Letter: A show of support for Leslie Danks Burke

Dear Editor,

After Donald Trump was elected in the devastating Presidential election of 2016, I felt compelled to get involved in local politics. Before I knew it, I had jumped headfirst into helping to launch Tracy Mitrano’s campaign. As a newcomer to politics and a mother of a toddler and preschooler, I felt doubts about my place as Mitrano’s interim Campaign Manager. One evening, after our local Ithaca Democratic committee meeting, I shared my concerns with Leslie and was buoyed by her strong encouragement and confidence in my leadership. Leslie had constantly impressed me with her insightful, tactful and progressive contributions to our local committee and I decided that if Leslie were to run for office, I would be among her first supporters.

When Leslie announced her candidacy for the 2020 New York State Senate race, I was ready to jump in and help any way I could. As an early campaign volunteer, I got to see Leslie’s true colors. I saw her build an incredible campaign team and prioritize her staff’s needs when personal challenges came up that interfered with their campaign work. I saw her tirelessly advocate for people across our region — regardless of party. And, I saw her offer unique and compelling solutions to many of the policy challenges facing our district. Leslie had the courage to run — twice — in a district that was deeply gerrymandered against Democrats, she stayed true to progressive principles even in the face of conservative opposition, and she outperformed the Democratic registration by double-digits, which very few Democrats did in the Trump years.

Leslie believes in advancing Democratic principles far beyond Democratic strongholds, which is why even though we didn’t know district lines until January, she announced she would run again in any of the four Republican-held districts surrounding us. Although it’s been a very different landscape due to the changes in the district boundaries and the upcoming primary election, Leslie hasn’t changed. I’ve seen her remain positive throughout the race in spite of baseless attacks about her work promoting honest government through Trailblazers, the nonpartisan PAC she founded. I’ve seen her welcome opponents into the race and speak positively about them in public and private even though it would probably be easier to sink to the low level of vitriol that dominates politics today. And, on a personal level, I’ve seen her take time out of her busy schedule to help me when I’ve reached out for her advice or support. Leslie has been there for me, just like I know she’ll be there for the people of the NY-53rd. This is why she is my choice for State Senator.

Liz Hartman

Ithaca