Between the presidential election, interesting local elections, controversial issues, and colorful personalities, Kings County Politics had its’ hands full in 2016.
The following are KCP’s top 10 stories in no particular order. Some are listed because of the enormous amount of clicks they generated, while others made the list because we liked the writing and/or issues involved. So with no further adieu here they are:
Minutes Reveal BOE Chief, Commissioners Knew About Mass Purging Of Voters
This fairly short story exclusive from May 5 is actually a follow-up to an earlier story that we broke concerning the City’s Board of Elections purging voters from the rolls. It drew over 14,000 views, fueled in good part from Bernie Sanders supporters, who helped make the story go viral to make their case that the New York State Presidential Primary was rigged in favor of Hillary Clinton.
NYS Presidential Primary: Hillary Goes To Sunset Park, Sanders Does Coney Island
Speaking of the presidential primary, this Brooklyn stump campaign story showcases how Hillary Clinton was something of a flawed candidate from the beginning. While KCP, which usually shuns away from endorsements, did finally endorse Clinton, it did so holding its’ journalistic nose. We certainly hope that in four years, Democrats offer voters at least five qualified candidates running for the presidential nomination in an open and transparent process.
A Heartfelt Remembrance: Kenneth P. “Ken” Thompson
KCP has been very fortunate to have some excellent freelancers, and Daisy A. James writes like jazz music. This story about Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson’s funeral is both well-written and heartfelt. Thompson’s passing was a major story in itself and a tragic shock to all of Brooklyn and New York City.
Op-Ed: Political Expedience and The Liang Trial
This op-ed was written following a protest in which about 10,000 Chinese-Americans attended to protest and show solidarity for former NYPD Rookie Officer Peter Liang, who at the time faced 15 years in prison after being convicted on manslaughter charges in the shooting death of Akai Gurley in the darkened stairwell in the Pink Houses in East New York.
DA Thompson later judiciously reduced the charges so that Liang would not serve prison time.
Chasidic Trailblazer Ruchie Freier Faces Gender Test In Judgeship Run (Updated)
This story was written off a tip when Chasidic attorney Ruchie Freier was locked in a three-way primary for a seat on the Civil Court bench against a politically connected Boro Park attorney with a shady past and a secular attorney form Flatbush.
As if Freier coming from a patriarchal social background wasn’t enough of a challenge to overcome, her role in creating the all-women’s volunteer Ezras Nashim ambulance company added another seemingly strike against her. That’s because the politically connected all-mens volunteer Hatzalah ambulance company viewed this as a threat. It all made her winning battle for the judgeship seat all the more compelling.
This story, and a few others KCP wrote, contributed to Freier’s victory, but the real force behind her win was Freier herself, as she is extremely smart with great political instincts.
46 AD Results: Harris, Treyger, Schack Sweep To Big Win
Covering any electorial district that includes even part of Bay Ridge – be it state assembly, senate, congressional or city council – is always a take-no-prisoners affair, where not even journalists are spared.
This race between Assemblywoman Pam Harris who is from Coney Island and challenger Kate Cucco, whose base was Bay Ridge was a great example. To top it off, there was a great side battle for the Democratic district leadership race between City Councilman Mark Treyger and Bay Ridge political operative Chris McCreight.
But as much fun as these races were to cover, the main event is this years open Bay Ridge City Council seat where six and possibly more candidates are expected to duke it out between the Democratic and Republican primary, and as this is one district where the GOP has a strong toehold, the general election should be a doozy as well.
55th AD Race: Walker, Mealy Race Figures To Be Down & Dirty
Brownsville is another neighborhood where political passions run deep and politics is not for feint of heart. This battle between incumbent Assemblywoman Latrice Walker and term-limited City Councilwoman Darlene Mealy was filled with innuendo and campaign fliers that could make a sailor blush.
While Walker won this race convincingly, the race to succeed Mealy in the 41st District is another worth watching and will certainly be fun to cover. There are several qualified candidates in this district, which also includes parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant, East Flatbush, Flatbush and Crown Heights.
All in all, Central Brooklyn has some of the best political leadership in the city, making it easy to see how Central Brooklyn has replaced Harlem as the center of Black politics in New York City.
Stumpy Wagers Sells The Park Slope Library
With the sale of two branches of the Brooklyn Public Library happening in 2016, KCP can’t help but feel for all the curmudgeons who spend days in the library and hold them as being sacred.
Among these people is political pundit Stumpy Wagers, who makes his entrance now and agin in KCP to weigh in on the issues of the day. Here, the Stump man weighs in on the sale of public libraries while taking a small satiric swipe and progressive City Council Member Brad Lander, who pushed to get both libraries sold while getting additional funding for his own public library in Park Slope.
Wyckoff Gardens Resident Offers Solution To NYCHA Woes
When former Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it made sense to sell some of NYCHA’s considerable amount of property to raise money for the cash-strapped agency, many in the city protested and fewer more than former Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.
Now that de Blasio is mayor he re-marketed the plan and called it NextGen, but it still isn’t sitting right with a good number of NYCHA residents. De Blasio has promised under his plan more affordable housing and other benefits for residents, and thus far there are several good proposals slated under the plan.
But at Wyckoff Gardens in the heart of the hip neighborhood of Gowanus, there is genuine concerns that NextGen could spur yet more gentrification.
KCP Exclusive: Medgar Evers College Reaches Out For More Orthodox Jewish Students
What do you get when you mix Medgar Evers College, a CUNY school, created as a bastion of study for the Brooklyn’s predominately black population, with the Lubavitcher Jews of Crown Heights that is filled with young college-aged kids just up the block from the school?
You get the suggestion that Medgar Evers do more outreach for these Jewish students and a huge controversy. For all the stated differences between the Jewish and Black diasporan cultures, there remains a bond between them that at times can be maddening, passionate, discriminatory on both sides and often comical in a gloomy perverse way.
Indeed, Brooklyn remains a grand mosaic of cultures and the interaction between Blacks, Whites, Jews, Muslims, Hispanic and Chinese. This mix of cultures, together with a host of upcoming elections and policy issues, will make 2017 every bit as interesting as it was to cover in 2016. And maybe more.
