Editors Note: Every Friday, Kings County Politics will be posting a brief rundown of new developments in the Brooklyn Borough President and City Council primary races from the week.
City Council Races
Endorsements and Campaign Finance News
On January 12, U.S Rep Nydia Velázquez endorsed Jennifer Gutiérrez for City Council in District 34 (Williamsburg, Bushwick, Ridgewood Queens),.
“Congresswoman Velázquez is a force, and the fiercest fighter for justice that I know. I am so honored to have her support because I know that it means she trusts me to work alongside her in the fights ahead,” said Gutiérrez. “Our next City Council is going to have to guide us through the recovery, to stand up for renters, working families, and small businesses, and I will always put our communities over corporate interests.”
“Jennifer has been a strong ally for me in North Brooklyn for many years. I know that I can trust Jennifer to fight hard for her community and deliver important progressive victories in the years to come,” said Velázquez. “While I’m in Washington fighting for COVID relief, standing up to right wing extremists, and delivering for the people of New York City, I need an ally on the Council who I know will put people first, and ensure a just recovery for our communities. That is why I’m so proud to endorse Jennifer Gutiérrez.”
As of 5 p.m., today, Jan. 15 Gutierrez is the only candidate in this district to receive public matching funds. Thus far, she has received $94,582 in the public $8-to$1 match of certain kinds of donations.
In the deep-pocketed 39th District covering Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park and Kensington thus far only candidates Shahana Hanif ($160,444), Justin Krebs ($154,470) and Brandon West ($117,409) received matching funds, but several candidates including Mamnunul Haq, Bridget Rein and Douglas Schneider all have raised five figures and are expected to also get matching funds.
Announcements
On January 7, City Council Candidate Henry L. Butler for District 36 (Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) denounced the insurrection on Capitol Hill.
“First, let me congratulate President elect Joe Biden and Vice-President elect Kamala Harris again on their historic win,” began Butler. “What was supposed to be a routine certification yesterday by the Congress and Senate turned into nothing short of an insurrection by Donald Trump supporters. We cannot sugar coat what happened yesterday. They were not protestors. The people who stormed the capitol yesterday were nothing short of home-grown terrorists! Ask yourself this, would the capitol police have let Black Lives Matter protestors storm and take over the capitol? If you recall, armed National Guards stood on the steps of the capitol during the BLM protest last summer.”
As an experienced district leader, Butler said that the 2020 election was the most secured election in history.
On January 13, City Council Candidate César Zuñiga for District 38 announced raising over $30,000 in his first filing. Zuñiga said he has surpassed the qualifying thresholds for NYC’s matching funds program. The campaign has raised more than $30,500, including more than $26,000 in matchable funds, from 238 donors.
“I am so proud of the grassroots support our campaign has built over the last few months, and our filing reflects that momentum,” said Zuñiga.“Communities across our district — from Red Hook to Dyker Heights to Borough Park — need a City Council Member who will fight for our shared values of equity and justice, and deliver truly affordable housing, meaningful criminal justice reform, and a fair recovery for all of us. This has been a difficult time for our city, and with the support of my community I am running to be a voice for working families on the Council in the fights ahead.”
Zuñiga, who is running to represent the neighborhoods of Red Hook, Sunset Park, Greenwood Heights, and portions of Windsor Terrace, Dyker Heights, and Boro Park, is refusing donations from law enforcement unions, real estate developers, and corporate PACs.
Events
On January 8, Black Lives Matter Brooklyn and City Council Candidate Anthony Beckford for District 45 was part of a panel to start discussions and push forward efforts to unite communities throughout the African Diaspora. The panel was hosted by Tricia Bartholomew (Trinidadian American), CUNY Medgar Evers Student Public Administration Club President and Sakia Fletcher (African American), CUNY Medgar Evers Graduate and Former Medgar Evers SGA President. The event was sponsored by Black Lives Matter Brooklyn and Caribbean Unity Alliance.
“This was only part one of this much needed discussion, where we explored the root of the divide between us in the Diaspora and how we can overcome the conditioning that caused this divide. We may have different cultural backgrounds based on where we are from or where our parents are from, but we are connected through our ancestry and our ancestral beginnings in Africa. We are not descendants of slaves. Our history was interrupted by white supremacy and slavery and it is time for us to learn and teach our youth about who we truly are as a people. I cannot wait for part 2 of Unity throughout the Diaspora. It will be phenomenal,” said Beckford.
- This Saturday January 16, Beckford, in partnership with the Hunger Truck will be distributing over 100 Hot Halal Meals to Community Members in Flatbush and East Flatbush. The distribution will take place by the Nostrand Playground on the corner of Foster and Nostrand Avenues at 1p.m.
Borough President Race
Endorsements
On January 12, The New York Working Families Party announced its endorsement of Borough President Candidate Antonio Reynoso, citing his leadership in City Hall on policing reform, just land use, and tenant protections. Reynoso, a born-and-raised Brooklynite, longtime community activist, and the current City Council Member for District 34 in Brooklyn, began his political career as a Working Families Party candidate.
“For years I’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with the Working Families Party to build power for working people and fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice,” said Reynoso. “That’s why I’m so excited to have their endorsement today. Brooklyn needs bold, unapologetically progressive leadership to ensure a just recovery that invests in our communities and leaves no one behind. Together we can build a better, brighter, more equitable Brooklyn.”
“Now more than ever, New Yorkers need elected officials with a clear vision for rebuilding this city to finally work for working people. In the Brooklyn Borough President race, Councilmember Reynoso is the clear candidate who fits the bill,” said New York Working Families Party Director Sochie Nnaemeka. “Long before he was elected to City Hall, Antonio spent his entire career organizing for economic and social justice in his community of North Brooklyn. And as a Member of the Council, he has spearheaded critical progressive change, from the Tenant Stand for Safety Act to increased NYPD accountability. Antonio is a proven champion for Brooklyn’s working families — and he’s going to make a fierce Brooklyn Borough President. We’re thrilled to endorse him today.”
Announcements
On January 14, Borough President Candidate Jo Anne Simon announced meeting her goals for fundraising. Her official total was not posted on the CFB website at post time.
“After months of grassroots fundraising, hundreds of phone calls, zoom events, and late-night strategy sessions, our campaign hit our first major fundraising goal! And, thanks to a flood of last-minute donations, we even surpassed it!,” said Simon. “I can’t begin to express how thankful I am for you and everyone who stepped up to support our campaign. Because of you, we’ve officially raised enough to qualify for the city’s Matching Funds program, which means the city will multiply all donations from NYC residents!”
Look for more updates regarding campaign finances on Tuesday when all the filings for the Jan. 15 deadline are posted.
