Good for him. Let's not get our hopes up about overturned results or sweeping voter reform just yet. But at least the message seems to be getting through...Mathieu Eugene's version of the Kings County Democratic Machine is built like bull dozer. Mathieu had no business being in ANY polling place where he wasn't voting. His supporters were not to be within a 100 feet of any precinct. Poll workers were only to respond to questions about the ballot, not instruct voters how to vote straight down the party line.
This from City Limits, says Cunningham is now planning to challenge the election formally. In the story you'll hear how hapless poll captains had no formal training on how to deal with complaints. Of course not - they're being chosen and paid by politicians, and they're far from neutral themselves. I heard a full on political argument happening between workers at PS92. They shouldn't even be talking about candidates at all. That said, an election is hard to get exactly right. For shits and giggles I tried signing my name in a completely different way, all loops, just initials. Not so much as a second look.
The Election Day antics all point to but one conclusion. Eugene's a fool. Why would one take a chance at all of breaking the law? He was the Democratic Party candidate in a district of Democrats - basically a shoo-in. Foolish. Reckless. And even if a judge rules no reason for a do-over, it's sad for the neighborhood and City that so many people have had their faith thrashed when it comes to voting and politicians. Then the Man goes and thanks God for his blessings? Oof. If you're gonna cheat you should at least own it.
Friday, November 10, 2017
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Moving On - The Parkside Plaza Wants YOU Tomorrow
Disappointed? Sure. But Not Demoralized.
Brian was a great candidate, particularly, the Q thought, this second time out. He exuded a new confidence, unafraid of speaking frankly about his opponent's shocking misgivings. But no, you don't dislodge a 10-year incumbent by just being the better candidate and campaigning fiercely. You're going against every last Eugene supporter that he's cultivated through the past years, and the stubborn willingness of voters to vote Democrat without pause. Veterans of previous campaigns privately confided they felt it was an outside chance at best. Roughly 60/40 numbers for the councilman, in all. And yet, it's hard to discount the feeling that the election was stolen, not least because of ME's shady electioneering. More on that from our good friends at Bklnr., replete with gotcha pictures.
Just remember though...nothing's changed. The district didn't get a lift, but neither was it dealt a death blow. I've been involved in community and political affairs in Flatbush for precisely as long as Mathieu has been in office. I was duped into thing that he was more than just smiles and cheap suits, and that he would be able to bridge the chasm between the many wonderful Haitians living in the community and the old-timers and newcomers of various stripes to address issues common to us all. Sure we knew he would be a beacon of hope and a champion (in front of the camera at least) of Haitian immigrant rights and TPS. But we never imagined he would be so absent, so vacuous and so uninvolved on a personal level with the needs of the neighborhood's wildly diverse residents. He leads on nothing. He follows through on nothing. He is, in essence, a nothing entity, at least for the majority of us. Let's just hope he isn't grooming a successor!
And so it goes, and so it goes. Imagine being a liberal Democrat in deeply red and regressive Alabama - it can't feel good to be so misrepresented in government. At least OUR guy is too inconsequential to do lasting damage. Politically, sometimes it feels like you're a fish out of water, unable to swim with the big fish (like tunas Jumaane Williams and Brad Lander and even Laurie Cumbo), In four years, we'll have our chance. And in the meantime, don't let the Councilman forget whom he's supposed to serve - everyone. That is, if you see him. I suspect we'll see even less of him now that he's a lame duck. Emphasis on the lame.
Just remember though...nothing's changed. The district didn't get a lift, but neither was it dealt a death blow. I've been involved in community and political affairs in Flatbush for precisely as long as Mathieu has been in office. I was duped into thing that he was more than just smiles and cheap suits, and that he would be able to bridge the chasm between the many wonderful Haitians living in the community and the old-timers and newcomers of various stripes to address issues common to us all. Sure we knew he would be a beacon of hope and a champion (in front of the camera at least) of Haitian immigrant rights and TPS. But we never imagined he would be so absent, so vacuous and so uninvolved on a personal level with the needs of the neighborhood's wildly diverse residents. He leads on nothing. He follows through on nothing. He is, in essence, a nothing entity, at least for the majority of us. Let's just hope he isn't grooming a successor!
And so it goes, and so it goes. Imagine being a liberal Democrat in deeply red and regressive Alabama - it can't feel good to be so misrepresented in government. At least OUR guy is too inconsequential to do lasting damage. Politically, sometimes it feels like you're a fish out of water, unable to swim with the big fish (like tunas Jumaane Williams and Brad Lander and even Laurie Cumbo), In four years, we'll have our chance. And in the meantime, don't let the Councilman forget whom he's supposed to serve - everyone. That is, if you see him. I suspect we'll see even less of him now that he's a lame duck. Emphasis on the lame.
 |
| Is that the face of an innocent man? (from Bklyner.) |
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Welcome To the Undemocratic Democratic Republic of Flatbush
If you're new to the area, you can be forgiven for being shocked. Elections around here aren't an exact science - more like an approximation with a pinch of strong-arm. Our leaders and judges are pretty much chosen for us by current elected officials and the Kings County party. The somewhat Honorable Yvette Clarke can be blamed for choosing Mathieu Eugene as her successor. I guess she and her mom Una felt he'd sew up the Haitian vote from thence til kingdom come. And for 10 years at least that's been true. (Who knows, maybe kingdom will come in the next couple years, proving me right?)
