Female Democratic District Leader-Elect Kristina Naplatarski announced today that following a community input process, she will appoint Williamsburg resident, Emile Bazile, to fill the vacant male District Leader position in the 50th Assembly District covering Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
Bazile will be the first black District Leader in the district’s history.
“I am proud to announce my nomination of Emile Bazile to fill the impending vacancy of Assembly District 50’s Male District Leader seat,” said Naplatarski. “As a lifelong resident of Southside Williamsburg with a strong track record of public service, Bazile has a deep understanding of the 50th Assembly District and is committed to serving the needs of its diverse constituencies. Together, we will work to address the challenges that face the 50th AD while pushing for a Brooklyn Democratic Party that is more transparent, accountable, and truly reflective of the borough’s residents.”
Bazile is the son of Haitian immigrants and a lifelong resident of Williamsburg, having grown up in Berry South Ninth Street Houses. He has shown a strong commitment to public service, working for Assembly Member Joe Lentol after finishing his studies at Niagara University.
“I am committed to expanding the traditional role of a District Leader beyond its formal duties in the Democratic Party,” said Bazile, the presumptive male District Leader for the 50th AD. “ I envision working with my co-leader as a community advocate, drawing attention to issues affecting the district such as housing affordability, environmental justice, and insufficient infrastructure to accommodate our district’s unprecedented growth. I also want to focus on conducting outreach to underrepresented portions of the district to ensure that voices who are often marginalized are heard and served.”
In the 2020 election cycle, no candidate for male District Leader in the 50th AD qualified to appear on the ballot, leaving the seat vacant for the upcoming 2020-2022 term. As a result, an appointment must be made to fill the vacancy. It is past precedent that the co-leader of the AD in which the vacancy occurs is given deference in making the appointment.
“I am confident in Kristina Naplatarski’s choosing of Emile Bazile to fill the male District Leader position in AD 50” said U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens, Lower Manhattan). “Emile has already shown that he will be a fighter for this district and for reforms in the Brooklyn Democratic Party. As a lifelong resident of public housing in Williamsburg, Emile understands the needs of the district’s most vulnerable residents and will elevate their concerns. I want to applaud Kristina for the thoughtful process she undertook to reach this decision and I want to congratulate Emile on his appointment.”
“I commend our fierce new District Leader-elect, Kristina Naplatarski, of the 50th Assembly District, for her leadership in filling the vacancy of male District Leader through a community-based process,” said Brooklyn Democratic County Leader Rodneyse Bichotte. “Emile Bazile, who will soon be nominated, is a lifelong resident of Williamsburg. He is the fourth Haitian-American to assume the position of District Leader in Brooklyn, and will represent the diverse population of our city as the first black man to serve in this role. Bazile will also lend his legislative and government experience. I look forward to building a relationship with our new district leaders in the 50th Assembly District, while serving the people of Brooklyn side by side. Naplatarski is truly remarkable in her steadfast goals to help the Kings County Democratic Party be as transparent and democratic as it can be.”
Leader-elect Naplatarski ran on a campaign of furthering transparency and prioritizing collaborative decision-making within the Kings County Democratic Party. She therefore undertook a process in partnership with the Assembly District Committee for AD50 to provide an opportunity for County Committee Members and the public to vet candidates and advise her on their priorities for selecting a candidate to fill the vacancy.
“It is rare that an elected official is able to deliver on campaign promises as quickly as Kristina has,” said City Council Member and Brooklyn Borough President Candidate Antonio Reynoso. “The nomination of Emile Bazile, speaks to Kristina’s commitment to changing the status quo. Emile is a lifelong resident of the district with a track record in public service and a stated commitment to enacting strong reforms in our Democratic Party. At a time when we are finally having serious discussions about systemic racism in our country and city, the appointment of a black man sends a strong signal that this district will be taking its lead from those most impacted by these issues. I want to congratulate Emile and I look forward to working with him in the coming term.”
A date for the next meeting of the Kings County Democratic Party has not yet been set, but it is expected that Naplatarski and Bazile will be sworn in at the next meeting planned for Fall 2020.
