I'm not actually happy to be in this situation.  You see I long to be a nice compact, competitive district with a healthy mix of constituents who are able to participate in the democratic process with confidence that their votes are important to the outcome.  I may look impressive, having been artfully drawn to resemble one of our great leaders, but I lack the vibrancy which comes from a healthy electoral process.

That's why I went to Albany to join hundreds of citizen reformers on Reform NY day this Monday.  We asked the legislature to support Governor Spitzer's call for independent redistricting, fair elections through full public financing and same-day voter registration.  It was a great day.  I explained my problem to very sympathetic members of the public and the press on the steps of the capital building and joined them at a lunch with the Governor and many of the leaders of the legislature.

You can find out more about how it went and some of the issues I learned about that day here.  I hope that the majority leadership in the state legislature can help me.  I know the legislators I met yesterday were with me and the people who live in the 51st.  Join me in demanding reform for New York and the many other districts which are badly drawn (without the benefit of looking like a former president).