The people in Queens and the Bronx have started to ask this very question rather loudly. According to recent reports, frustration is bubbling over in New York’s 14th Congressional District. Constituents are voicing concerns that their representative is more focused on building her national profile and chasing progressive causes than addressing the bread-and-butter issues affecting their community.
As one Queens resident, Lauro Vazquez, bluntly put it to the New York Post:
This woman has done nothing for the community she was once again elected to serve.
Feeling ignored is one thing, but constituents paint a picture of outright neglect. Need help navigating federal bureaucracy? Good luck reaching AOC’s office. Reports indicate her Bronx office is only open once a week, while the Queens location shuts its doors on Fridays. Calls allegedly go unanswered, and many are simply told to schedule an appointment—not exactly the open-door policy people should expect from someone representing nearly 700,000 people, especially when taxpayers fork over a reported $1.9 million to fund those offices.
Remember the town halls? They used to be monthly affairs, a chance for direct engagement. Now? They are infrequent, and sometimes the Congresswoman does not even show up in person, opting to phone in instead. At a recent event in Jackson Heights, she reportedly stayed less than an hour and took only six questions before departing, leaving many in the packed auditorium wanting. The “mundane” tasks of constituent service, like tackling local concerns about jobs, safety, or controversial casino proposals, are not quite as glamorous as national tours.
Speaking of national tours, AOC has been crisscrossing the country with fellow socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. It sounds noble, does it not? Except, how are these champions of the common folk traveling? By private jet. The very mode of transport synonymous with the ultra-wealthy “oligarchs” they decry is reportedly their ride of choice, sparking accusations of blatant hypocrisy based on reporting and photos cited in the Daily Mail.
Elmhurst Republican City Council candidate Ramses Frias, who dubbed AOC an “absentee landlord,” hit the nail on the head…..