Tish Takes It

Letitia James has won the runoff race for Public Advocate over State Senator Daniel Squadron. At 10:15 PM, WNYC declared her the winner with a vote total of 101,068 to 68,694 for Squadron, or 59.5% for Tish James against 40.5% for Squadron. Tish James has always been a strong supporter of TWU Local 100, frequently attending union rallies, coming to union events, and speaking out forcefully against the closing of booths and the shutting down of bus lines. As a City Councilwoman, she has been a tough antagonist against Mayor Bloomberg's contracting out, notably in the CityTime debacle. WIth Tish in the Public Advocate's seat (she must still win in the November election, but that is virtually guaranteed), transit workers will have a courageous ally to push for more transit funding and better working conditions. Areas of the City with high concentrations of TWU Local 100 members leaned heavily for Tish. Squadron's campaign buried neighborhoods like the Upper West Side in direct mail, touting the endorsement of the New York Times. It didn't matter after the people spoke tonight. Congratulations!