Any thoughts that Kings County Democratic Party Chair Frank Seddio will back Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte‘s preferred candidate, Farah Louis, to replace Jumaane Williams in the upcoming special election for the open 45th District City Council seat were quickly laid to rest today by the boss himself.
“I will be backing Jovia Radix for the council seat and will be working hard to elect her,” Seddio told KCP.
Seddio also made the announcement at Thursday’s Thomas Jefferson (TJ Club) Democartic Club’s Black History Month Celebration, which honored the Party’s Vice Chair, former Assemblywoman and City Council Member Annette Robinson and former U.S. Rep. Ed Towns.
Radix, who could not be reached for comment for this story, is the daughter of State Supreme Court Judge Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix. She is an attorney and has a long resume in politics including serving as the Brooklyn Regional Representative to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
In addition, Jovia assists her family in the direction and management of a tutoring program facilitated by the Barbados Ex Police Association. She is also the Vice-President of the TJ Club Young Democrats. While the TJ Club is in neighboring City Council Member Alan Maisel‘s district, it has strong influence in the 45th district as well, and is where Williams got his start in politics.
In fact, Seddio and the club contributed greatly to Williams victory, turning in 2,700 of his 7,500 petition signatures to get on the public advocate ballot.
What made Williams victory unusual from a political standpoint was his campaign’s strong support from both the progressive and mainstream wings of Brooklyn’s Democratic Party. Both wings were well represented at Williams’ victory celebration. In total, Brooklyn provided about 45% or 59,660 of Williams total of 133,809 votes.
But beneath the celebration at Williams victory party, there was a lot of political rumblings and maneuvering – both for Williams replacement in the 45th Council District race, and other upcoming political battles.
For example, while Bichotte was the chair and the loudest voice behind Williams’ campaign, her now strong support for Louis will further her role as a queenmaker if Louis wins, but a loss may cost her dearly in a district where she has spent a lot of unneccessary political capital.
This includes her push to make Flatbush and East Flatbush a “Little Haiti” designation instead of a “Little Caribbean” designation, which could be a case of winning the battle but losing the war. The designation turned off more than a few Caribbeans, who continue to feel strongly that the Afro-Caribbean diaspora should always include Haiti, but not single out one country over another as being special.
It is ironic that while Bichotte noted during Williams victory party that it was being held in the heart of “Little Haiti,” it was physically held at former City Council Member Kendall Stewart‘s club, Cafe Omar. Stewart hails from St. Vincent. Williams family is from Grenada.
While, many went along with Bichotte’s push for the “Little Haiti” designation, it continues to rankle a number of prominent Caribbeans, including Williams’ mentor, Ernest Skinner, who heads his namesake Ernest Skinner Political Association Club, which is in the heart of the 45th District.
Skinner said he helped Bichotte first get elected to the assembly from his dining room table, but after her successful effort to create the “Little Haiti” designation he severed ties with her.
While Skinner did not say who he will support to replace Williams in the city council and emphasized it will be a club and not his personal decision, he spoke very highly of Monique Chandler-Waterman.
“Monique is the Founder of the non-profit East Flatbush Village non-profit, which has provided a plethora of services for more than a decade,” said Skinner. “For a short period of time at Jumaane’s request, she somewhat selflessly agreed to leave the non-profit to help Jumaane and was excellent at what she did.”
Bichotte has also burnt some bridges with U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke and her mother, former City Council Member Una Clarke, in reportedly backing (as did Williams) progressive darling Adem Bunkeddeko, who nearly beat Clarke in the last Congressional race,.
Bunkeddeko was also at Williams’ victory party and is eyeing a rematch against Clarke. Also in this corner and at Williams victory party was City Council Member Brad Lander (D-Park Slope, Kensington, Windsor Terrace), who is eyeing the city Comptroller seat.
But State Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Flatbush, Midwood, Kensington) was also at the victory celebration and is eyeing the comptroller seat as well. Parker is clearly in the Clarke camp, and is an able and smart legislator. He will also likely get the support of Assemblywoman Diana Richardson (D-Crown Heights).
Also represented at the victory celebration were Assemblymember Walter Mosley and City Council Member Laurie Cumbo, both Democrats representing Fort Greene Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights. The two are members of the Progressive Association For Political Action (PAPA) Democratic Club, where Mosley’s mother Marilyn is the club president. The club and the district turned out a strong vote that went heavily for Williams over his main black opponent, Assemblymember Michael Blake.
Mosley is a strong consensus district leader and lawmaker. Rumors have it that Cumbo is looking at the borough president’s office in 2021, as is City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst), who was also at the celebration.
While the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has shown a lot of political clout in recent elections, its’ varnish may be wearing thin, particularly in light of its role in Amazon walking away from New York City. This was a major economic development blow to both the state and the city in a country that now has many competitive cities and states in talent, tax structures and political know-how.
This was one of the messages beneath Cuomo’s very public letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to reconsider the company’s decision to pull out of the deal to locate a second headquarters in the city. Signatories to the letter included U.S. Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Gregory Meeks, Max Rose and Carolyn Maloney, several major unions and local NYCHA Tenant Association presidents.
It is also the reason, Seddio, a very pragmatic old-school Democrat is resisting the progressives’ sharp ideological turn toward socialism and castigating any Democrats that do not share their thinking. This includes Seddio’s continued support for State Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Boro Park, Flatbush, Midwood), who the progressives want to throw out of the party because he caucused with the Republicans when they were the senate majority.
“The Democratic Socialists of our party are no different in my mind then Simcha Felder. They are two ends of a spectrum, and we as a party should be mindful and respectful of both positions,” said Seddio.
“The secret of the Democratic Party is the ability to embrace all and I have every intention of doing so. Reform is not a one-way direction. In my mind reform is about encompassing ideas of all, and taking that which is good and/or practical and implementing it.”
