FROM: Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn

THE ASSEMBLY STATE OF NEW YORK COMMITTEES ALBANY Health Labor

NETTIE MAYERSOHN Assemblywoman 27th District

MEMORANDUM

TO: Assembly & Senate Colleagues

DATE: March 3, 2008

RE: Michael Kink Appointment

As many of you may have heard, the Senate Minority last week appointed Michael Kink as their Director of Policy and Special Counsel. Kink has spent the last 13 years as the Legislative Counsel for Housing Works. Housing Works is a government funded group that “strives to ensure that homeless and low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and their families have adequate housing, food, social support, drug treatment, health care, and employment.” What they don’t mention on their web site is that, Housing Works has consistently opposed legislation introduced by me that was successful in helping to curb the spread of the disease – The Baby AIDS law, Partner Notification and the HIV Rape Law.

In response to my legislation, they have labeled me “vicious” and “infamous”. I have even been labeled the “AIDS Monster.” Protesters demonstrated outside my home in the middle of the night, and trashed my office in Albany. But their hateful rhetoric took a dangerous turn last year. While lobbying in opposition to my HIV Rape bill, members and volunteers organized by Michael Kink and Housing Works displayed a poster showing me and the Governor with a bulls-eye over our faces.

I am inured to the personal attacks by Housing Works, but I am outraged that the man charged with designing such a hateful and dangerous campaign has been appointed by the Senate Minority as policy adviser to the Senate Democrats.

I am therefore asking my colleagues to please call Malcolm Smith, Senate Minority Leader, and urge that he withdraw his support for Michael Kink as policy adviser and Special Counsel to the Democratic Senate Minority.

ALBANY OFFICE: Room 746, Legislative Office Building, Albany, New York 12248 Tel (518) 455-4404, fax (518)-455-5408 DISTRICT OFFICE: 159-06 71st Avenue, Flushing, New York 11365 Tel (718) 969-1508, fax (718) 969-8326