Hope to see local reps working together

Dear Editor,

Open letter to U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan and Representative-elect Marc Molinaro:

Congratulations to you both on your recent election wins. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s glad to not have to see you in any more negative ads too soon; for the record, I don’t think either of you are that bad. Like many Americans, I’m not only disgusted by the barrage of negative ads and the ridiculous sums of money spent on them, I am also disgusted by the partisan, childish snafu that has engulfed both houses of Congress.

I’ve seen the two of you work together during the pandemic and collaborate at events, so I know you have common ground. While campaigning, one of you stressed the want to work with people who actually want to solve problems and one has repeated that we need results from elected officials and that excuses are unacceptable. Resist the polarizing fringes of each of your parties and please continue to collaborate. Propose and co-sponsor legislation that most of Americans, regardless of their party, want (you know the stuff I’m talking about — health care affordability and access, including mental health care, legal/ safe abortions, and addiction services, paid family leave, energy price stabilization, climate change resiliency and prevention, and increased legal immigration to reduce the strain on our borders and help address worker shortages, to name a few).

The people of the Hudson Valley and the rest of the country need you to solve problems. We can’t afford any more excuses.

Jennifer Armstrong Kingston, N.Y.