NY-21 Congress Watchdogs is a new regionally based, grassroots advocacy group whose aim is to work across party and even ideological lines to monitor the voting record, statements and actions of whomever is currently serving as the U.S. Representative for New York’s 21st Congressional District (NY-21) — regardless of the person’s party affiliation — while, at the same time, informing district residents of their representative’s activities to encourage widespread citizen action that is in the public interest and serves the common good.
On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 8:15 pm, the Watchdog group is offering a free training workshop online on how to research Congressional legislation. The training will be led by Peter LaVenia, a founding member of the group, Co-Chair of the New York State Green Party and a professor of political science at SUNY Oneonta. The workshop is open to all, and people can sign up to receive the meeting link by emailing ny21congresswatchdogs@gmail.com.
Organizers say the NY-21 Watchdog project is a test case for what Ralph Nader envisioned in his 2012 book The Seventeen Solutions: Bold Ideas for Our American Future — namely, a Congress watchdog, or CWD, group established in every one of the 435 Congressional Districts across America.
The NY-21 Congress Watchdog group is strictly nonpartisan in that it is not affiliated with any political party, and it welcomes all members of the public who share its mission of acting in the public interest and serving the common good.
Offering this training opportunity on the birthday of Abraham Lincoln recalls his service the U.S. House of Representatives (1847-49) as something of a public-interest advocate.
Elected to the House in 1846 as a member of the Whig Party, he promised to serve only one term; opposed the Mexican-American War; supported the Wilmot Proviso, which would have banned slavery in any new U.S. territories; and, in January 1849, proposed a bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia.
Illustration: New York 21st Congressional District (NY-21) since 2025 (wikimedia).
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