Who else are
they endorsing?
Antonio Reynoso endorsed by John
Liu for Borough President
State Senator John Liu endorsed City
Council Member Antonio Reynoso for Brooklyn
Borough President.
This newest endorsement for Reynoso
demonstrates the diverse
coalition that
his campaign for
Brooklyn Borough
President continues
to build, his campaign
Liu called Reynoso
a “powerful
progressive voice”
on the council and
said that he has the
skills and experience
to help the borough
recover from
the COVID-19 crisis.
Courtesy Antonio Reynoso
“I witnessed Reynoso’s growth from a
City Council staff member into a council
member in his own right. As I did when Reynoso
fi rst ran for city council, I’m proud to
endorse him again, this time to be Brooklyn
BP,” Liu said.
Corey Johnson endorsed by TWU
Local 100 for Comptroller
TWU Local 100 endorsed Corey Johnson
for New York City Comptroller. TWU Local
100 represents more than 41,000 workers and
26,000 retirees who
serve the City’s public
transit system.
“New York City
needs leaders with
the skills and experience
to lead
our city out of this
pandemic and kickstart
our recovery.
That’s exactly why
Corey Johnson is
the right choice
for New York City
Comptroller,” said
Photo by Donna Aceto
TWU Local 100
President Tony Utano. “As a Council Member
and as Speaker, Corey has always stood
with transportation workers in our efforts
to improve public transit and keep it safe.
We are confi dent that as Comptroller he’ll
continue that fi ght, using the offi ce to protect
public pensions and hold City government
accountable.”
Caribbean Life, MAY 7-13, 2021 13
NYC’s #1 Source for Political & Election News
Jeffries backs Hudson
Powerful House Dem endorses in 35th Council District race
BY BEN VERDE
Brooklyn Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
on Tuesday threw his weight behind
City Council candidate Crystal
Hudson, who is running to represent
the 35th district in central
Brooklyn.
Jeffries, the fi fth highest-ranking
house Democrat in Washington,
cited Hudson’s community
activism while making his endorsement.
“When the COVID-19
pandemic hit, Crystal was there.
When we came together to demand
transformational police reform,
Crystal was there,” Jeffries said
May 4. “When public housing residents
and those victimized by displacement
needed a voice, Crystal
was there.”
Hudson, a former deputy public
advocate and staffer for incumbent
Councilmember Laurie Cumbo,
has garnered endorsements from
both progressive groups and individuals
like the New Kings Democrats,
the Lambda Independent
Democrats, and Councilmember
Brad Lander, as well as powerful
unions like District Council 37.
Jeffries is the most prominent
and establishment-aligned politician
to endorse Hudson yet.
Though there are more than
half a dozen candidates for the seat,
the race is largely seen as between
Hudson and tenant organizer Michael
Hollingsworth — and it’s split
leftists in the district, with upstart
groups like the Democratic Socialists
of America and New York
Communities for Change backing
Hollingsworth.
Hudson, who interviewed for
the DSA’s endorsement, did not receive
it largely because of her past
working with Cumbo at a time
when the legislator was pushing
through a controversial housing
project in Crown Heights, according
to a source familiar with the
endorsement process.
The development project revolved
around turning the historic,
publicly-owned Bedford-Union Armory
into a new community center
with an adjoining residential development.
But opponents criticized
the proposal’s amount of affordable
housing units, which some community
members maintained was
far too few.
After initially calling for 100
percent affordable housing, Cumbo
had a change of heart, and helped
carry the project through a contentious
public review process while
she ran for re-election in 2017.
Jeffries was outwardly critical
of the DSA’s decision not to
back Hudson, and in November
retweeted a post calling out the socialist
organization for endorsing a
former staffer of ousted Bronx Rep.
Joe Crowley, who was defeated by
DSA-backed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio
Cortez, but not Hudson.
“Seems that @nycDSA only requires
Black women to answer for
their former employers,” reads the
post from Sasha Neha Ahuja.
Others in the race have used
Hudson’s ties to Cumbo and the negotiation
as an attack line. Hudson
has made clear efforts to distance
herself from the project, even penning
an opinion piece denouncing
it as she began her campaign.
In a statement, Jeffries said
Hudson would have no problem
fi ghting for what’s right.
“On day one she will fi ght for
justice, stand up to powerful interests,
and deliver real results for
working families as we recover
from the pandemic,” he said.
Crystal Hudson. Courtesy of campaign
McGuire, Waterman cross-endorse
BY ARIAMA C. LONG
Thanks to the strategic maneuvering
necessary in Ranked
Choice Voting, team ups are getting
more common in city politics
than most Avenger fl icks.
Case and point, Mayoral
candidate and business mogul
Ray McGuire and City Council
Candidate for District 36 Reverend
Robert Waterman decided
to cross endorse each other for
their respective races on May 2.
“New York City needs a
leader who will put New Yorkers
fi rst, not special interests, or
their own interests,” said Waterman,
After a restricted petitioning
season, the 15 or so offi cial candidates
vying to replace termlimited
City Councilmember
Robert Cornegy in Bed-Stuy and
Northern Crown Heights has
been whittled down a bit, leaving
behind front-runners like
Waterman, Democratic District
Leader Henry Butler, Chi Osse,
Tahirah Moore and Regina Edwards.
Waterman has headed Antioch
Baptist Church for 19 years,
and served on Community
Board 3 for over 10 years. A huge
endorsement from a Mayoral
candidate might be what Waterman
needs to get a leg up on the
other activists, progressives, or
Brooklyn natives in the race.
Meanwhile, McGuire seemingly
is continuing his ground
game approach of connecting
to his strongest base of Black
and Brown voters. Given Waterman’s
infl uence with the church
and community in the historically
Black district, a cross-endorsement
is a good move.
said.
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