Williams Unites Progressives & Entrenched In Public Advocate Run

Chalk this one up to politics making strange bedfellows.

City Council Member and public advocate candidate Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) opened the New Year with strong support from two Democratic clubs on polar opposites.

Both Canarsie’s Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club (TJDC) and the Northern Brooklyn-based New Kings Democrats (NKD) are supporting Williams and poised to throw strong support behind him for the upcoming Feb. 26 special election.

The TJDC is as entrenched in the borough’s Democratic politics and history as they come. It is Kings County Democratic Party boss Frank Seddio‘s home club and his neighborhood. They have been accused of controlling Democratic Party judicial slates and stacking the deck to control the Kings County Democratic Party.

The NKD are relatively new young people to the borough, progressive to the hilt and have been accused of bypassing history of entire neighborhoods in efforts to remake a more inclusive and ideologically pure Brooklyn.

Kings County Democratic Party Chair Frank Seddio

“I work to elect Democrats who I believe represent the people of the party. We [the TJDC and the NKD] also did the same thing with Senator Andrew Gounardes [who recently defeated former longtime Republican Sen. Marty Golden],” said Seddio. “It’s amazing. See what can happen when people work for the good of the party rather against each other.”

Seddio did note that he gave Democratic District leaders the right to support anybody they wanted to in the race.

“But I’m the district leader in 59th Assembly District and I’m supporting Jumaane. He has his roots in the TJ club. It’s where he started,” said Seddio.

And Seddio and the club, which is very skilled in the ways of electioneering is putting action behind its endorsements.

In the club’s recent e-newsletter, it pushed hard for attendance at tomorrow night’s meeting to do the grunt work to get Williams on the ballot.

“As 2019 begins, we will be embarking on an exciting campaign for Public Advocate. Our Candidate for Public Advocate is Jumanee Williams. Petitions will be distributed this Thursday, January 3^rd at 8:00 PM. All petitions must be returned on Sunday, January 6^th. Your continued help and support is urgent and greatly appreciated. As you can see this gives us only 3 days to collect signatures,” the newsletter read.

The NKD also boasted support for Williams in their recent e-newsletter, noting their support for him in a link to the following Tweet.