Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,
I read with great interest your recent article “GOP senators concerned by lack of Republican Fellows” (Capitol Weekly; December 7, 2006). In 1982, when I was a Senate Fellow for freshman John Seymour, there were only 12 fellows in the Senate Fellowship program. I was the only Fellow assigned to a Republican. The disparity between Republican and Democrat Fellows is nothing new. The interview panel is dominated by Democrats who get to ensure that the Fellows selected are, in fact, Democrats. Just like redistricting, the selection panel should be citizen-based, where the applicant’s registration is not even known to the panel. That way, the best candidates will be selected and he or she will select in what office they want to spend their year. Right now, great weight is placed on the candidate’s partisanship when it should be focused on their qualifications.

Todd Spitzer
Assembly member, 71st District

Dear Editor,
I thought your story about Maria [Shriver]’s role in the re-election campaign