Amid inner turmoil, including the resignation of its longtime president Hassan Bakiridden, the Ernest Skinner Political Association (ESPA) abruptly announced today that the club will not endorse anybody in the upcoming 45th City Council Special Election to replace the now Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
The announcement came nearly three weeks after the club held a members-only Candidate Forum on March 12 at Clarendon Road Church, to allow its membership to hear the platforms of ESPA members Anthony Beckford, Monique Chandler Waterman and Xamalya Rose.
ESPA Board of Directors Spokesperson Ernest Skinner, for who the club is named, had told KCP in a previous story that the club would then vote to endorse one of the three candidates to fill the seat.
But according to Skinner’s release today the well-attended forum allowed for a robust discussion of the issues relevant to the district, but at the conclusion it became known to the board that there were a number of procedural discrepancies made in variance with established protocols.
After a forensic analysis of the issues that came to light in the days following the meeting, the Board determined, based on those errors, the results of the advisory vote by the membership will be nullified to maintain ESPA’s integrity, according to Skinner’s release.
The release did not elaborate on the procedural discrepancies, but Skinner disputed a KCP March 22 story that had sources saying that the vote favored Rose over Skinner’s preferred candidate, Waterman, and that after Rose won the vote of attendees, Skinner tried to weight the election with proxy votes.
Skinner did thank Bakiriddin for leading the organization through its formative years.
“Hassan’s tenure as President saw ESPA develop a reputation for placing a priority on political education, particularly hosting Forums of the type it held on March 12th. We thank Hassan for going way beyond in devoting time and energy in pursuit of these goals,” said Skinner.
Bakiriddin did not respond to several calls and texts. Both Bakiriddin and Skinner are part of Williams inner circle.
ESPA was established in 2016, and aligned itself with some of the more progressive clubs across Brooklyn in an attempt to bring a greater degree of transparency and accountability to the Kings County Democratic County Committee.
The district includes East Flatbush, Flatbush, Flatlands, Marine Park, and Midwood. The special election is May 14, and there will be a primary about six weeks later on June 25.
