Queens DSA co-chair says Van Bramer is not ‘our comrade’
BY MARK HALLUM
A recently appointed cochair
of the Queens Democratic
Socialists of America
slammed Councilman Jimmy
Van Bramer’s progressive ties
as false in a dramatic fashion
in a Medium post on Sept. 12.
Jonathan Bailey, a newly
appointed leader in the organization,
issued an open letter
to Van Bramer in which
he provided screenshots from
an email in which the councilman
attempted to set up a
meeting. More than anything,
Bailey seems to have stepped
out of line with the organization
by saying an endorsement
from the DSA for borough
president is not in cards.
“Jimmy Van Bramer has
already decided to try to lead
activists into believing he will
fight against the building of
the jails. The only reason for
him to meet with me is to influence
me to support his run
for Queens Borough President,”
Bailey said, then shifting
toward a personal message
to Van Bramer.
“I have been trying to stay
off your radar because I was
afraid that if you realized
that I was the new Co-Chair of
Queens DSA it might make it
clear how unenthusiastic we
are about the idea of endorsing
you… I know you have been
trying to cozy up with Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez and Tiffany
Cabán, but that doesn’t
make you our comrade,”
Bailey wrote.
One of the main topics mentioned
in Bailey’s letter was
regarding the fight against
Amazon’s proposal to establish
HQ2 in Long Island City,
but it included a misleading
attack on the Councilman.
Bailey charges that Van
Bramer was in favor of HQ2,
however, the councilman’s
opposition to the proposal established
him as the target
of pro-Amazon attacks from
the likes of Josh Bowen. Van
Bramer’s stance even gained
him a report with Massachusetts
senator and presidential
candidate Elizabeth Warren,
who incorporated the councilman
into her rally in Long
Island City in March.
“I’ve been fighting the
Queens machine and standing
up for working families my entire
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (l.) was seen publicly alongside
Queens District Attorney candidate Tiffany Cabán during the close
and drawn out race. Photo: Mark Hallum/QNS
life,” Van Bramer said in
response to the letter. “It took
me three attempts to finally
beat the county candidate for
Council, and I’ve never backed
down since, whether it’s being
the first Queens elected official
to endorse Tiffany Cabán
for D.A. or defying Joe Crowley
in the Speaker’s race. I’m
proud to run on my record. In
this incredibly diverse borough
every vote matters, and
I’m excited to make my case.”
Bailey, who was at the Sept.
5 City Council hearing on the
city’s borough-based jail proposal,
said he had little faith
that Van Bramer would not
be easily sway in his decision
of whether to vote for or
against the construction of
the facilities.
But is Bailey’s sentiment
shared by the wider organization?
Some sources say no.
According to a source, bad
blood between Bailey and Van
Bramer may go back aways.
Bailey served as a campaign
manager for an opponent to
Van Bramer, David Rosasco,
who was chair of the Woodside
Neighborhood Association.
Rosasco ran for the seat
in 2009, after which time he
defected from the Democratic
Party to the GOP. He then
went up against Van Bramer
in 2017.
In an interview with QNS,
Rosasco said sentiments toward
Van Bramer in his district
may be just as mixed as
samples from the far left.
“I think what Jonathan is
reflecting is an overall view of
our current situation and the
people who were instrumental
in causing the crisis are
not to be the ones to resolve
it, and I think that is reflected
in Jonathan’s statement,” Rosasco
said in reference to Van
Bramer’s history of taking
donations from the real estate
industry, which was also mentioned
in the letter.
Read more at
QNS.com.
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