Luke Henry and his wife, Meghan Bryant, welcomed their first child, a son, on Saturday, August 16. Oliver Franklin Henry was born at 2:41 p.m. at New York Hospital, weighing in at seven pounds, nine ounces.
Mom and baby are doing great. An elated Luke says he's looking forward to taking Oliver to the park for an introduction to campaigning.
For more information, please contact Kate Tomassi at (646) 408-4452, or press@lukehenry.org.
On Tuesday, July 15, 2008, Luke Henry joined local activists in advocating for increased community involvement in the LES/East Village rezoning process. The rezoning plan has already been approved by Community Board 3 and is awaiting the approval of the Borough President, City Council, and the Mayor. The rezoning process has not, to date, carefully enough addressed the impact that the plan will have on surrounding areas. It does not sufficiently protect the low-income families and small businesses that are most adversely affected by the plan. Luke Henry believes that it is incumbent upon the elected officials, whose approval is required for the process to move forward, to exert their influence to ensure that the plan meets the needs of all people affected by rezoning.
On August 8th, the Downtown Express featured an article about the race for the 64th Assembly District. As in the past, Luke received positive press coverage as he described his background and dedication to the community's amelioration.
An excerpt from the piece regarding Luke's background:
Henry went to law school at Fordham University, where he was president of the Fordham Law Democrats and founded the school's American Constitution Society to advance progressive ideas in the judiciary. He has represented plaintiffs in medical malpractice suits and most recently worked in contract law. Henry has also worked pro-bono for the Village Reform Democrats and volunteered for Community Board 3's Environment Committee.
Henry and his wife live on E. 4th St. and are expecting their first baby, a boy, any day now. He said he decided to run against Silver because he sees this as a moment for a political sea change: New York has a Democratic governor and many think the Senate will turn Democratic this fall.
Click here for the full text of the article.
New York, New York (August 1, 2008)--On Wednesday, Speaker Sheldon Silver addressed the state's climbing budget deficit projections by saying, "Let's sit around for a few more weeks and analyze a little more data before we act precipitously." Today, Luke Henry responds to this negligent and irresponsible approach.
"'Wait and see' has been a hallmark of Speaker Silver's tenure," said Henry. "The Speaker always finds time to sit around but all too often doesn't find time to act until it's too late. Speaker Silver has received ample time and ample warning about growing fiscal woes, but has remained mired in inaction. He has demonstrated this pattern time and again, putting off the introduction of campaign finance reform legislation until the waning days of the legislative session, when no time for compromise remained. He dragged his feet on congestion pricing, all the while signaling support, until he orchestrated a no-vote on the vital legislation. Lower Manhattan needs a representative who will act decisively to combat the state's problems."
Luke Henry advocates initiating a state hiring freeze and reducing salaries and benefits for future managerial hires, until the depth and severity of the problem is appreciated. He also highlights the need to identify and remove duplicative programs that strain the state's budget. But such short term fixes need to be coupled with long term initiatives in order to dislodge the structures that have caused the state's deficit to mount over time. Luke Henry calls for increased oversight over the state's authorities in order to expose and reduce waste. He also champions publicly financed campaigns as the best means to limit the influence of special interests, whose priorities clog the arteries of government.
"If elected, I will not sit around to institute cost-saving reforms," Henry said. "Voters in Lower Manhattan can count on me to relentlessly pursue any and all measures that can responsibly contribute to putting the state's fiscal house in order," he added. Henry additionally outlined greater review and oversight over member-items as a common sense opportunity for fiscal housekeeping.
Assembly candidate Luke Henry today announces that he has raised $72,590.00 so far in his campaign to unseat Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
"I am exceedingly pleased with our campaign's fund-raising efforts so far," said Luke Henry. "I want to thank our staff and volunteers for working tirelessly to get our message out to the voters in Lower Manhattan. The success of our grassroots effort demonstrates a true appetite for change in the district. We believe our strong showing of contributions is only the beginning of the growing groundswell that will ultimately unseat the Speaker."
The vast majority of donors to Henry's campaign made small contributions of $200 or less. "While Speaker Silver has massed significantly more funds, most of his contributions came from special interests and PACs. We believe that the voters who want change will not let the war chest of an incumbent so heavily entrenched in Albany stand in the way," said Henry. "Our campaign has been--and will continue to be--successful in raising the money we need," he added.
Silver's other challenger, Paul Newell, raised approximately $20,000 less than Henry during the latest filing period and almost $5,000 less overall despite beginning his fundraising earlier than Henry.
On Sunday, July 13, Luke Henry joined volunteers from the progressive group Democracy for New York City, which endorsed him last month, at an event at the South Street Seaport. The goal of the event was to inform people about Senator Obama, sign people up to support his campaign, and register more New York voters. Luke Henry is proud to support Senator Obama, as Luke believes that change is needed on the national level as well as in our communities.
New York, New York (July 15, 2008)--Assembly candidate Luke Henry today calls upon his opponents to join him in three debates between now and election day on the issues facing Lower Manhattan.
"For 22 years, Sheldon Silver has been able to coast to re-election without a primary challenge," said Luke Henry. "This year, his constituents have the opportunity to hold him accountable and force him to make a case for his re-election. Over his lengthy tenure, Silver has presided over the erosion of affordable housing in his district, blocked efforts to address the public health crisis created by traffic congestion, and failed to secure essential reform in order to combat legislative dysfunction in Albany. I challenge him to defend his record in open debate."
Speaker Silver elected not to attend a May 18 forum hosted by the progressive organization Democracy for New York City. Henry had written to the incumbent in April encouraging him to attend that forum. "Downtown New Yorkers have a right to know where the candidates stand on the issues most important to them. I sincerely hope that Speaker Silver will accept my invitation to debate in order to give the voters all the information they need to decide who will best represent them in Albany," Henry said today. The May DFNYC debate did give the public an opportunity to compare Luke Henry's message with that of Paul Newell, who is also challenging Sheldon Silver. After evaluating the two challengers, DFNYC endorsed Luke Henry by a two-to-one margin.
Henry filed over 3,000 petition signatures last week--over six times the required number of 500--and his campaign is confident it can easily withstand any challenges and will appear on the primary ballot on Sept. 9.
The speech was mentioned in the Politicker and is available online below.
When: Tuesday, August 26, 5:30 pm to 8 pm
Where: The Dressing Room, 75A Orchard St., between Broome and Grand St.
Why: Come meet Luke and join us for a fundraiser as we prepare for September 9th - Primary Day.
Subway: F/J/M/Z to Essex St - Delancey St or B/D to Grand St.
for details please RSVP to: nicholas@lukehenry.org
