Mayor Kathy Sheehan of Albany, New York

                                                                        10/30/2017

Mayor Kathy Sheehan

c/o Office of the Mayor

City Hall

24 Eagle Street, Room 102

Albany, NY  12207

Dear Mayor Sheehan,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan with a strong interest in learning history, social justice, and public policy. In these subjects, I like to learn the need to make Civil Rights stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, and many others. Mayor Sheehan, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as 75^th Mayor of Albany, New York to be very inspiring me.

In January 2014, I was amazed on how you made history by becoming the first woman to become Mayor of Albany, New York.  On Civil Rights, I truly appreciate on how you are an advocate for people with disabilities’ rights, support funds to help women including minorities businesses compete in the economy, push for laws to help combat against hate-crime to help protect minorities including people who are different,  and express the need for equal pay for women.  Your approach to improve the economy like expanding on job-training programs to help train youth including workers to develop job-skills and  providing tax-breaks to small businesses including local businesses to help them hire people, advocating for the need to raise the minimum wage to help minimum wage workers afford to live, and encouraging industries along with businesses to hire women, minorities, and people with disabilities to work for them is common sense.   On education, I liked on how you expand funds to help improve special education to help students with disabilities’ get educational accommodations they need to learn, push for more after school programs to help youth get help on their assignments or get them involve in a recreation program to keep them off from the streets, and funds arts including diversity programs to make education diverse for people to learn.  I like your approach to protect the environment like support renewable energy projects to help reduce addiction to oil with gas while reduce pollution, encourage businesses to use energy-efficient products to help reduce high energy cost, and provide funds to help improve city services to help clean parks including water resources to make them safe for people to use.  Another thing that I like learning about your work as Mayor of Albany, New York is how you work to improve diversity in city jobs by hiring women, minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBTs, expand community policing to help improve law enforcement relations between the community to reduce tensions, express the need to protect immigrants from being oppressed while support the need for immigration reform, provide funds to help restore historical sites including museums to make learning a better place for people, and implement handicapped-accessible services in parks including playgrounds or other public places to help accommodate people with disabilities.

Mayor Sheehan, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased.  Your commitment to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. On ThewNewDeal website about progressive leaders who are public officials, I enjoy reading about your work on improving society like express the need to improve City Hall services to help citizens get engage in the community, learn some of your ideas about improving social justice, and many others.  Your role as current mayor of Albany, New York motivates me to continue to learn history and social justice. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need to make Civil Rights stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment, improve social justice to help people including people who are different, and many others. My letter is a gift to you for inspiring me and to wish you a Happy Birthday for December 5^th.  

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference in your current role. Congrats on making history by becoming the first woman to become Mayor of Albany, New York in 2014. I’m very proud on how you are working hard to improve society, make Civil Rights stronger, protect the environment, and make social justice a better place.  I hope you enjoy my letter and someday I hope that I get a chance to meet you to learn more about your work.  Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, making a great difference for society, and inspiring me.  I wish you the best to continue to push for common sense ideas to make society a better place and I wish you well on your re-election for another term.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick