NY City Council candidates challenge Democratic establishment
By Tangerine Clarke
On March 29, four candidates
vying for the seat representing
New York City Council
District 46 in Brooklyn, stood
in solidarity outside of the Thomas
Jefferson (TJ) Democratic
Club and held a joint press conference.
The candidates wanted
to express their discontent with
recent petition objections that
were filed at the NYC Board of
Elections by members of the
club.
Candidates, Dimple Willabus,
Mercedes Narcisse, Shirley
Paul, and Donald Cranston,
aired their grievances outside
the Club’s headquarters at 77
Conklin Ave., stating that amid
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,
NYC council candidates
were still required to collect
30 percent of the usual 900
signatures needed to gain ballot
access for the Democratic
primaries to be held on June
22, 2021.
They said that these interactions
with voters over the
course of the past couple weeks
increased the possibilities for
many volunteers, staffers, and
even candidates to contract
COVID-19 while meeting the
mandatory signature, quota set
by the state board of elections.
The candidates stated that they
abided by the requirements and
each secured more than one
thousand signatures for their
respective campaigns, which
were subsequently filed with
the NYC Board of Elections,
days prior to the March 25
deadline.
Nonetheless, associates of
the long-time political club
filed general objections against
the named candidates herein,
Caribbean L 14 ife, April 9-15, 2021
utilizing access to pro bono
election lawyers, in an attempt
to void candidates’ signatures
and prevent their names from
being listed on ballots, even
before the democratic primary.
When questioned by the
media about the TJ club’s
motives for the objections and
whether there was any validity
to their efforts, Candidate Willabus
responded, “The process
of objecting to petitions is part
of the democratic process and
allows citizens to have a voice
in the local electoral politics,
but unfortunately, the political
establishment has used it
as a tool to suppress the voice
and the will of the electorate by
denying ballot options.”
The candidates assert that
this is a blatant manipulation
of democracy and a desperate
attempt by the political elites
to try to hold on to power. “A
simple review of the objectors
exposes the fact that they are
all TJ club loyalists, including
its current president. The
same four people filed all objections
at the same time, against
opponents of the club, such as
myself. This is an orchestrated
attempt to usurp the will of the
people,” argued Willabus.
Willabus said she was targeted
to be kicked off the ballot
by the Thomas Jefferson
Democratic Club because the
petition objections that have
been lodged against me are
clearly a tactic by the political
establishment to “remove the
most viable candidates from
the ballot.”
Willabus added that many in
the community are dismayed
by the NYC political process
due to its history of manipulation,
lack of transparency and
cronyism. “My candidacy is
viewed as a threat to the political,
economic and cultural
stranglehold that they’ve maintained
in our community for
decades. The TJ club and the
political elitists know that I am
an advocate for transparency,
for inclusivity and for greater
opportunity for ALL families,
workers and small businesses
within our community,” contended
the candidate.
Mercedes Narcisse, Shirley Paul, Donald Cranston and Dimple Willabus outside the Thomas
Jefferson (TJ) Democratic Club. Chantelle Grant