BRC11052021 - Page 6

�� COURIER L 6 IFE, NOVEMBER 5-11, 2021 Reynoso wins! Williamsburg councilmember to succeed Adams as Brooklyn Beep ELECTION 2021 Antonio Reynoso declared victory in the race for Brooklyn Borough President in front of a crowd of family, friends and supporters on election night. Photo by Paul Frangipane BY BEN VERDE Democratic Borough President candidate Antonio Reynoso cruised to victory during the general election as expected, raking in more than 73 percent of the vote as of 11 pm (with 94 percent of scanners reporting), according to unoffi cial Board of Elections results. As of Wednesday, he’d kept that lead with close to 100 percent of scanners reporting. The pol declared victory at an Election Night party in Gowanus, where he celebrated his projected win alongside family, friends and colleagues in government. “I’m excited, I’m relived, more than anything I really want to make Brooklyn proud and get to a better normal past COVID,” he told Brooklyn Paper. The term-limited councilmember from Williamsburg ran on a platform of progressive credentials, touting endorsements from the Working Families Party and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, propelling him to a nine percent margin of victory in the crowded June primary. On Nov. 2, he trounced Republican candidate Menachem Reitport. The borough’s next commanderin chief — who will be responsible for weighing in on land use decisions, introducing legislation, appointing community board members and acting as an advocate and cheerleader for the borough — focused much of his primary campaign on addressing the inequities laid bare by the pandemic. In an interview with Brooklyn Paper following his primary victory, Reynoso discussed applying that same philosophy to the actual duties of the borough president in areas like development, street safety, and community boards. Reynoso has a history as a reformminded candidate in Brooklyn, after “Our campaign was always about building a Brooklyn for all of us,” serving as Chief of Staff for former Councilmember Diana Reyna, he defeated disgraced former Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez by 12 percent in a primary election — which the young then-candidate referred to as a “blow to the political machine.” Leading up to Nov. 2, the 38-year old beep-to-be vowed to represent all of Brooklyn — and all of its inhabitants — equally. “Our campaign was always about building a Brooklyn for all of us,” he said after winning the June primary election, “no matter your race, your background, or what zip code you live in.” Tuesday night, Reynoso told Brooklyn Paper that he will focus heavily on maternal health. “We want to make Brooklyn the safest place for women to have babies in all of the city, and that includes white, Black, Latina, any type of women,” he said. “We just want to make sure we’re putting them at the forefront. Brooklyn shouldn’t be the most dangerous place for women to have babies.” Reynoso will succeed current Brooklyn Borough President (and now mayor-elect) Eric Adams. He celebrated alongside fellow progressive winners like Councilmember Brad Lander (the new Comptrollerelect), Jumaane Williams (who cruised to reelection as public advocate) and new Councilmember-elect Shahana Hanif, who will replace term-limited Lander. ��