Anthony Jones, the male Democratic District Leader of the 55th Assembly District covering Brownsville today, said he’s endorsing Alicka Samuel for the 41st City Council District seat next year.
Term-limited City Councilwoman Darlene Mealy currently has the seat covering all of Brownsville and parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bushwick, Crown Heights, East Flatbush and Prospect Lefferts Gardens.
“Brownsville has been very under represented in the city council for a longtime,” said Jones, noting that Mealy is from Bedford-Stuyvesant. “Our Assemblywoman Latrice Walker supports Alicka and we (Walker, Samuel and Jones) grew up in the community and know each other’s family members. We also have a long history or working together politically and I’m not interested in splitting the community. I’m all about community.”
Jones announcement squelched speculation that he may run for the seat in what is expected to be a highly competitive race with Samuel and Community Board 3 District Manager Henry Butler being the early frontrunners.
The announcement also came on the day when District Attorney Eric Gonzalez dropped misdemeanor assault and harassment charges against Jones for a series of incidents allegedly involving a woman living in the NYCHA’s Langston Hughes Houses.
The arrest occurred during the petitioning process for both the District Leader and 55th Assembly District seat last July in a down and dirty election between Walker and Mealy. Jones has steadfastly maintained the arrest was a setup involving political opponents, and 73rd Precinct detectives which “coerced” the alleged victim to press charges. Jones, who was never arrested before, said the entire incident taught him a lot about the criminal justice system, and he’s glad to put the incident behind him.
Jones said now that he has decided he’s not running, he plans on taking Samuel to meet with Kings County Democratic Chair Frank Seddio for the County’s blessing. He also plans on working to get the support of Brownsville State Sen. Jesse Hamilton, and Congress Members Yvette Clarke and Hakeem Jeffries, both of whom represent part of the City Council District.
Samuel is the former female Democratic District Leader and Walker’s former Chief of Staff. She currently works as a senior advisor for NYCHA and has a law degree.
“It’s a true statement that Brownsville is underrepresented in the City Council,” said Samuel, who grew up in NYCHA’s Marcus Garvey Houses. “It’s great to have someone (Jones) to speak to the unique needs of this part of the district , which has the second highest concentration of public housing in the city. In our community, it’s always good to have the support of other leaders.”
Butler, who is also president of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s Vanguard Independent Democratic Association (VIDA) political club, could not be reached for comment.
