Letter to the Editor in Support of Jonathan Lewis

This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Jyoti Ruta.

Jonathan Lewis, a neighbor and friend whom I have known for 10 years, is running for the 16th Congressional District seat. The District includes Northern Bronx and Southern Westchester County.

Jonathan was born in Mount Vernon and lived his early years in Eastchester where his father, a WWII veteran, was a Town Democratic Party Chairman. He obtained his BA in history from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and returned to New York to obtain his MBA from Columbia University. He settled in Queens, where he met his wife, Laura, whose mother was the sole support of her two daughters.

Jonathan developed a career in fixed income investing and ultimately started a firm with colleagues. His work experience provides him with the expertise to understand the economy and what it is means to be an entrepreneur.

After the birth of their son, he supported his wife in her desire to go to law school and he helped make it a reality with financial support and rearranging his schedule to help care for their infant son.

After Laura graduated law school, the family moved to the District in 2001, where Laura worked for the Pace Women’s Justice Center, representing victims of domestic violence for several years. In 2006, their daughter Hannah was diagnosed with Type I diabetes when she was six years old. Devastated, the family became educated on how to manage Type I diabetes and became active with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Westchester, where Jonathan served as a board member and Chapter President.

I was working alongside Jonathan on a committee in 2010 when I was saddened to learn that their older child had just recently been diagnosed with Type I diabetes as well. Jonathan and Laura work hard to help their children stay strong and focused on life.

In addition to JDRF, Jonathan has been an engaged community volunteer, working in numerous local organizations. I came to know Jonathan through his work on the Scarsdale Board of Education, where he focused on fiscal responsibility while maximizing resources to enhance professional development, among other initiatives. I was impressed by his ability to gain consensus to achieve the results our schools needed. These skills will enable him to be an effective Congressperson.

Jonathan is dedicated to improving education for all. He currently serves on the board of Yonkers Partners in Education, having started as a mentor to students, helping them complete their college applications. His involvement with Yonkers’ students provides him with insight as to the challenges and needs of the District’s other neighborhoods.

As an educator, I am well aware of the serious issues facing our schools, including school safety, students’ mental health, testing, strict mandates from state and federal governments, faculty performance evaluation standards, and declining school budgets. I believe that Jonathan will bring to bear his knowledge and experience to fight for our children and education for all.

Jonathan is also experienced in matters of foreign affairs, having served for 25 years with a non-profit organization called Business Executives for National Security (“BENS”) whose main purpose is to bring best business practices into the realm of national security. Further, he has written two books on foreign affairs. His volunteer work with BENS has afforded him the unique perspective of first-hand knowledge of the workings of national security as a civilian and he was awarded the CIA’s Agency Seal Medal.

Jonathan’s life has prepared him for this Congressional seat.

As a child listening to his grandmother talk about the horrific state of czarist Russia, he knows the plight of immigrants. Jonathan understands that immigrants come to this country to improve their lives and the lives of their families and contribute to their communities. He will work hard to protect immigrant families and ensure that immigrant families stay together.

Jonathan knows the importance of quality health care and believes health care is a right and not a privilege. It’s time to put the interests of our citizens ahead of the big pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Jonathan will fight for a single payer health care system and controls on the costs of prescription medication.

Jonathan is committed to women’s rights and will fight for laws that protect a woman’s right to reproductive health care, equality in the workplace and protections against sexual assault and prosecution of those who commit sexual assault.

We live under the constant threat of terrorism, and I believe that Jonathan will bring his knowledge of national security issues and be an important stabilizing influence in the current, chaotic administration.

Jonathan is for real campaign finance reform. Jonathan has vowed to not take a penny of special interest money to reduce the influence of special interest groups on our democracy.

Jonathan Lewis possesses the willingness to reach across the aisle and work in a non-partisan way to achieve results, a lacking characteristic in Washington these days. We need a Congressperson with the intellect to solve complex problems and who is energetic, ready, willing, and able to serve the diverse citizenry of the 16th Congressional District, in order to bring about the solutions we need.

Please learn more on his website jonathanlewisforcongress.com.

I urge all my friends, neighbors, and registered Democrats of the 16th Congressional District to vote in the Democratic Primary on Tuesday June 26 for Jonathan Lewis.