City Council Member Mathieu Eugene (D-Prospect Park Lefferts Garden, Flatbush, Ditmas Park)kicked off his third term last night with an inauguration that acknowledged the diversity of the 40th District and called for unity under his representation.
Over 200 constituents, elected officials, and community leaders gathered at the Erasmus Hall High School, 911 Flatbush Avenue in Flatbush to celebrate the incumbent and usher in four more years of leadership.
Eugene’s inauguration and November general election win marked the end of a hard-fought competition for the seat.
In a primary centered on housing, education, immigration and healthcare, challengers Brian Cunningham, Pia Raymond, and Jennifer Berkley took a large chunk of Eugene’s vote in the primary, leaving the incumbent with 5,414 votes, or 41.1% of the Democratic Party electorate. But none of the opposition was able to secure a majority, and Eugene ultimately beat back the challenge in both primary and general elections.
After the national anthem, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders gave invocations, and the audience was led in prayer in both English and Haitian Creole.
Various elected officials attended the inauguration and spoke on behalf of Eugene. Speaker of the City Council Corey Johnson, recently inaugurated himself, commended Eugene for his contribution to youth services and education.
He emphasized the importance of Eugene’s work on immigration issues, particularly after the federal decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants.
“In this very perilous, painful time that we are living in, Dr. Eugene’s story of emigrating to America and getting involved in this beautiful borough of Brooklyn, and giving back, that is what immigration is about in America,” said Johnson. “People like Dr. Eugene, who come to this country and make it a better country.”
Fellow City Council Member Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach) lauded Eugene for his work with young people in the city, and said that he was “proud to spend each and every day in City Hall with people like Dr. Eugene.”
“When you look around at the things that happen in the city, when you look at the issues, the things that matter to us most, it’s our young adults. And I could not stress more that in the last four years, our young adults had more services and more jobs than ever before,” said Deutsch. “Anywhere you look, anywhere you turn, any community you fight for, Dr. Mathieu Eugene is there on the forefront.”
“This is a testament to the strength and tenacity of the Haitian people, who have been through a lot worse. And so we come here to celebrate this “Haitian sensation” Mathieu Eugene, but more importantly to celebrate the diversity of the 40th Council District,” said Public Advocate Leticia James. “Where Council Member Mathieu Eugene not only serves the Haitian community, but he serves the Jewish community Muslim community, the white community, the African-American community, he celebrates all of us, because this is the strength of America: diversity.”
City Council Member I. Daneek Miller (D-Queens) said that in his own work representing the second largest Haitian community in New York, he often looks for guidance from Eugene.
“He not only understands leadership and demonstrates leadership around the City Council,” said Miller. “But he has been integral in making sure that we are developing and cultivating that next generation of leadership, those young men and women that will serve this community, that will serve this city, and that will serve this nation.”
The audience also heard from two young women who had been a part of Eugene’s Youth Education and Sports Program (YES). They called the YES space a “second home,” and thanked Eugene for taking on the role of mentor and for his work to guide and support young people in his district.
Throughout the night, students performed for the audience, dancing, singing, and reciting poetry for the council member. Many of the performances referenced the influence of Haitian culture among the students and community.
After the swearing in, a group of young performers from P.S 399 and AbunDance Academy of the Arts danced to Haitian rhythms. Eugene was pulled onto the stage and the audience cheered as he shrugged his shoulders and joined in.
Addressing the crowd, Eugene acknowledged the strong Haitian population and influence in his community. He dismissed recent sentiments expressed in the White House as well as the TPS decision, and spoke of the strength of the Haitian people and their history in the United States.
“If the United States of America is such a large country, it is because of the influence of Haiti,” said Eugene. “We Haitians, when we come to a place we do everything we can to make it better. We’re going to keep on moving, keep on going, and no one can undermine us with words. We are resilient people, strong people, who make history.”
Eugene thanked his wife, son, daughter, brother, and extended family for their unwavering support. He thanked his team and supporters from across the community for helping him seek another term.
Above all, he emphasized the wide range of cultures present in his constituency, thanking the Haitian, Jewish, Pakistani, Hispanic, and Caribbean communities in District 40 and pledging to represent them all, to the best of his ability.
“To all of you, my brothers and sisters, regardless of the community you belong to, thank you so very much for everything, for your support, for your trust,” said Eugene. “For everything you have done for me, for giving me the opportunity to serve you, one more time, for four more years.”
With yet another term under his belt, Eugene will have served as council member for almost fifteen years by 2021. But even so, Eugene doesn’t seem ready to put his life of public office behind him.
When Assembly Member Nick Perry (D-East Flatbush) lamented that “Unfortunately for people in the 40th district, the Councilman won’t be able to run again, for that office,” Eugene interjected “for that office” and smiled, met with cheers from the audience.
