Davis In Orlando As House Dems Do Sit In
Geoffrey Davis, 43th Assembly District Democratic leader, traveled to Orlando, Florida this past weekend to meet with families and supporters of the 49 people killed in the mass hate/terror shooting at the gay nightclub, Pulse.
Davis went in his role as the president of the national James E. Davis Stop Violence Foundation, which he founded with his brother, the late city councilman for whom the foundation is named.
“We also participated in a prayer vigil and address gun violence and how it affects people from all walks of life, and how we should put pressure on Washington DC to at very minimum pass a law that will not allow someone on the FBI’s watch list as a possible terrorist buy an assault weapon,” said Davis.
Davis’ trip and comments come as Democratic members of the House are staging a sit-in in the nation’s Capital Building in efforts to force a vote on a bill to do just that. KCP will call Brooklyn’s Congress members today to see if they participated in the sit-in.
Team Colton Supports Wan For Supreme Court Judge
Assemblyman William Colton (Bensonhurst, Bath Beach), and his team of 47th Assembly Democratic District leader Charles Ragusa and Nancy Tong announced their support this week of Lillian Wan, who if elected, will become the first Asian American elected Supreme Court Judge in Brooklyn.
Wan currently serves as a New York City Family Court Judge, handling cases of child abuse, custody, and visitation. She was the first Asian American woman appointed to the New York City Family Court Bench.
The press release puts Ragusa’s endorsement front and center as he faces an upcoming district leadership election against independent Billy Thai in a district that is increasingly Asian, and where Brooklyn’s Asian-American community continues the growing pains of finding political empowerment.
“Judge Wan has spent over a decade dealing with various aspects of the law, serving as a Court Attorney-Referee, trial attorney, and on the City Bar’s Nominating Committee. Beyond serving in the courts, she has made many appearances in neighborhood schools. She is a great example of someone who has a track record for helping the community and maintaining the high standards of the law. I would like to give my full support to her and hope my fellow district leaders do the same,” Ragusa.
Walker, Montgomery Hold High-Powered Fundraisers
Freshman Assemblywoman Latrice Walker (Brownsville) and veteran State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (Bed-Stuy, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Sunset Park, Red Hook) on Monday will hold separate fundraisers for their upcoming primary elections, in which a bevy of the borough’s elected officials will come to support them.
Walker is expected to face a challenge from City Council Member Darlene Mealy for re-election. Montgomery is facing a challenge from political operative Michael Cox.
Among those slated to attend the Walker fundraiser are Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Public Advocate Letitia James and Assembly member Diana C. Richardson. Working Families Party officials Margaret Kelley, Bill Lipton and Dorothy Siegel are the hosts.
The fundraiser is slated for between 6-8 p.m., Monday June 27 at 230 Clinton Street in Brooklyn Heights.
Assemblyman Walter Mosley will host the Montgomery fundraiser. Among those expected to attend are Congressmembers Clarke, Hakeem Jeffries, Nydia Velazquez and Jerrold Nadler.
The event is slated for between 6-9 p.m., Monday, June 27 at Brooklyn Commons, 388 Atlantic Avenue, between Bond and Hoyt streets.
Cornegy Commercial Tenant Harassment Bill Passes Council
City Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr. (Bed-Stuy, Northern Crown Heights), chair of the Copuncil’s Small Business Committee, saw the City Council pass his bill this week that slaps landlords with penalties for harassing small business owners they rent to.
The legislation bans commercial landlords from using physical intimidation or threats, denying repairs or cutting off heat and utilities to try to force the business to leave.
Apartment landlords already face fines for those tactics, but it hasn’t previously applied to commercial buildings.
Under the measure, landlords that harass commercail tenants will face fines of $1,000 to $10,000, and tenants would also be able to sue for damages or a court order to stop the harassment
Cymbrowitz, Mosley Hail Cuomo Signature On Bill To Fight Heroin Abuse
Assembly members Steven Cymbrowitz (Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach) and D-Brooklyn) and Walter Mosley hailed Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday in signing legislation to combat the continuing heroin and opioid crisis in New York State.
The comprehensive package of bills increase access to treatment, expand community prevention strategies, and limit the over-prescription of opioids in New York.
“Two years ago, when it became clear that the heroin and opioid epidemic was out of control, I worked with legislative leaders and Gov. Cuomo to come up with a series of bills to combat a pandemic that was affecting every community in our state and bringing tragedy and pain to far too many families,” said Cymbrowitz.
“This year’s accomplishments, born out of our initial efforts, represent the Governor’s continued commitment – and the commitment of all who want to see this problem eradicated — to ensure that prevention, treatment, and recovery resources are abundant so that anyone who is suffering from an addiction to heroin or opioid will be able to access services they need,” he added.
Mosley said his community – like many others throughout New York – has been hard hit by the heroin and opioid addiction crisis.
“This epidemic is costing lives, contributing to crime and bringing pain and suffering to so many families. While this is a far-reaching and difficult problem to solve, I’m committed to doing everything I can on the state level to tackle the issue,” said Mosley.
Thomas Jefferson Club Petition Reminder
The Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club, the home club of Kings County Democratic Party boss Frank Seddio, is reminding those in the party collecting petitions for candidates to get on the ballot for the September state primary that they will start collecting completed petitions from 8-10 p.m. tonight.
The club will also collect the petitions from 8-10 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28 and on the last day to get them from 7 -10 p.m., Thursday, June 30. The Club is located at 77 Conklin Avenue in Canrasie.
Petition envelopes mention a “minimum signature required” total. Please keep in mind that this is the minimum needed to qualify your county committee members. It is not the minimum number of signatures we are expecting you to obtain. The more signatures we obtain for our candidates, the less likely someone will be willing to challenge our petitions.
As usual, we will list the Top 10 petition leaders will be featured in the Club’s next newsletter and Facebook page.
