Richmond Hill regrets Sampson’s fall from grace

Dear Editor,

Relating to your news item on the sentencing of former New York State Senator John Sampson (SN, Jan 10), it is most regrettable and unfortunate that the Senator has found himself in violation of the law. Sampson was a shining star in the Democratic Party rising to the position of NY State Senate Majority Leader. He threw away it all for his erroneous decisions and unacceptable behaviour over money. It shows that in the US, regardless of your position, if you break the law, you have to pay the price.

I recall the Senator, who represented Brooklyn, as frequently visiting Richmond Hill to socialize with Guyanese friends at countless community events and festivals. He was very friendly and interacted with all regardless of status. I interviewed him several times for articles relating to the community and political issues. He honoured several Guyanese community leaders for servicing the community with state recognitions.

Mr Sampson was always in praise of Richmond Hill Guyanese for supporting his campaign and the work they performed on behalf of Caribbean people, not only in Queens, but in Brooklyn as well. With the help of funding from Richmond Hill Guyanese, Sampson challenged the Democratic establishment in Brooklyn for recognition and acceptance. He went up against a party established candidate some 16 years ago challenging him for the party’s nomination to contest the Senate seat. He won the nomination in a primary without any support from other politicians, eventually winning the seat. He was fulsome in his praise of Richmond Hill businesses, which is not part of the seat, for funding the campaign. Queens based Guyanese donated generously. He noted that without the support of Guyanese businesses in Queens, he would not have won. Thereafter, the Queens based Guyanese businesses supported every one of his campaigns which occurred every two years.

Then the Senator ran into trouble with the law about four years ago, all of his own doing and having virtually nothing to do with his Senate position. And he has had a hard fall and is unlikely to recover from a promising political career in higher office.

Although he ran afoul of the law and violated political ethics, Sampson did a lot of good for his district. He brought a lot of programmes, including public housing and park projects there, creating a lot of jobs for constituents. And although Richmond Hill funded him, he did not direct programmes to that district, though he had promised to do so with several programmes when he was Majority Leader. He did, however, honour some Richmond Hill Guyanese with state recognitions and had a few appointed to state agencies in non-paying positions. One must admire his loyalty to his district. His constituents are grateful for his contributions to the district.

And Richmond Hill regrets his fall from grace, because along with him some from Richmond Hill found themselves in trouble with the law.

Yours faithfully Vishnu Bisram