H H H H H H PRIMARY VOTERS’ GUIDE 2021 H H H H H H
Caribbean L 42 ife, June 4-10, 2021
Visit PoliticsNY.com to Watch Debates & Learn More About Each Candidate
Brandon West
West is a past president
of New Kings Democrats
and a longtime member of
the Democratic Socialists of
America. If elected, West says
he will work to tax the rich, find resources in the
city’s budget to support its communities, and for a
reformed land use process that “treats housing as
a human right.” (www.westforcouncil.com)
Jessica Simmons
As a teacher and principal,
Simmons says she’s seen
firsthand how the quality of a
child’s education determines
their future prospect. She
plans to prioritize education, pandemic recovery,
racial equity, and small business relief, while
diverting funds from the NYPD and standing
opposed to the Gowanus rezoning. (www.
jessicasimmonsforbrooklyn.com)
District 40:
Flatbush, Kensington and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens
Current Council Member: Mathieu Eugene (termlimited)
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Cecilia Cortez
Cecilia Cortez, the vice
president of the Ditmas Park
West Association, said she’s
running to give back to the
community she’s called home
for 27 years. The special needs educator and union
chapter leader said she would focus her campaign
on COVID-19 recovery, affordable housing, and
education. (www.ceciliacortez.com) Maxi Eugene
Eugene, who is the brother
of the incumbent, could not
be reached before press time.
Little public information about
his candidacy is available,
as he does not have a website or social media
presence.
Kenya Handy-
Hilliard
Handy-Hilliard has served
as a staffer for Rep. Yvette
Clarke and the state Attorney
General’s office, and as a director for the
city’s Department of Investigation and in the
comptroller’s Brooklyn office. The PLG resident
has focused her campaign on COVID recovery,
housing and tenants rights, and education.
(www.kenyaforthepeople.com)
Harriet Hines
Democratic County
Committee member Hines
is focusing her campaign
on disability rights and
accessibility, an issue the
candidate says is in dire need of attention
in Flatbush. Hines herself has a disability,
and says she would advocate for better
accessibility in the district, among other
issues of importance. (www.hines2021.com) Victor Jordan
Jordan could not be
reached before press time.
Little public information
about his candidacy is
available, as he does not have
a website or social media presence. Rita Joseph
Joseph is a community
activist and educator
campaigning with a laserfocus
on the homelessness
crisis affecting the city. As
a public school teacher at PS 6, former chair
of the Neighborhood Advisory Board and a
longtime community activist, Joseph views
a role in the Council as an extension of the
work she’s done for years. (www.ritajoseph.
com) Blake Morris
Morris, a Ditmas Park
attorney, has 30-plus years
of advocating for others
who need a voice under his
belt, and if elected would
prioritize tenant rights and supporting
small businesses. He has also proposed using
city-owned land and city pension funds to
build affordable housing, and rewriting the
NYPD patrol guide to address abuses. (www.
voteblake40.com) Vivia Morgan
Longtime president of
Friends of Wingate Park
and former congressional
candidate Morgan is
campaigning to address
gun violence, education reform, eradicating
homelessness, and green spaces. She also serves
on Community Board 9 and as community
service chair for the 43rd Assembly Kings
County Committee. (www.viviamorgan.com) Josue Pierre
Pierre, a district leader and
staffer in the comptroller’s
office, says his experience
financing the development of
affordable housing through
city pension funds makes him qualified to
address housing issues in Flatbush. The cofounding
member of the Shirley Chisholm
Democratic Club also pledges to prioritize
education and resident-friendly rezoning.
(www.pierre2021.com) Edwin Raymond
Police whistleblower Edwin
Raymond earned national
attention five years ago when
he first drew attention to
the NYPD’s alleged arrest
quotas that unfairly targeted Black and
brown New Yorkers. If elected, Raymond
pledges to prioritize police accountability
and public safety, housing, transportation
and infrastructure, and education. (www.
edwinraymond.com)
John Williams
Williams could not be
reached before press time.
Little public information
about his candidacy is
available, as he does not
have a website and has a limited social media
presence.
District 41:
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Ocean Hill-Brownsville, East
Flatbush, and Crown Heights.
Current Council Member: Alicka Ampry-Samuel
(seeking re-election)
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Alicka Ampry-
Samuel (incumbent)
Ampry-Samuel first ran for
City Council in 2005 but lost
to her current challenger,
Darlene Mealy, in the Democratic primary.
Ampry-Samuel went on to take the seat in
2018, and has since worked to strengthen
the community’s response to the pandemic,
protect community gardens and greenspace
and fight for sustainability and environmental
justice. (www.alickasamuel.com)
Darlene Mealy
Mealy previously
represented District 41
in the City Council from
2006 through 2017. Now,
as she fights for her old
seat back, Mealy is prioritizing issues like
economic development, education, and public
safety, with focuses on ending violence
against women. In her time in the Council,
Mealy was instrumental in helping women-
and minority-owned businesses. (www.
mealyforny.org)
/www.mealyforny.org
/www.jessicasimmonsforbrooklyn.com
/www.jessicasimmonsforbrooklyn.com
/www.ceciliacortez.com
/www.kenyaforthepeople.com
/www.hines2021.com
/www.ritajoseph.com
/www.ritajoseph.com
/www.voteblake40.com
/www.voteblake40.com
/www.viviamorgan.com
/www.pierre2021.com
/www.edwinraymond.com
/www.edwinraymond.com
/www.alickasamuel.com
/www.westforcouncil.com
/www.mealyforny.org
/PoliticsNY.com
/(www.westforcouncil.com)
/jessicasimmonsforbrooklyn.com
/(www.ceciliacortez.com)
/(www.kenyaforthepeople.com)
/(www.hines2021.com)
/(www.ritajoseph
/voteblake40.com
/(www.viviamorgan.com)
/(www.pierre2021.com)
/edwinraymond.com
/(www.alickasamuel.com)
/mealyforny.org
