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Bonsell: Mamdani’s Pay Reversal Shows Albany Needs an Independent Check
State Senate Candidate Points to Mayor's Reversal on $10,000 Paraprofessional Payments as Evidence Albany Has Been a Rubber Stamp
Alina Bonsell, the Republican nominee for New York State Senate District 28 who is also running on the independent Block Mamdani line, criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s lawsuit challenging legislation that would provide up to $10,000 in workforce-stabilization payments to public-school paraprofessionals.
The RESPECT Check Act passed the City Council unanimously. Mamdani supported the proposal while campaigning for mayor and received the endorsement of the United Federation of Teachers. His administration is now seeking to block the law in court.
“Mamdani asked educators to trust him, accepted their support and promised to help pass the RESPECT Check. Now his administration is fighting it,” Bonsell said. “That reversal is precisely why New York needs independent voices in Albany.”
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Bonsell created the Block Mamdani independent ballot line to define the role she intends to play in the State Senate.
“I had only 14 characters to name my independent line, and Block Mamdani says exactly what it represents,” Bonsell said. “When Mayor Mamdani seeks Albany’s approval for policies that would hurt New Yorkers, I will be there to block them. I will not be another rubber stamp for his agenda in the State Senate.”
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Bonsell contrasted her position with that of her opponent, Senator Liz Krueger, who endorsed Mamdani for mayor.
“Liz Krueger endorsed Mamdani and supports his political agenda,” Bonsell said. “District 28 deserves a senator who will provide an independent check in Albany, especially when campaign promises are abandoned after the election.”
Paraprofessionals support some of the school system’s most vulnerable and highest-need students while earning starting salaries of approximately $32,000. Bonsell said their treatment reflects the broader political neglect at the center of her campaign.
“This is what End the Neglect means,” Bonsell concluded. “Stop taking working New Yorkers for granted. Stop making promises to earn endorsements and votes, only to reverse course after the election. Block Mamdani means accountability, independence and a State Senator who will put the people of this district first.”
