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Who's Backing Who in Brooklyn
February 12th, 2007

With the election a week and a day away, endorsements are being made in the special election for City Council in Brooklyn’s 40th district.

After looking over the list of 10 candidates, the New York Times chose Jesse Hamilton, who, the editorial says, “has a long record of achievement in the community” and has proved his independence from “the corruption-tainted Brooklyn machine of Clarence Norman.” In sum, the paper writes, Hamilton “would show up for work ready to serve the people of central Brooklyn.”

The former U.S. representative from the area, Major Owens agrees, according to The Daily Gotham. (Owens is indirectly responsible for the election. His leaving Congress paved the way for former Councilmember Yvette Clarke to take his seat in Washington. The special election is for her slot on the City Council.)

But a powerful union, Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, has endorsed Mathieu Eugene in his bid to become the City Council’s first Haitian member. This says Room Eight’s Ben Smith is a “very big deal.” Eugene’s “commitment to public service and his tremendous contributions to the community make him the best candidate for the City Council,” said a statement from union president Dennis Rivera.

With so many candidates vying for the seat, Citizens Union, the good government group, has issued a joint endorsement for two of them: Zenobia McNally and Wellington Sharpe. In a statement, the group said it was “impressed with McNally’s ambitious and energetic approach to serving her community and believes she has the tools to make a great councilmember.” As far as Sharpe goes, Citizens Union said it is “confident his expertise in health care and education will be a valuable asset to district residents and the city.” Overall, the group’s Doug Israel said the field of 10 features “a wealth of well-qualified candidates.” (Citizens Union is the sister organization of Citizens Union Foundation, the publisher of Gotham Gazette.)

And for a lighter take on the election, look at Wellington Sharpe’s portrayal of New York’s latest comic book villain. As The Politicker says in reprinting the leaflet, “criticizing Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and the botched bus program, as things currently stand, is a no-brainer.”

And this week, Gotham Gazette covers the issues and candidates in the special elections in Brooklyn and – let us not forget – Staten Island.

By Gail Robinson on February 12, 2007, 1:05 pm
In category: Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Governing | 3 Comments »

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3 Responses to “Who's Backing Who in Brooklyn”

  1. Special Elections for City Council Seats at Says:
    February 19th, 2007 at 5:00 pm

    [...] Gotham Gazette’s blog, The Wonkster, has a good roundup of the endorsements the different candidates have received. Jesse Hamilton was endorsed by the NY Times, Eugene was endorsed by Local 1199, and the Citizens Union endorsed two candidates – Zenobia McNally and Wellington Sharpe. [...]

  2. Darly Brutus Says:
    March 19th, 2007 at 6:09 am

    How well known are these candidates in 40th District? For so many years our district lack representation and because of that Iam seeking to represent the District in the upcoming election.
    347-512-4688

  3. Park Slope Live » Blog Archive » Who’s Backing Who Says:
    May 2nd, 2007 at 11:08 am

    [...] Next week, Brooklyn’s 40th district will vote for former Councilwoman Yvette Clarke’s old spot, now that she is moving on up to Major Owens’ seat in Congress. Of the ten candidates running for the position, the Times is endorsing Jesse Hamilton (pictured above), who, according to their editorial, “has a long record of achievement in the community” and has proved his independence from “the corruption-tainted Brooklyn machine of Clarence Norman.” Major Owens shares this endorsement, but Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, has endorsed Mathieu Eugene, who could become the City Council’s first Haitian member. Meanwhile, the Citizens Union is pushing a joint endorsement for both Zenobia McNally and Wellington Sharpe. If you don’t mind sharing, who’s got your vote? Who’s Backing Who in Brooklyn [Gotham Gazette] [...]

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