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Vol. 30, Issue 26 BROOKLYN EDITION June 28–July 4, 2019
By Nelson A. King
In her second election victory
in just less than six weeks,
Haitian American New York
City Councilwoman Farah
Louis Tuesday night defeated
her primary challenger Caribbean
American Monique Chandler
Waterman in the muchwatched
45th Council District
race in Brooklyn in the New
York Democratic Primary.
With 95 percent of the polling
precincts reporting, Louis,
the daughter of Haitian immigrants,
defeated Chandler-Waterman,
the daughter of Barbadian
and Jamaican immigrants,
by 10 percentage points, almost
the same margin as in the Special
Election for the seat on
May 14.
In essentially a two-way
race, Louis — the deputy chief
of staff for the district’s former
City Council representative,
Jumaane Williams, the son of
Grenadian immigrants, who,
in February, was elected New
York City Public Advocate —
received 51.69 percent of the
votes cast in Tuesday’s Primary
to Chandler-Waterman’s 41.36
percent.
In the Special Election,
Louis had received 42 percent
of the votes, in the race that
involved eight candidates, to
Chandler-Waterman’s 30 percent.
Williams endorsed Chandler-
Waterman, his former community
outreach director, in both
the Special Election and the
Primary.
Though their names
remained on the Primary ballot,
after contesting the Special
Election, the other candidates,
most of whom were Caribbeanborn
or of Caribbean parentage,
fared poorly Tuesday night.
Some of the candidates did not
actively campaign for the Primary.
Xamayla Rose, the daughter
of Jamaican immigrants,
received 1.75 percent of the
votes; Jamaican-born, L. Rickie
Tulloch 1.70 percent; Barbadian
/ Grenadian American,
Jovia A. Radix 1.45 percent;
Trinidadian, Anthony Alexis
0.47 percent; Adina Sash 0.96
percent; and Victor Jordan 0.54
percent.
After placing third in May’s
Special Election, lawyer Radix,
the daughter of Barbadian and
Grenadian immigrants, had
told Caribbean Life that she was
not contesting the Primary.
But while also not contesting
the Primary, Tulloch said
he was supporting Chandler-
Waterman.
“A unified 45th (45th Council
District)!” shouted Louis in her
victory speech Tuesday night,
at the Caribbean-owned Suede
Restaurant, on Clarendon Road
in East Flatbush, in the heart
of the Caribbean Community
in Brooklyn.
She asked boisterous supporters
to repeat “a unified
45th.” They enthusiastically
obliged.
The 45th Council District
comprises the Brooklyn neighborhoods
of Flatbush, East
Flatbush, Midwood, Flatlands
and Canarsie.
“This is what unity is all
about,” added Louis, flanked
by, among others, Caribbean
American, Jewish and Muslim
supporters. “To every member,
this win is for you.
“This election was for the
residents of the 45th,” continued
Louis, whose speech
was punctuated with chants
of “Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!” “I’m
proud to be your representative,
and we saw it in the numbers.
“When my opponent degraded
me, we took the high road,”
she said, referring to Chandler
Waterman. “This was a
grassroots campaign. We got
there because of your efforts.
Continued on Page 1
Farah Louis
wins again!
Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte (L) and Louis’s deputy campaign manager Debbie
Louis at victory party Tuesday night. Photo by Nelson A. King
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