VETS GROUP BACKS DEMOCRAT WILLS TO UNSEAT MEEKS

Ruben Wills speaking to persons in Queens

Democrat Ruben Wills has been endorsed by the United Council on Veterans Rights in his bid to replace current New York 6th Congressional District Representative Gregory Meeks.

The group broke from a slate of incumbents and did not endorse current Congressman Meeks. They however endorsed veteran Republican state Senator Serphin Maltese of Glendale, state Democrat Senator Shirley Huntley of Jamaica and newly christened City Councilman Anthony Como of Middle Village.

Wills is the only Democrat challenger running against Meeks for the 6th Congressional seat in the primary.

The Veterans group held its candidates’ night on Thursday, July 17 to allow candidates to stand up in front of an audience of veterans and then they endorsed those candidates who they believe would address the concerns of their brothers and sisters in arms.

Apparently the Veterans group believed that Congressman Meeks should be replaced.

Meeks, who had replaced Congressman Floyd Flake ten years ago, has been labeled as non-responsive to his nearly 200,000 Indo-Caribbean constitutients who reside in his district, which includes Richmond Hill, Ozone Park and South Ozone Park.

Wills, the new Democratic challenger, has voluntarily worked for four years with City Councilman Leroy Comrie and then went on to work full-time as the Chief of Staff of state Senator Huntley of Jamaica.

Wills, sensing the winds of change, aligned himself with Councilman James Sanders Jr. and with Obama as an agent of change.

When Sanders predicted that Obama would win the New York 6th Congressional District, it showed how much Meeks had lost touch with his constituents.

Meeks was campaigning heavily for and was on national TV for Senator Clinton and he was confident he could deliver his district for Senator Clinton.

But what a shocker for Meeks. It was Sanders who was proven right. People wanted change, with Obama taking the district by some 8,000 votes.

So while Meeks is the incumbent he may now have become weaker due to the lack of non-service to his community and being out of touch. In fact Marcia Wills, the Jamaican-born wife of Wills, said they had no trouble in collecting the 1,200 signatures for the 36- year-old candidate to get on the Democratic primary ballot.

What may be tricky is trying to get enough people to fund and rally around Wills. If the wind of change is blowing as hard in the district then the Caribbean vote may yet push Obama and Wills to victory in the 6th Congressional District. (Vishnu Dutt)