“With Patty-Pat Kozloswki on the Republican ticket and Dan Martino representing the Democrats, there is absolutely no way the constituents of the 177th can lose.”
I tend to shy away from getting political publicly, but when it comes to my neighborhood of Mayfair and the constituents of the 177th Legislative District, I’ve got some strong opinions about the successor to Rep. John Taylor.
It’s no secret that I’m a registered Republican but my political leanings are probably more in line with most moderate independents. I admire the current candidates running for the 177th, when running for politics is not necessarily considered admirable. I was personally approached to run for the Republican seat for the 177th but after serious contemplation, and the fact that I live a block outside the district, I decided that it wasn’t the best thing for me to do at the time.
Tip O’Neill is famously quoted as saying, “All politics is local,” and a proven track record of having a vested interest in your community not just leading up to a primary or a general election speaks volumes about the character of a candidate. For this reason, out of all the candidates running for the Democratic nomination, I support Dan Martino.
Dan Martino is a dedicated volunteer in his neighborhood of Olde Richmond; founding a Town Watch group, serving for several years on the board of Olde Richmond Civic Association, leading clean-ups and advocating for an expansion of compassionate care during the current opioid epidemic. While Dan Martino and I may not agree politically on certain things, just as there are certain things I don’t agree with Republican candidate Patty-Pat Kozlowski on, his character, work ethic and genuine care for the neighborhood are equal to Patty-Pat’s.
In my opinion, political discourse, intelligent conversation and ultimately compromise are even more necessary today.
Dan Martino doesn’t have the resources, the manpower, the money, the union backing or the name recognition that several of the other Democratic candidates may have. He’s running a purely grassroots campaign out of his living room, knocking personally on doors, and engaging with constituents much in the way Rep. John Taylor did 34 years ago when he was the underdog in his first political race.
It’s a remarkable and admirable task, considering the current state of corporate and moneyed politics, hearkening back to the days of the founding fathers. If you’ve been lucky enough to meet Dan Martino in person, you can’t help but notice his genuine concern for and his to ability to connect and want to help people to help improve the quality of life in his district.
In my opinion, with Patty-Pat Kozloswki on the Republican ticket and Dan Martino representing the Democrats, there is absolutely no way the constituents of the 177th can lose. They will have two genuine local candidates who, regardless of the outcome, have their best interests and the best interests of the neighborhood at heart.
It’s no secret that my vote in November will most certainly go to Patty-Pat Kozlowski as the endorsed candidate of Rep. John Taylor but I strongly encourage all the Democrats of the 177th District to vote for Dan Martino in the May 15 primary.
Mia Hylan
Mayfair
