Looking to affect progressive change, understand the workings of local government and perhaps get a cushy patronage job in the de Blasio Administration?
Then the Brooklyn Young Democrats (BYD) and New Kings Democrats (NKD) are the hot political clubs to join.
After a hard-fought campaign and rigorous debate, the BYD announced their executive board for 2017-18 to include President John Wasserman and Northern Brooklyn Vice President Paolo Cremidis, both of whom have jobs in the de Blasio Administration Department of Social Services as community associates – which comes with salaries in the $40-$50K range plus city benefits.
Wasserman explained that as a community associate he works with tenants on the ground helping to organize community events, but denied there is politicking involved in so far as pushing any of the mayor’s political agenda or drive to secure votes.
Wasserman said he handed out fliers for de Blasio during his campiagn for mayor and landed the job shortly after finishing at Brooklyn College.
In the release sent out announcing the executive committee was also a call for new members to bring Brooklyn back to its grassroots.
“We look forward to working with our elected officials, all of Brooklyn’s political clubs, and the Kings County Democratic Party. This win was for every young person in Brooklyn looking to make a difference. It is time to get to work,” said Wasserman.
While the BYD executive committee has several members working either in the de Blasio Administration or the City Council under de Blasio’s close alley Melissa Mark-Viverito, the best club to join for patronage jobs in the de Blasio Administration is the NKD. Five of the eight members of the executive board work in the de Blasio Administration and one works in the City Council.
Ironically, one of the strongest NKD initiatives is to, “work to bring transparency and accountability to the Brooklyn Democratic Party.”
While several political insiders note that patronage jobs have always been a part and parecl of American government operations, the de Blasio Administration appears to have brought it to new levels. It also comes as the City has added more than 17,000 full-time jobs since 2013, according to the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO).
IBO spokesperson Doug Turetsky said while additional hiring of police officers, firefighters, teachers and other Department of Education personnel associated with the Mayor’s Pre-K initiative accounts for many of the new jobs, it doesn’t account for all of them.
The next NKD general meeting is slated for between 7-9 p.m., tomorrow March 15 with New Member Orientation at 6:30 p.m. at Event Space at Genius || Entrance at 92 3rd Street, in Gowanus. RSVP: newkingsdemocrats.com/march_
Young people between the ages of 16-36 that attend school, work, or live in Kings County that want to join the BYD are invited to attend their next meeting slated for 7:30 p.m., March 29 at the South Slope Public House, 426A, 7th Avenue in Park Slope.
