Many people vote for their assemblyman in November and don’t have much direct contact with their district’s state representative again until the following election, two years later. However, Assemblyman and West New York Mayor Albio Sires (D-33rd Dist.) plans to shorten that time span with “Mobile District Office Days.”
“The Mobile District Office Days are aimed at bringing government to the people,” said the assemblyman’s chief of staff, Michael Harper, at the Kennedy Towers senior citizen complex in West New York last week, “instead of forcing them to seek out their representatives.”
Sires brought his staff to Kennedy Towers on 62nd Street for the first of these days on Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Unfortunately, Sires himself got tied up with business in Trenton, but his staff was on hand to answer questions from residents.
Sires represents West New York, Union City, Weehawken, Hoboken, Guttenberg and part of the Heights section of Jersey City. He has a legislative office in Guttenberg and an office in West New York City Hall.
A big success
Many senior citizens came out to ask questions and share coffee and donuts with each other and their representatives.
“We went through five dozen donuts and all of the coffee,” said Harper.
The people who came to the event were able to choose from pamphlets in both Spanish and English dealing with senior citizens’ benefits, veteran’s services and living wills.
“The books are very helpful,” said Henrietta Barron, the chairwoman of Kennedy Towers. “The seniors are up on most of this information, Thank God.”
“[This event] was to give people the accessibility to my office and the information that we have,” said Sires later on.
“[Assemblyman Sires] was supposed to be here by 1:30 p.m., but he got stuck in Trenton,” Harper explained on the day of the event. “He is trying to get here, though.”
The event also served as an opportunity to hand out the phone numbers needed to get in touch with the assemblyman at any time.
“If people took 50 [business] cards today,” said Harper, “about 25 people will call.”
Legislative Aide Belinda Felice added, “I think it was good for them and good for us.”
Only the first time around
While this event was geared toward senior citizens, plans are already being made to visit community centers as well as senior citizen centers around the district.
“We are already looking to do one in Weehawken,” said Harper.
“It is not hard to set up,” said Sires. “We just need to get the proper permission.”
“It went very well, especially for the first time,” said Harper. “Now people know where we are, who we are and what we are doing.”
The senior citizens who attended this event agreed that the assemblyman should set up more of them.
“It is a very good idea to have them monthly,” said Henrietta Barron. “It will get the people together to ask more questions.”