As a resident of the 46th state Senate District, I was offended by the circumstances surrounding the district's creation, gerrymandering for the sole purpose of preserving a Republican Senate majority, with the seat assigned to a hand-picked candidate able to fund most of the campaign costs.
I felt better when Cecilia Tkaczyk emerged as the "other candidate" in the race as she offered superior knowledge of relevant issues and positions better aligned with those of most district voters. I was thrilled when the Election Day vote count indicated the hard work and commitment of Ms. Tkaczyk had resulted in a win for the "regular people" of the district.
The desire to see a fair outcome to this election is why I am appalled by the goings-on in a Montgomery County courtroom, where expensive lawyers from Senate Republican interests are fighting mightily against the counting of votes from citizens registered to vote in the district.
Their objections are overwhelmingly on the basis of technicalities. Their effort to suppress the legitimate tallying of votes is at best reminiscent of Florida in 2000. At worst, it takes us back to 50 years ago in the Deep South.
Open the ballots. If there are indeed substantive defects in any, invalidate them and tally the rest. In a district created for a lot of wrong reasons, we citizens at least deserve to have a representative in the state Senate that we can be proud of. Let Cecilia Tkaczyk take the office she has earned.
DONALD CSAPOSS
Albany