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BROOKLYN WEEKLY, FEBRUARY 2, 2020
DEMOCRATS
the number of times that the county committee
convenes, from twice yearly to just
once.
The second change limits the scope of
member-introduced resolutions — proposals
introduced by average Brooklyn Democrats
to make changes within the party establishment
— so that they can’t address “any aspect
of the internal governance” within the
party.
Both reforms negatively affect citizen
participation in party governance by curtailing
the ways in which average citizens
can make their voices heard, according
to one district leader, who expressed optimism
that the changes could be undone.
“Folks like myself, and other reform coalitions,
fought really hard to create additional
avenues and additional meetings for
the conduct of party business,” said Doug
Schneider, whose district includes Park
Slope and Windsor Terrace. “It remains my
hope that this is not a permanent change.”
Party leaders told attendees that reducing
meetings was a necessary step for the cashstrapped
party, which had just $40,327 in its
account as of Jan. 15, and is $226,000 in debt,
fi lings show. Executives claimed the party
couldn’t even spare the money for postage to
announce the meetings by mail — let alone
front the cost of the events’ venue.
Seddio, who declined to comment for this
story, has claimed in the past that the low
fi nances resulted from the party declining
donations from the real estate industry.
But even if cost restraints limited the
number of meetings, other critics argue
that a lack of funds doesn’t explain the committee’s
vote to restrict the power of resolutions
— a change that limits members’
ability to implement changes to the party,
Thurston claimed.
“It’s the primary tool that allowed members
to participate and be engaged,” said
Thurston.
Resolutions have always been non-binding
“statements of aspiration,” Schneider
explained, but many held power.
One member-driven resolution that
passed at the September meeting called for
the creation of a fi nance committee to audit
the party’s spending and low funds, which
was set to present their fi ndings at the following
meeting scheduled for February
— but that gathering is now canceled, and
there’s no evidence that such a committee
was even created, the reformers claim.
Schneider — who clarifi ed that he thinks
“the new chairwoman is amazing” — said
that grassroots organizers now must pressure
their district leaders to seek change
on their behalf, and worried that the two
amendments marked an unfortunately undemocratic
start to Bichotte’s tenure atop
the Democratic party.
“The biggest thing for me is that these
amendments were passed in the minutes
before we elected a new chairperson,” he
said.
Bichotte did not return several requests
for comment.
Gaze into the abyss of this crevice outside the development of 561 Pacifi c St.
Photo by Kevin Duggan
POTHOLES
capable of preforming necessary
work, such as milling, that’s necessary
to fully repave the road, but that
shouldn’t stop officials from performing
a quick and dirty patch job while
waiting for the construction to wrap,
according to a local civic leader.
“They could close the street and
put asphalt into the potholes, they
can do that any time,” said the head
of the Boerum Hill Association Howard
Kolins.
The Department of Transportation
did not immediately provide
comment.
The constant construction and
nearby high school lead to large work
vehicles and school busses frequenting
the narrow street, making a terrible
racket as they rumble across the
pitted asphalt.
And while the city won’t lift a finger
to repair the potholes, it has no
problem with fining residents for
failing to clean out the garbage that
collects in them, according to one senior
resident of the block.
“I have to clean out the pothole
area, because it doesn’t drain,” said
Patricia Howard, Jackson’s mother.
“It looks nasty and bad.”
And if there’s one silver lining for
Jackson, it’s the fact that she’s got a
all-terrain vehicle to able to handle
her rock road.
“I have a Jeep, so I’m ok, but it’s
still pretty rocky to go over those,
it’s like off-roading,” she said. “Just
fill them up or put in some gravel or
something.”
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