Who are they
endorsing?
Curtis Harris - Endorsed by Former
Council Candidate Ede Fox
Curtis Harris’s campaign for City Council
announced the endorsement of community
leader and former 35th District City Council
candidate Ede Fox.
Fox is the former
committee chair of
Community Board
8 and the co-founder
of the Prospect
Heights Democrats
for Reform.
“I am pleased to
endorse Curtis Harris
for City Council
because he has
the wisdom, maturity
and leadership
skills to guide our
district through one
Curtis Harris 2021
of the most diffi cult
times this city has
ever seen,” Fox said. “Whether fi ghting for
criminal justice reforms, affordable housing,
COVID-19 resources or quality education,
Curtis never backs down from the fi ght to
create positive change. Curtis’s many years
of public service has given him a unique perspective
in solving issues facing our community.”
Harris said that Fox has an impressive
track record for local activism around low
and moderate income housing and that he
looks forward to working with her on those
issues.
“In Brooklyn, we work together to solve
problems, and I look forward to working with
Ede and others to do what is right for Brooklyn,”
Harris said.
Henry Butler - Endorsed by
Teamsters Local 237
City Council Candidate Henry Butler in
District 26 was endorsed by Teamsters Local
237.
Teamsters Local 237 is a union of 24,000
New York public employees who work in
New York City government agencies, libraries
and schools. Local 237 is the largest local
union in the Teamsters international
“I am forever grateful to the hardworking
men and women of Teamsters Local 237
and their leader Gregory Floyd for their support
and belief in me,” he wrote in an email
to his supporters.
Caribbean Life, APRIL 23-29, 2021 15
NYC’s #1 Source for Political & Election News
Show ‘em the money
Public fi nancing dollars rains on Brooklyn candidates
BY ARIAMA C. LONG
The Campaign Finance Board
(CFB) on April 14 doled out a
whopping $23.3 million in public
matching funds to candidates
running for offi ce this year, tacking
onto the already historic $72.2
million they’ve given out in funds
in these and any other races for
the last 32 years, said the CFB.
More candidates are registered
to run in the 2021 elections than in
any previous New York City election
cycle, and more than 71 percent
of the individual contributions
raised are from New York
City residents, said CFB.
To qualify for public funds,
candidates must meet fundraising
thresholds demonstrating support
from within their communities, in
City Council races that means candidates
must raise at least $5,000
from city residents and at least 75
contributions from residents of the
district where they are runnin.
The CFB then provides matching
funds to qualifying candidates, $8
for every $1 they raise, up to the fi rst
$175 for donations to City Council
and Borough President candidates.
Here’s a breakdown of what
some Brooklyn candidates received.
Borough President
Robert Cornegy, Jr. $190,246
Khari Edwards $60,771
Antonio Reynoso $209,937
Jo Anne Simon $386,933
City Council
DISTRICT 33
Victoria Cambranes $8,550
Stuart Sherman $31,160
Benjamin Solotaire $5,966
April Somboun $26,440
DISTRICT 35
Curtis Harris $6,924
Michael Hollingsworth $2
Regina Kinsey $42,277
DISTRICT 37
Darma Diaz $18,696
Rick Echevarria $75,886
DISTRICT 38
Yu Lin $62,586
Jacqueline Painter $26,524
Ceasar Zuniga $160,444
DISTRICT 45
Anthony Beckford $68,218
DISTRICT 48
Binyomin Bendet $104,090
Mariya Markh $59,310
Boris Noble $33,442
Inna Vernikov $74,123
For the full rundown of what
Brooklyn candidates received, visit
PoliticsNY.com.
Op-ed: The ballad of down-ballot races
BY STEPHEN WITT
With many eyes on
this year’s mayoral election,
there is a tragic
beauty to this year’s
down-ballot elections
for the city’s 51 council
seats - 35 of them being
open due to term limits.
At City Hall, council
members negotiate the
budget with the mayor
and craft legislation.
Some of it like the plastic
bag ban affect our
daily lives in seemingly
mundane ways. Members
also monitor city
agencies under the executive
branch such as
public housing, sanitation
and education.
But good city council
members also know
that their work is also
on the streets doing constituent
services. People
like term-limited City
Councilmember Chaim
Deutsch (D-Brooklyn).
When seniors in his district
complained that
the select bus service
killed many local stops
forcing them to walk
longer distances to
cacth the bus, Deutsch
successfully led a campaign
for more stops.
Deutsch will be
missed. Not for sweeping
legislation, but for
his care of the people he
served.
Others running
for city council are all
about political ambition.
A stepping stone
to higher offi ce.
Bill de Blasio was
that way. A lifelong political
opertative, he
started in the Dinkins
Administration and
ran the U.S. Senate
campaign for Hillary
Clinton. He was not easily
accessible as a city
council member except
to those who could
help him get ahead.
His council time was
spent mainly strategizing,
planning the next
step. It worked. He got
elected to public advocate
and then mayor.
Others like Jumaane
Williams and Letitia
James were both ambitious
and effective city
councilmembers. Williams
is now the city’s
public advocate and
James is the State Attorney
General.
But for the vast majority
of term-limited
city council members,
being a public servant
in that position has
been a highlight reel for
their lives. Now, they
must move on to the
next phase. May they
have happy travels.
It is for us the voters
to now examine
this next crop of people
seeking to represent
the communities
and neighborhoods we
live in. There are four,
fi ve, six and seven candidates
to choose from
in some districts. These
down-ballot elections
are important.
Attention must be
paid.
union.
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