Agudelo Has a Passion for Improving the Lives of Working People
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It isn’t a secret to anyone here in the Hudson Valley that traveling without a car can be extremely difficult. Public transportation is a vital lifeline for many but has frequently gone underfunded and under-prioritized by our elected officials.
This is one reason why I’m fully behind Vanessa Agudelo for state Assembly. Like me, Vanessa grew up in a working-class family. She is a candidate who understands firsthand the transportation needs of working families, many of whom rely on our too-often ignored public transportation system.
While I now have the privilege of having a reliable car, I also know how valuable a robust public transportation system can be. Public transit is a powerful tool to fight climate change, a driver of economic growth and a lifeline for working families.
Unfortunately, Westchester’s public transportation system is not serving those needs. A lack of nearby bus stops and large gaps in pickup and drop-off times often leave residents stranded or jumping into a car. With the inflation crisis reaching into everyone’s wallets, many of my neighbors in Ossining live with the constant fear of not having enough money on hand to afford to fill their tank or purchase a train ticket. The temporary halt in Westchester bus fares has been a massive relief, but that only lasts until Labor Day. Our community needs long-term action on public transportation, not just stop-gap measures.
Vanessa Agudelo is a leader whose entire platform is built on genuine solutions. Vanessa will fight to make the wealthy elite of our community pay their fair share in taxes. With this money, we can start making the focus of the government what it should be: bettering the lives of the people in our community.
Central to our lives is the funding and maintenance of the public services that belong to all of us, including public transportation. Vanessa is one of the few political leaders today who understands the experience of those for whom public transportation is vital to paying the bills and feeding their families.
Instead of catering to moneyed interests who ignore or denigrate the public services they never have any need for, Vanessa will stand up for the working people of our community. She knows what it’s like to worry about not even being able to get to work every day and what that will mean for the people who depend on public transportation.
I’m supporting Vanessa because working people and their priorities are her passion. Anyone who cares about public transportation should join me in backing Vanessa Agudelo for state Assembly.
Jennifer Cabrera
Ossining
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