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BROOKLYN WEEKLY, MAY 3, 2020
Bushwick pol slams Mayor for appointing his
wife to COVID-19 task force amid BP race
BY BEN VERDE
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s coronavirus
task forces are toothless acts of
nepotism, according to one Bushwick
councilman.
Councilman Antonio Reynoso,
who is gearing up to run for Brooklyn
Borough President, slammed
the mayor for appointing his wife
Chirlane McCray to help lead the
city’s COVID-19 response — accusing
Hizzoner of trying to raise her
profi le ahead of her own long-rumored
run for borough hall.
“We’re currently in a pandemic,
and the business-as-usual politics
that people play has to be unacceptable
at this point,” Reynoso said.
De Blasio, whom critics have
accused of bungling the city’s coronavirus
response by not seeking
the advice of scientifi c experts, appointed
McCray to lead the city’s racial
equity task force, which aims to
help communities of color that have
been disproportionately affected by
the pandemic.
The task force has no “decisionmaking
power,” a spokeswoman for
told NBC New York.
“The entity itself does not have
decision-making power,” Jane
Meyer told the station on April 28.
“This group will be an ear to the
ground and will be able to raise issues
quickly or suggest ways to better
connect with and serve communities
that are most impacted.”
Within the fi ve boroughs, black
people are 130 percent more likely
to contract coronavirus than their
white counterparts and are twice
as likely to die from the virus, according
to city data. The Hispanic
population faces similar challenges,
as they are nearly 1.8 times
more likely to succumb to the outbreak
than white New Yorkers.
With such a stark racial disparity,
the city needs to focus on
combating the inequities within
the city’s diverse communities —
rather than playing politics during
a pandemic, Reynoso said.
“If we’re going to address a
health crisis that affects people of
color because of their health outcomes,
I would like that to be a
health expert,” said the councilman.
McCray — who has lived in
Manhattan for the past seven
years, but has said she is “seriously
considering” running for offi ce —
is currently head of ThriveNYC, a
mental health initiative that critics
have called a “money pit.”
She also heads a separate mental
health initiative geared towards
new parents that only serves Brooklyn
residents and expires in 2021 —
when de Blasio’s term runs out, and
her potential borough presidency
would commence. That health program
has also faced criticisms,
with detractors charging that it
was an ineffective political ploy
meant to raise McCray’s profi le in
the borough she potentially hopes
to represent.”
City Hall defended the mayor’s
appointments and argued that Mc-
Cray is qualifi ed to address the task
force’s goals.
“First Lady McCray is a highly
qualifi ed public servant who has
worked for decades to end inequity,”
said City Hall spokeswoman
Siobhan Dingwall. “She has managed
a diverse portfolio since the
start of this administration and
will help us rebuild this city stronger
than it was before.”
Antonio Reynoso. File photo
Chirlane McCray. File photo
BEEP YOURSELF!
Cuomo cans special election for Brooklyn
council seat, infuriating progressives
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Gov. Andrew Cuomo cancelled
the June 23 special election for the
37th Council District seat in Bushwick
via executive order, provoking
criticism from progressive
pols who said the race was rigged
in favor of a party favorite.
“This is by far the most blatant
anti-democratic power grab,” said
candidate Sandy Nurse in a statement.
“Unless Mayor de Blasio
steps in to enforce the City Charter
and the court agrees, there will
only be one candidate left on the
ballot. That is not democracy.”
Nurse was vying for the seat
against local district leader Darma
Diaz, who has the support of the
both Brooklyn Democratic Party
leader Rodneyse Bichotte and former
Councilman Rafael Espinal,
who abruptly vacated the position
in January to take on a new gig
heading the Freelancers Union.
There were initially two separate
elections on two separate dates
— a non-partisan special election
to fi ll the seat immediately that was
slated to take place on April 28, and
a primaries on June 23 to nominate
a candidate for the general election
in November.
The winner of the special election
would have served as the district’s
Council member until January,
when the winner of the June
and November elections would
have taken over to serve the remainder
of Espinal’s term until the
end of 2021.
In an effort to limit the amount
of times Brooklynites headed to the
voting booth in the middle of the
pandemic, Cuomo initially moved
the special election to coincide with
the June 23 Council primary and
the now-canceled presidential nominating
contest.
Now, Cuomo decided to take another
turn, axing the special election
entirely, thereby simplifying
the ballot for voters — while also
kicking insurgents out of the race.
Since Nurse only made the ballot
for the special and not the primary
election, that move effectively removes
her from the contest and results
in Diaz running unopposed in
the primary and being all but guaranteed
a victory in the heavily-blue
district in November.
Cuomo’s decision to cancel the
Bushwick Council primary on
April 24 came a full day after he
called off other special elections,
like the race for Queens borough
president. Why Cuomo waited
an additional 24 hours to nix the
Brooklyn race is unclear, and Cuomo’s
press offi ce did not return a request
for comment to clarify.
Without a special election, the
district — which also stretches into
Cypress Hills, Brownsville, Ocean
Hill, and East New York — will go
without a dedicated legislative representative
for almost a year from
when Espinal resigned.
Council Speaker Corey Johnson
will continue to manage the
district for the rest of 2020, but
Nurse — in a statement signed by
a host of progressive electeds and
political clubs — accused Cuomo
of depriving a predominantly
black and Hispanic area of having
a rep in the city legislature.
“By canceling the special election
yesterday, the governor is saying
that a high needs African-American
and Latino community should
lack representation for nearly a full
year,” she said.
Diaz said Cuomo’s decision came
as a surprise but she supported it.
The district leader was previously
eager to get the seat fi lled as soon as
possible so that the neighborhoods
would have a representative.
However, the politico claimed
that voters could be confused by
having to vote twice for the same
offi ce on the same day and that — if
they choose to vote by mail — sending
in two different ballot sheets
would further risk spreading the
virus.
“It was hard to explain that it
was two elections in one day — that
eliminated confusion about that,”
Diaz said. “If we can wait till January
1 and save one life, I want to
save one life.”
“This is by far the most blatant,
anti-democratic power grab.”