Doug Schneider, 42, orders a dark roast coffee at Krupa Grocery on Prospect Park West and explains how as an attorney he helped the owner complete the legal work for opening the eatery as well as for the Slope Cellars on 7th Avenue between 14th and 15th streets, which he also owns.
Krupa is the kind of slightly upscale restaurant you’d expect not only in Park Slope, but almost everywhere in Brooklyn these days – good coffee and atmosphere, great food, a nice yard with tables for sunny weather and a full bar.
The topic at hand, though, isn’t Krupa or Schneider’s general law practice, but rather for Schneider to make his case on why he’s running as the Democratic District Leader in the 44th Assembly District covering Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington and Ditmas Park against incumbent Jacob Gold.
“Post Trump people are really hungering for strong Democratic leadership and i don’t think we’ve benign getting that in the 44th AD,” begins Schneider. “A district leader needs to be out there organizing and registering voters, fighting to pass progressive legislation and I think they need to play active roles in Brooklyn and neighboring areas. We have to be fighting for Democrats to get elected across the board.”
Schneider said another reason he is running is to bring long overdue reform to the Democratic Party of Brooklyn. “There are processes that prevent transparency, that discourage rank-and-file Democrats from taking on a more active role. There are fundamental issues with the way judges are selected from Brooklyn. Discussions should be made open with input from rank-and-file Democrats to ensure they [judges] are evaluated on merit as opposed to relationships,” he said.
Schneider elaborated that a progressive is not necessarily a reformer, and a reformer is not necessary progressive, but there are people who are both, in which he counts himself.
“Reform is about process about how things are done. Progressivism is more a political ideology and the way I view it is if we want to make Brooklyn politics more progressive the means to that for that is through more reform. If we reform we can fight more effectively to make both Brooklyn and New York a more progressive place,” he said.
At this point, KCP questioned Schneider if he considers Mayor Bill de Blasio a reformer, given the amount of jobs he’s given to the hierarchy of local political clubs or spouses of supporters, or even Schneider’s wife, Joni Kletter, who served as de Blasio’s campaign treasurer, and now is the director of appointments in the mayor’s office. KCP also questioned if he thinks de Blasio is a reformer given the continuing reports of a pay to play culture at City Hall with big-buck campaign contributors.
“I am incredibly proud of Joni. She inspires me through her hard work, her determination and her unwavering commitment to serving the community. I think it is wrong to call the people who have gone on to work for the mayor patronage jobs. They worked hard. They’re smart. They are entrepreneurial. They have gotten their positions through hard work, not patronage,” said Schneider.
Schneider went on to say that criticizing de Blasio as a non-reformer is looking in the wrong place. “There needs to be reform in the system. There are fundamental issues with campaign finance and money in politics that affects politicians across the board,” he said.
Moving back to the district leader race, Schneider said it’s important to recognize the times we’re in, and that people are hungry for strong Democratic leadership. Democratic leaders with honesty and passion, a Democratic Party that stands and fights for something.
“My whole campaign is about activating, energizing and organizing rank-and-file Democrats, and lifting up voices of the grassroots,” he said, finishing his coffee. “Once they start demanding these reforms, these ideas – they won’t be stopped.”
