Two Coney Island political clubs are at odds over a City Council District 47 candidate’s absence from a debate and an area pol’s fiery statement defending it — words the lawmaker said he completely stands by in an interview with Brooklyn Paper.
It all began when Ari Kagan — one of four Democratic candidates vying to replace term-limited Councilmember Mark Treyger — refused to participate in an April 29 debate hosted by the Seaside Independent Democrats. When asked by a constituent why Kagan — who Treyger has endorsed to take his place — didn’t attend, the southern Brooklyn lawmaker said in a now-widely shared Facebook post that the club smeared Kagan for his Russian-Jewish descent and labeled the candidate’s campaign manager an “intruder.”
