed and did not return calls for comment by press time.

“This stimulus could be a life-saver for New York’s mass transit system,” Nadler said in a statement. “Federal stimulus funds are absolutely critical.”