Awesome news! We just got confirmation this week that NY Senate Bill S7671, the bill that would return the Tappan Zee name to our bridge, (Yeah, OUR bridge Andrew, not YOURS) should be moved out of the Transportation Committee by the end of this month and should be on the Senate Floor, ready for a vote shortly thereafter! But we need your help. The key word: 'should'. We need your help. Specific instructions below. First, I want to thank our new outreach coordinator Marlene Pederson and our board secretary Christopher McCormick, both of whom have been unbelievable forces of nature these last few weeks, responsible for incredible progress on all fronts with our mission. Hats off to you both! We wouldn't be accomplishing as much were it not for the two of you. Second, our hard work is paying off! We are being heard, people! But we still need your help letting the senate and the assembly know that we care! Keep reading... a) WHAT HAVE WE BEEN DOING? (other than banner protest days): We have been working the phones, talking to the bill sponsors, representatives, committee chairs, historical societies, town councils, local press and influencers in communities. We know there are others - hopefully many of you - that have been making calls and sending emails as well. WE MUST KEEP FIGHTING!! You can also buy beautiful two-sided cards to hand out wherever you go at www.saveourtappanzee.org/store And download free flyers at www.saveourtappanzee.org/ 2. SO WHAT'S COMING NEXT? Very soon we plan to deliver a full printout of the CHANGE.ORG petition straight to the Governor’s office. 108,300 signatures is an outcry and we plan to make sure Albany knows about it. The NYS Legislators’ Press Pool will be invited so hopefully we’ll get some decent coverage. We hope you will join us--date is forthcoming. Our 2nd stop will be delivery of the petition to the Transportation Committee. Printing these copies of the petition out will require a LOT of paper---I think thousands of pieces of paper, which yes, will make a big impact, but will also cost us a lot of money. Donations today will help us pay for these print outs and the delivery costs of driving up to Albany, at least once, and potentially twice. Shortly after the petition delivery or before, we will be sending out a Press Release to local and Albany-based media focusing on the groundswell of support for our cause and the pressure being heaped upon NY State representatives, especially in the Hudson Valley. We also hope to announce some key endorsements for our cause in the coming weeks which we are (we hope) close to having official. c) HERE IS A BRIEF WORD TO THE NEVER COMPROMISE CROWD. We get it. We agree. The problem: a “never compromise” position will result in a "No More Tappan Zee" result. Period. That’s the lousy reality. Think logically about this … the compromise bill keeps ALL EXISTING SIGNS and the bridge will forever be called THE TAPPAN ZEE which is ultimately what we all want. But if you are STILL unconvinced, then when you contact your reps – just tell them how you feel. ANY call in support of the name, history, and tradition of the Tappan Zee Bridge – however it’s framed - will be a good thing. *YOUR PART* This is a crucial time. Is this an uphill battle? Yeah, somewhat, but let’s not let that stop us. Not only is it worth fighting for... it's quite possible we can win! Why? This is about history, it’s about tradition, it’s about the soul and character of place. It’s about reminding politicians that they are public servants who are supposed to respect the people, history and culture that they represent. Our lands, resources, and treasures belong to us, not them. At the very least, people, let’s not make this easy for them to get away with! 1. CALLS OR SEND EMAILS. IF YOU’VE DONE SO ALREADY, DO IT AGAIN. It doesn’t take hundreds and hundreds of people making calls to make a difference – a few dozen people making calls to representatives and town councils will go a long way. Please, today, be one of those people! List of Senators (our focus right now) with contact info is posted at the end of this update. And if you make some calls, please let us know: saveourtappanzee@gmail.com 2. CONTACT YOUR TOWN COUNCIL. If you live in any of the towns near the Tappan Zee Bridge, PLEASE CALL YOUR TOWN COUNCIL and ask them to draft a resolution supporting S7671. Ask them to send the resolution to full Senate and Assembly and to inform press. Get neighbors and friends to do the same. Make some noise – ask them WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO REMEDY THIS PUBLIC BETRAYAL?? SUGGESTED POINTS TO MAKE • You are angry and