AARP, Hispanic Federation, Asian American Federation NAACP, & NALEO Join Forces to bring Voting Powerhouses’ Issues to Center Stage In partnership with WXTV Univision 41, WABC, Amsterdam News, and SinoTV/1380 AM, Town Hall will focus on Issues Critical to Most Powerful Voting Groups in NYC
NEW YORK, NY (TIP): New York City powerhouse voting groups announced July 31 that they are holding a historic Mayoral Town Hall. AARP, Hispanic Federation, Asian America Federation, NAACAP, and NALEO will team up with WXTV Univision 41, WABC, Amsterdam News, and SinoTV/1380 AM to host a New York City Mayoral Town Hall on Tuesday, August 6th at Hunter College, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The town hall will be the first time the groups have combined their voter engagement muscle to hold an event. To date, Mayoral hopefuls Sal Albanese, Aldofo Carrion, John A. Catsimatidis, Joe Lhota, John Liu, George McDonald, Erick Salgado, Bill Thompson, have all confirmed their participation. Hispanic, Asian, and African American/Black/Caribbean voters 50+ in New York City will account for about 47 percent of ballots cast in the upcoming election and according to a recent AARP analysis, roughly half of all voters in the elections will be AARP members.

WXTV Univision 41, the leading Spanish-language television station in the New York area, will moderate and broadcast the town hall. A media panel including journalists from WABC, Amsterdam News and SinoTV will ask the Mayoral candidates a series of questions with several additional questions coming from the expected crowd of over 1,000. Together, the groups have key issues they are looking for the candidates to address including: jobs and the economy, housing affordability, sandwich generation issues such as caring for aging parents and older children, as well as how to make NYC a better place to live, work and age.

“There’s a lot of noise in this election, our goal is to bring together some of the most powerful voting groups to help cut through it, and give the candidates the opportunity to tell where they stand on New York City voters’ kitchen table issues,” said Beth Finkel, State Director for AARP in New York State. “The multicultural communities are no longer a minority, and are on the way to becoming a majority of the vote in NYC – we want to be sure their issues are front and center for the candidates.”

While AARP does not endorse candidates, have a PAC, or give money to campaigns or political parties, the non-partisan membership organization does provide straight-forward information on the issues to 50-plus voters, the media and the general public. Follow us on Twitter: @AARPNY and Facebook: AARP New York AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment and income security, retirement planning, affordable utilities and protection from financial abuse.

We advocate for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services. A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world’s largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP en Español, a Spanish-language website addressing the interests and needs of Hispanics.

AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity of AARP that is working to win back opportunity for struggling Americans 50+ by being a force for change on the most serious issues they face today: housing, hunger, income and isolation. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.