Brannan, Kagan victorious!
Republican candidates concede in contentious southern BK Council races
BY JESSICA PARKS
Southern Brooklyn Democrats
rejoiced on Nov. 16 as two
Republican Council candidates
— Brian Fox and Mark Szuszkiewicz
— conceded within an
hour of each other, just two days
into absentee ballot counting.
After trailing his Republican
opponent by more than
200 votes on election night,
Councilmember Justin Brannan
will continue to represent
City Council’s 43rd District,
which encompasses Bay Ridge,
Dyker Heights, Bath Beach,
and parts of Bensonhurst after
mail-in ballots are fi nalized by
the city’s Board of Elections.
Fox conceded in an emailed
statement sent to press just before
4 pm on Nov. 16.
“I want to thank the thousands
of Brooklyn voters — of
all parties — who supported
my crime-fi ghting bid for New
York City Council,” Fox said.
“Although we came up short in
the end, we managed to come
within one percentage point of
victory, something none of the
so-called experts predicted.”
Not long before, in District
47, Democrat Ari Kagan
received a phone call from
his Republican and Save
the Planet party challenger,
Szuszkiewicz, who congratulated
him for winning the election
to represent Coney Island,
Sea Gate, Bensonhurst, Bath
Beach, and Gravesend.
“I called Ari about an hour
ago, and congratulated him for
running a clean race,” Szuzkiewicz
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told Brooklyn Paper. “I
told him I would offer my help
with any of the ideas I have.”
Szuszkiewicz trailed Kagan
on election night, but with just
under 300 votes between them
at the time, the race to rep the
People’s Playground hinged
heavily on absentee ballots.
Brannan and Kagan’s apparent
wins come as Democrats
faced losses across the
state and the nation — a red
wave which experts have credited
to concerns over public
safety and the outsized Democratic
control of the state Legislature.
On Election Day ballots
alone, just one district over
from Kagan, Republican Inna
Vernikov trounced her Democratic
opponent Steven Saperstein
in what was expected to
be a close contest for Sheepshead
Bay’s 48th District.
Brannan, who declared victory
on election night, trailed
Fox by 255 votes prior to mailin
ballots being counted at the
start of this week. According
to his campaign, the incumbent
— who is also vying to be
Council Speaker — surpassed
his Republican counterpart
on Nov. 15.
“With the paper votes
counted, I am honored to have
won re-election to continue
serving Southern Brooklyn
in the City Council,” Brannan
said in a statement. “This process
is vital to our democracy
and I’m grateful for every voter
who made their voice heard and
to the Board of Elections workers
who worked so diligently.
As every vote was counted, this
victory was never in doubt.”
He said the race turned into
one “driven by misinformation,”
but that his win represents
constituents’ dedication
to the truth and understanding
the work that needs to be done
for their community to thrive.
Kagan’s election to represent
District 47 is the fi rst time
he will serve in offi ce, though
he draws experience from his
time working under outgoing
Councilmember Mark Treyger,
whom he will succeed.
He also currently serves as
district leader for Assembly
District 45, a post elected by
members of the Kings County
Democratic Party.
Kagan emailed a statement
to Brooklyn Paper Tuesday
evening declaring victory
and thanking his supporters
for putting their faith in him
throughout his campaign.
“There are no words to describe
my feelings,” he said.
“This country and this city
gave me and my family, immigrants
from Belarus, so many
opportunities to succeed,” Kagan
went on. “I will work very
hard to make sure the American
Dream is alive and well for
generations to come for families
in my district and across
New York City.”
Coucilmember Justin Brannan (left) and District Leader Ari Kagan have
won their respective Council races. Courtesy of candidates
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