Members of Brooklyn’s 57th Assembly District covering Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights gathered this week to discuss the Vision Project, an initiative designed to use community input to shape the Brooklyn Democratic Party.
The New Kings Democrats (NKD) political club launched the Vision Project in 2016 in order to foster greater synergy between Brooklyn Democratic electeds and their constituents.
NKD members Justin Randolph and Ben Kantor along with Melissa Gradel, a county committee member from the 42nd District facilitated the meeting, which was held at the JACK performance venue at 505 1/2 Waverly Avenue in Fort Greene. Among the attendees were several county committee members, as well as 57th Assembly District Leader Olanike Alabi.
“[The Vision Project] invites Brooklyn residents to think and talk together about what would make our Democratic Party better, more reflective of our values, and more effective at creating the kind of society we want,” said Randolph. “A series of interactive community workshops, like the one we’re here to participate in today, and a borough-wide survey will produce a clear vision statement for the Brooklyn Democratic Party.”
At the meeting, attendees were surveyed on qualities they value the most in a leader, examples of leaders they admire, and what their ideal vision of the Brooklyn Democratic Party would look like. Afterwards, they took part in an hour-long discussion, during which they shared their answers with the moderator.
The desire for an increase in transparency and openness from Brooklyn electeds was a sentiment expressed by several of the attendees. Integrity and party loyalty were also popularly cited as essential values for candidates.
“It seems like there’s a lot of secrecy going on with the Brooklyn Democratic Party,” said County Committee member Janice Henderson. “And not just the Brooklyn Democrats, but all the parties, to some extent.”
The value of collaboration proved to be a more contentious subject. Members disagreed on the extent to which the Brooklyn Democratic Party should be willing to collaborate with and accept input from non-party members. The issue was first raised by Working Families Party member Eric Spruiell, the only attendee who wasn’t a Democrat.
“I think that on a national level, way back in the olden days, there used to be something called compromise,” said Spruiell, “Democrats and Republicans could get together and come to a consensus about something, knowing that they’re not going to get everything that they want, but they’re going to get most of the things that count. And that doesn’t happen anymore.”
In response, Gradel said that she disliked the word “compromise,” since it implies some level of sacrifice on both sides, but added that she saw the value in “finding common ground” between parties. Her position was echoed by Randolph, who explained it in greater detail.
“We have a tendency towards conflict, towards highlighting differences,” said Randolph. “On some level, as neighbors, as Brooklynites, there have to be issues that we can all agree on. But I still think the word ‘compromise’ is agreeably problematic. It’s not so much what we give up on to get ahead together, but what we’re all on the same page about.”
The Vision Project has several more meetings scheduled for the remainder of October and early November. Ultimately, the results of these meetings will be used to craft a “vision statement,” or a unified set of guidelines meant to guide the party’s current and future actions.
The next meeting will be held from 7-9 p.m., this Thursday, Oct. 18 at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, 331 Hawthorne Street in Prospect Lefferts Gardens.
