The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Caledonians for Mindy

While we were busy ignoring Albany politics, the state of NY redrew its districts and many of us near the Q at Parkside will wake up the day after Election Day and find ourselves with new representatives in state government. And your "new" senator might be an incumbent. Huh?

If you haven't already cared to, take a look at the new districts here. Before you say no to clicking on that link, consider that it's an incredibly cool tool to look at both the old and new districts simultaneously. You get to see the REAL act of democracy at work, whereby a small group of jerk-offs gets to decide who represents whom, based on their own agendas about creating majorities for their own parties. In fairness, the new districts look a teensy, weensy bit less "creative" than the old ones. But the whole thing is enough to turn a civic optimist to cynic in just one peek.

And yet, there IS reason for hope. While me and Rudy on Winthrop and CeeLeeDee and Elizabeth C. and Duane and Eagle Eye Mr. S. and MJ McBee and Eggs and all you other Parkside Q's...our Democratic choice is now the very irritable and easily angered Kevin Parker, because we're now in the 21st. BUT, our GOP pick is none other than a pink-loving 22-year-old orthodox lady named Mindy. Many of you may have heard or read of her and said to yourself "she's awesome! but sadly not in my district" will now find that she potentially COULD be your rep in Albany. Ladies and Gentleman, Mindy Meyer:


And this is what she looks like when she's moving and talking:

I for one love her candidacy, though not because I'm trying to be hipster cool or ironic or condescending, but because her candidacy highlights what a farce is our state system that this is the best the Grand Old Party could muster. And she's fairly genuine, you know, if you, like, pay attention to what she's saying. Which I 100% don't agree with but would vociferously defend her right to spew. And she's no dummy...she must just take more votes than any GOP'er before her with her bubbly campaign in these notoriously fickle state-wide contests. It's a weird world, and staring at her name in November will be a real head-shaking experience. As for Kevin Parker? Do a little reading and decide for yourself. Dude has real anger management problems, though who knows maybe it's worth having a bulldog in the country's third most corrupt state Capitol. Just don't beat him by cheating at Scrabble...you'll end up with a Q and a Z up your nostrils.

11 comments:

Confused said...

Hmmm... so right now, Adams is still my Senate rep. But if I move across the street, then I'm in a whole new district.

Steven Romalewski said...

Thanks for linking to our interactive maps of the old and new district lines.

Just a heads up that you can create customized links that zoom directly to a particular district. Like this one that zooms into Senate District 21: http://bit.ly/MN1u9A

Or this one, that displays the race/ethnicity patterns within the district: http://bit.ly/MN1J4r

Hope that helps!

Steve Romalewski
Director, CUNY Mapping Service
The Graduate Center, CUNY

ElizabethC said...

I still kinda can't take a website that pink TOO seriously...but I agree, it's refreshing to see someone new on the scene.

ElizabethC said...

Here is a link describing where Parker lost his MIND and almost attacked Diane Savino (SI) over...wait for it....NOT wanting to expel Hiram Monserrat. Along with Eric Adams, who ALSO opposed expelling Monserrat. total wack bizarreness, right?http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/senate-brawl-albany-sen-kevin-parker-charges-curses-female-colleague-article-1.197461

ceelledee said...

Well, I must be Confused 2! So, one day I live in the same senatorial district as the rest of PLG but not the same assembly district. The next day, I live in the same assembly district as the rest of PLG, but not the same senatorial district. On top of it, as I search for meaningful elected representation, I now get to consider the candidacies of one Mindy Myers vs Kevin Parker to represent my interests in the NYS senate? Oy vey! What are the politics of this part of PLG coming to? IMO, there is no refreshing news in any of this redistricting crap.

Susan Lowes said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ElizabethC said...

from an article in the Observer:

"I asked her about Andrew Cuomo, who has in many ways been a friend to the Republican majority in the State Senate.

She seemed unsure, at one point telling me, "Honestly, I'm not really familiar with him."

I said he was the governor".

Anonymous said...

Mindy Meyer: The Sarah Palin of Brooklyn.

Unknown said...

Here is a link describing where Parker lost his MIND and almost attacked Diane Savino (SI) over...wait for it....NOT wanting to expel Hiram Monserrat. Autos Nuevos

Clarkson FlatBed said...

Yeah, basically that's why Kevin Parker is going nowhere. He's a super strong Senator, but he's got a major personality flaw. I don't understand why the allegiance with Hiram - maybe they're Anger Buddies?

Still, my interactions with Parker have all been positive, so I wonder if that whole time in his life was an outlier.

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