CNY Solidarity Coalition

United in defense of our community and our neighbors

Guide: Letters to the Editor

CNY Solidarity Coalition’s legislative action team (aka Indivisible Onondaga County) encourages letters to the editor calling on Rep. Katko to hold regular public town-hall meetings with constituents. Here are some talking points to help. If you have suggested additions/revisions, send them our way.

For tips on how to write letters to the editor that make a difference. Check out this great resource by IndivisibleThe OpEd Project:
https://www.indivisibleguide.com/resource/writing-opeds-make-difference/

Here is a list of potential outlets located within Katko’s district include:

We recommend that you choose one or more of these outlets, submit your letter on-line or by email, and then follow-up by phone or email once daily until they print it. Here are some suggested talking points. The list is too long for any single letter; we recommend that you choose one or two that work for you, but everyone please use some version of the last one on the list:

  • Rep. Katko represents a diverse district, and many of his constituents feel directly threatened by President Trump’s proposed policies regarding _________. (At CNY Solidarity Coalition, the relevant issues we’ve been talking about the most are health care and immigration, but feel free to emphasize others that are important to you. Whatever you choose, we recommend focusing on one issue per letter.)
  • If possible, tell a brief personal story about how you or your family feel threatened by this policy—e.g., with loss of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—but if you don’t have that, then speaking up on behalf of your friends and neighbors is fine too.
  • Rep. Katko has said repeatedly that he will not support repeal of the ACA unless and until a Republican replacement plan is ready. In a Jan. 14 interview with the Washington Post, Donald Trump said that his replacement plan will provide “insurance for everybody” and will lower out-of-pocket costs for consumers. Will Katko commit to oppose any replacement plan that falls short of these standards?
  • On Jan. 21, more than 2,000 people rallied outside the federal building in downtown Syracuse in support of women’s rights, and roughly 4 million did so in other communities around the country. That’s 1 in every 77 people, nationwide, standing up to defend equal treatment for women, full reproductive rights, support for Planned Parenthood, an end to sexual assault, and more.
  • In addition to concrete policies proposed by the incoming administration, many local community members are concerned with the process by which Trump was elected. Publicly available evidence appears to suggest that a foreign government intentionally interfered with our electoral process. What is Rep. Katko doing to get to the bottom of this?
  • Since the election, Katko has not given any public indication that he hears these concerns. Next time Congress is in recess, he should hold a public town-hall meeting in the district (or ideally, several spread throughout the district) so voters can ask about his plans on these fronts.

You can read recent letters published in the Post-Standard here. If you see any good ones, distribute them on social media and tag CNY Solidarity Coalition and Indivisible NY 24th on Facebook or Twitter (here or here).

Looking for resources to help you track your representatives? Check this out.
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