DANIEL DROMM, Democrat for City Council

Support of 1199 SEIU boosts Democrat's primary challenge to Helen Sears

QUEENS - In a major development in the race for the 25th City Council District, 1199 SEIU announced today that it is backing Democratic challenger Daniel Dromm over incumbent Councilwoman Helen Sears. The influential healthcare workers' union endorsed Dromm for his commitment to improving quality healthcare in the district, a contrast with the current Councilmember's disappointing record.

"Daniel Dromm is a true community leader who understands what's at stake when it comes to the current healthcare crisis in Queens," said Kevin Finnegan, 1199 Political Director. "Since last Fall, 3 Queens hospitals have closed their doors. We need a City Councilmember who's going to fight to keep local hospitals open and expand healthcare services that will improve access to medical care and create jobs. Danny's decades of advocacy prove that he knows how to do that."

With roughly 250,000 members in New York City, 1199 SEIU's endorsement can be heavily influential in contested races like the one between Dromm and Sears. The union can mobilize thousands of members to help elect its endorsed candidates.

"It's a huge honor to receive 1199's support," Dromm said in response to the endorsement announcement. "The nurses and healthcare workers who are members of this union go to heroic lengths every day to make sure we have high quality care, and it's time our community had a City Council member who is on their side. I know how much needs to be done to improve healthcare in our area, and I look forward to working with 1199 SEIU to make that happen."

The state of healthcare in the 25th Council District was dealt a major blow recently with the recent closing of St. John's Hospital, and wait times at Elmhurst Hospital are increasing dangerously. Daniel Dromm is calling for the opening of community clinics to reduce overcrowding and expand care, and has pledged to fight to reopen St. John's as a public or private facility.

Councilwoman Sears, meanwhile, took little action to prevent the St. John's shutdown. More egregiously, she sided with real estate industry lobbyists over the community's health by voting "no" on the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act (Intro 101A, 2004).

Labels: Endorsements, HealthCare, Unions