Donovan Endorses McCabe
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) today formally endorsed Republican Liam McCabe for the open seat in the 43rd District City Council race covering Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Bath Beach.
McCabe, a longtime Republican operative, previously served as Donovan’s winning Brooklyn campaign director in 2016, and then worked on Donovan’s staff providing constituent services before recently leaving the position to run for the City Council.
“We need common sense leadership in the City Council, and I know Liam will deliver for the people of South Brooklyn,” said Donovan, whose Brooklyn end of the district includes the neighborhoods in the City Council district. “I’m proud to endorse him and look forward to having him as a partner in government.
McCabe faces Bob Capano and John Quaglione in the Sept. 12 Republican Primary.
Capano Endorses His Boss Catsimatedes For Mayor
Bob Capano, one of three Republican candidates for term-limited City Councilman Vincent Gentile‘s 43rd Council District (Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst) last week all but endorsed his boss, Supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis to run on the GOP line for mayor
Catsimatides, although deep-pocketed, lost to Joe Lhota in the GOP Primary in 2013 by a 52.6 percent to 40.7 percent margin, and then de Blasio creamed Lhoto in the general primary, but Capano still feels Catsimatides has what it takes to defeat incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“Without question, either one of the two [announced] candidates [Paul Massey and Michel Faulkner] we heard from would be far better than Bill de Blasio. However, to actually win City Hall, we need a Republican candidate who already has name recognition and can expand our base. To me, that candidate is John Catsimatidis. He ran a city-wide campaign just four years ago, expanding his well-known name recognition and built a team of supporters in every borough,” said Capano, whose day job is working Catsimatides Grestides supermarket chain.
Ironically, just two weeks ago, Capano slammed Democratic candidate for the city council seat Justin Brannan for taking a job with Gentile, which could lead to the perception of campaigning while working for a government official. “This is exactly why voters are tired of political insiders,” Capano observed.
While Capano does work in the private sector, Catsimatides is about as close to working in the public sector as you can get without actually working in it. Catsimatides’ office wall is lined with photos of him with electeds from presidents on down, and the supermarket tycoon is a huge campaign contributor to numerous elections, including to Capano’s campaign. According to campaign finance records, the Catsimatides family has already contributed several thousand dollars.
Capano, though, continues to run a strong campaign and besides having the support of Catsimatides, recently received the endorsement of WABC radio personality Curtis Sliwa and former Brooklyn Republican Party Chair Craig Eaton.
The other Republicans running in the primary seat are Liam McCabe and John Quaglione.
Butler Slams Trump, Carson On NYCHA Funding Cuts
Democrat Henry Butler, who is running for term limited City Councilwoman Darlene Mealy‘s 41st District City Council seat representing Brownsville, and parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights and East Flatbush, today slammed the Trump Administration and new HUD Secretary Ben Carson for reported cuts to public housing.
The district is one of the economically poorest in the city and includes a number of public New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complexes. According to published reports, the Trump Administration will cut $35 million in funding to the city for public housing.
“As someone who grew up in and worked for New York City Housing, I am deeply troubled and disgusted by the drastic cuts in federal funding for NYCHA,” said Butler. “The 41st Council District represents one of the largest public housing populations in New York City. At a time when we are experiencing an affordable housing crisis we should be investing in public housing to help hard-working residents of this city. The Trump administration’s drastic cuts of funding to NYCHA will only stall the much-needed capital renovations that are long overdue.
“My concerns are for NYCHA residents throughout the city, including my parents who still reside in Tompkins Houses. I look forward to working with my congressional representatives and the residents of NYCHA as we fight back against the Trump/Carson agenda to end public housing.”
Samuel Nabs Make The Road Endorsement
Alicka Samuel, one of the A-List candidates for the term-limited Darlene Mealy‘s 41st District City Council seat picked up the endorsement of Make the Road Action (MRA), the grassroots advocacy organization representing Latino communities in New York City and Long Island.
The district includes Brownsville and parts of Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights and East Flatbush.
Samuel was one of four progressive women of color for open City Council seats this fall that nabbed the endorsement. The other women that received endorsements include Carlina Rivera (Manhattan), Diana Ayala (Manhattan and the Bronx), and Marjorie Velázquez (Bronx).
“In our current national climate local municipalities must now become the stewards of protection for all people of color; no matter their country of origin. I will always fight for New York City to remain a safe haven for the freedoms and rights upon which our country was founded. As a people we cannot afford to move in isolation. We must embrace the idea of community to realize the fullness of our potential as a society,” said Samuel.
Speaking of Mealy, who remains the female Democratic District Leader – she told KCP she feels recharged and is looking forward to another matchup against Assemblywoman Latrice Walker in 2018 for the Brownsville assembly seat.
The other A-List candidates in the 41st District City Council primary include Henry Butler, Cory Provost, Deidre Olivera and Kathleen Daniel.
