Press Releases

Rev. Al Sharpton, Congressman Charles Rangel, Congressman Greg Meeks, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, NY State Senate President Malcolm Smith, Congressman Jose Serrano and many other elected officials and members of the clergy convene for historic leadership

February 27, 2010 (New York, NY) –Rev. Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network and one of the country’s foremost leaders for civil rights, convened a historic leadership meeting today at Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem, New York, along with Congressman Greg Meeks, Senator Malcolm Smith, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, former State Comptroller Carl McCall, and many others to discuss the future of New York State politics and how to cohesively move forward in a way that unifies the Democratic party. Four action points evolved from the meeting:

1. Now that Governor Paterson has announced he will not run for re-election, the collective wants to put the focus back on policy not politics, including the areas of budget protection, job creation, education reform, health care, and entrepreneurial services.

2. The group will seek a meeting with Governor Paterson to chart a course of action for his remaining 307 days in office around these areas while pledging not to belabor distractive issues

3. The Collective will seek a meeting with whoever announces that they will run for Governor and get their position on the aforementioned issues

4. The group is calling on their respective churches to pray for Governor Paterson’s and his family and all involved in the matters that were the basis for him not to seek re-election.