everyone you know is angry about a) the change of name and b) the way it was done (sneaky, with no public input) and C) the shameless waste of money that will be expended on this unnecessary and disrespectful decision. • You want them to support S7671 (the senate bill) and A8914 (the assembly bill)--both are compromise bills with the same language that would change the name to the MARIO M CUOMO TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE. • If they don’t support, ask for exact reason WHY. (they won’t have a good answer, trust us, because there is no good reason). Ask them to re-consider because a vote against this bill smacks of PARTISAN POLITICS and this shouldn’t be about politics! • This is not political, but you will remember how they voted on this issue. This is about history, tradition, and respecting the will of the people. The change in name is a slap in the face to the Native American Lenape tribe, to the important Dutch heritage this region of New York shares and WE WANT THE TZ name back! 3. I just yesterday started a youtube news show called "The Weekly 7 with Monroe Mann". Story # 6 in episode one is about... The Tappan Zee! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DkDb2VjtWU&list=PLDN_nrMN8mc-VqMjdh-TFTGvvQwA-o5t5 If you think it's a good way to spread the word, please share on your social media, because if I can get enough viewers, I will start talking about the Tappan Zee often and who knows who that could draw to our cause. Bottom line, WE ARE FOCUSING ON THE SENATE, as well as a couple of key Assembly people . Once things move forward, we’ll send out another update and give you a more complete list of Assembly members to contact. Here ya go …. Calls are best. Emails are next best. And print out the letter we have on our website and send snail mail! Even ONE phone call today will be helpful. TARGETED Senators: George Amedore (R)– Albany, Greene, Montgomery, Schenectady, Ulster 518.455.2350 amedore@nysenat.gov Jamaal Bailey (D) – Westchester 518.455.2061 bailey@nysenate.gov John Bonacic - TRANSP COMM, Delaware, Orange, Sullivan, Ulster 518.455.3181 bonacic@nysenate.gov David Carlucci (D) – Rockland, Westchester 518.455.2991 Carlucci@nysenate.gov Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) – Westchester 518.455.2585 scousins@nysenate.gov Tom Croci (R) TRANSP COMM. Suffolk 518.455.3570 croci@nysenate.gov Patrick Gallivan – (R)Liason to Executive Branch- Erie, Livingston, Monroe, Wyo. 518.455.6949 gallivant@nysenate.gov Joseph Griffo (R) DEP. MAJORITY WHIP -Louis, Oneida, St. Lawrence 518.455.3334 griffo@nysenate.gov Simcha Felder (D) Kings (caucuses with Republicans) 518.455.2754 felder@nysenate.gov John Flanagan (R) – Majority Leader / Suffolk 518.455.2071 Flanagan@nysenate.gov William Larkin (R) Orange, Rockland, Ulster 518.455.2770 larkin@nysenate.gov Todd Kaminsky (D) TRANS COMM. Nassau 518.455.3401 kaminsky@nysenate.gov Jeff Klein (D) (IDC) Bronx, Westchester 518.455.3595 jdklein@nysenate.gov Carl Marcellino (R) MAJORITY WHIP, TRANS. COMM, Nassau/Suffolk 518.455.2390 marcelli@nysenate.gov Terrance Murphy (R) Duchess, Putnam, Westchester 518.455-3111 murphy@nysenate.gov Pattie Ritchie (R) TRANSP COMM, Jefferson, Oswego, St. Lawrence 518.455.3438 Ritchie@nysenate.gov Joseph Robach (R) CHAIR TRANSP. COMM. Monroe 518.455.2909 Robach@nysenate.gov Diane Savino (D) (IDC) Kings, Richmond 518.455. 2437 savino@nysenate.gov David Valesky (D) (IDC), Madison, Oneida, Onandaga 518.455.2838 valesky@nysenate.gov Catherine Young (R) TRANSP. COMM. - Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Livingston 518.455.3563 cyoung@nysenate.gov A FEW ASSEMBLY MEMBERS (for now… more to come in future update): You can easily get their contact info here: http://nyassembly.gov/mem/ Speaker: Carl Heastie (D) Transportation Chair: David Gantt (D) Minority Leader: Brian Kolbe (R) Standing Committees Chair: Marc Butler (D) Minority Whip: Anderew Raia (R) Dep. Minority Whip: Nicole Malliotakis (R) Thanks so much for your continuing support! Remember, you can support us in many ways. Right now, we need: a) Calls made to senators and other legislators b) Donations to help us pay for the printouts of the petition signatures c) Purchases of our merchandise for you to display and/or distribute. People ARE seeing the stuff you are putting on your lawns, cars, and lately, I've been stopping at supermarkets and distributing cards and flyers. You can help us out at www.saveourtappanzee.org. And please. Make at least ONE phone call today. -Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME Executive Director, Save Our Tappan Zee, Inc. www.saveourtappanzee.org