To the Editor:

It is my hope in this time of pandemic crisis that all are safe, healthy, and practicing social distancing.

As a candidate for the New York Senate, it is my responsibility to communicate to all the voters and my campaign will do that; let’s call it campaign-distancing.

We are all Americans and our country is founded on free, open elections. The COVID-19 health crisis has turned everything else into a secondary distraction. However, we must go on and continue with our lives.

For much of March, myself, my family, and a group of volunteers started going door to door in order to collect signatures for ballot access. This process is a very difficult chore even in the best of times.

When the coronavirus hit, I was the first candidate in New York State to call on the board of elections to waive or reduce the signature-collection process in light of the dangers of the pandemic and the urging of citizens to practice social distancing.

My calls were heard and Governor Cuomo acted as a true leader by reducing the signature requirement to 300 and truncating the timeline to complete signature collection by March 17. It was the right call to make and I thank my volunteers who bravely collected 340 signatures in order to qualify my campaign for the ballot.

As a citizens’ advocate and a 24-year committeeman for the Democratic Party, I am fully aware of the advantages that party-backed candidates enjoy. My opponent in this race had, according to her, “hundreds of volunteers,” gathering signatures for her campaign. Our team believes that this is because Michelle Hinchey is the chosen candidate of the party bosses.

Now, besides my campaign, Michelle Hinchey has opponents from the Green Party and Republican parties as well. She has challenged these petition submissions as well in the times of great crisis and uncertainty from this huge public health risk we all face together. Her recent actions represent the lowest of cheap political tactics. These are the kind of tactics that disgust voters and turn them off to politics and public service completely.

Michelle Hinchey used lawyers and a campaign contributor to file formal objections to all the petitions filed by her opponents. That’s right: Michelle Hinchey, who has never run for office anywhere, believes she should have no opponent and she should be coronated as a state senator.

Miss Hinchey’s ugly and cynical action to try and disqualify all of her opponents shows an arrogance that is very unappealing to all the voters. Democracy demands choices. Michelle Hinchey wants to take away your right to choose in this senate campaign and that is downright dangerous.

I have been a businessman and Albany County legislator, and for the last five years I have been a citizens’ advocate pushing for enactment of the Child Victims Act, allowing child victims of rape to seek lawsuits against their abusers.

The Child Victims Act was adopted into law and because of my efforts, and many others’; thousands of New Yorkers who suffered in silence have come forward and been able to seek justice.

I know what it takes to make public policy and to make state government work for the right causes and the right reasons. My opponent happens to be born to a royal political family as the daughter of a respected former New York Congressman.

Unfortunately, Miss Hinchey has confused that legacy and now is acting to diminish democracy in New York State by using cheap political tactics to disqualify all of her opponents for the senate seat — and by doing so has insulted all of the volunteers who went door to door collecting signatures in a time of a national health crisis.

My campaign website is www. GreenbergforNY.com and we will be communicating with the voters from a social distance.

That is America. Voters decide elections — not the party bosses. Let’s hope Miss Hinchey’s cynical and shameful action to disqualify all of her opposition is not successful. If Miss Hinchey gets her way, we will have a coronation instead of an election to choose our next state senator. That is not America!

Gary A. Greenberg

Candidate

46th Senate District

New Baltimore

Editor’s note: Hébert Joseph’s challenge of Gary Greenberg’s petition resulted in a count at the New York State Board of Elections on Wednesday, showing that Greenberg had only 291 valid signatures, short of the 300 required to be on the June 23 Democratic ballot for the State Senate’s 46th District. The board will issue a decision on April 27. Joseph, a supporter of Greenberg’s Democratic challenger Michelle Hinchey, is the Democratic chairman for Rensselaerville. Hinchey is also facing Conservative Richard Amedure, also of Rensselaerville, on the Republican, Independence, Conservative, and Serve America Movement lines; as well as Robert D. Alft Jr. on the Green Party line. In addition to the Democratic line, Hinchey is on the Working Families and Serve America Movement lines.