Voting irregularities abound today, much as they do every election. This time, Eugene is running scared, and word is he's PISSED to have to electioneer at all. Much like elections in banana republics, or Oil-istocracies or just about anywhere in the world this is kinda what democracy looks like when the incumbent doesn't want to lose. Eugene showed up at polling places to glad-hand, his "volunteers" are pushy and pushing past the 100 yard zone around precincts. Some confused voters are being misled about how the ballot works - some even told to vote the straight Democratic line. Business as usual.
If you come from somewhere small-town, university town or suburban, perhaps this all seems a bit nutso - the thug tactics, patronage, paying people to intimidate, refusing to shake the hand of your opponent. Welcome to Brooklyn! Even our elections are, um, artisinal!
Keep an eye out. Alert polling captains of any infringement of rules. Take pictures. Report to the AG and BoE. And if the election is super close, expect a legal challenge.
Check out this hilarious defense from Adam Ullian of Eugene's office, as quoted in Patch, in classic Spicer/Huckabee form:
Voting irregularities abound today, much as they do every election. This time, Eugene is running scared, and word is he's PISSED to have to electioneer at all. Much like elections in banana republics, or Oil-istocracies or just about anywhere in the world this is kinda what democracy looks like when the incumbent doesn't want to lose. Eugene showed up at polling places to glad-hand, his "volunteers" are pushy and pushing past the 100 yard zone around precincts. Some confused voters are being misled about how the ballot works - some even told to vote the straight Democratic line. Business as usual.
If you come from somewhere small-town, university town or suburban, perhaps this all seems a bit nutso - the thug tactics, patronage, paying people to intimidate, refusing to shake the hand of your opponent. Welcome to Brooklyn! Even our elections are, um, artisinal!
Keep an eye out. Alert polling captains of any infringement of rules. Take pictures. Report to the AG and BoE. And if the election is super close, expect a legal challenge.
Check out this hilarious defense from Adam Ullian of Eugene's office, as quoted in Patch, in classic Spicer/Huckabee form:
Adam Ullian, who works on the Eugene campaign, told Patch that Eugene was at the polls because he had been told that Cunningham was at the polls earlier in the day. Ullian said Eugene wanted to make sure the poll workers and election officers knew that wasn't allowed.
"That was his intent. Not because he wanted to break the campaign rules," Ullian said. "The intent was to let them know that, hey, he's not supposed to be there."
If You Don't Vote Today, You Lose Your Right To Complain!
Just trying out a new tactic for you naysayers out there.
Look, it's been an uphill battle to unseat the 10-year incumbent, the thuggish, nasty, arrogant, no-show, ignorant, impotent, incompetent, laughing stock of the City Council - "Dr." Mathieu Eugene. It's outrageous that he's lasted this long, but that's the power of incumbency. The good "doctor's" henchmen our out on the streets carrying signs and the candidate himself has been seen illegally electioneering in polling stations where he isn't even registered to vote (according to eyewitnesses - not independently confirmed). One of his placard-bearing soldiers told me he wasn't even being paid (others were of course). Really? Actually campaigning out of the goodness of your heart? Dang. And I thought America had fallen to pieces. You give me hope, young brainwashed Democrat!
Even if you do mistakenly vote for Eugene, you get to complain. I voted for him 10 years ago and I've been complaining ever since! Take a few minutes to educate yourself on this race, and maybe the ConCon proposal on the back of the ballot. (I voted yes, but there are those who swear it would lead to a stripping away of environmental and labor protections, to which I say that's fear-mongering and in fact, it could be argued, the proposals sent back to voters could provide MORE of such protections, and do so in a more democratic manner. But to each his/her own. Fear or Bravery, IMO.
Just vote. In the Q's opinion, massive voter turnout now and in the future is the only true protection we have against the Mathieu Eugenes and Donald Trumps and Roy Moores of the world. Regressive Populism can only be defeated with Progressive Big Big Numbers - in other words, Populism with Popularity. We the people, indeed. Makes an old lefty like the Q misty with patriotism, if not for the now, for the future.
Vote Cunningham.
Look, it's been an uphill battle to unseat the 10-year incumbent, the thuggish, nasty, arrogant, no-show, ignorant, impotent, incompetent, laughing stock of the City Council - "Dr." Mathieu Eugene. It's outrageous that he's lasted this long, but that's the power of incumbency. The good "doctor's" henchmen our out on the streets carrying signs and the candidate himself has been seen illegally electioneering in polling stations where he isn't even registered to vote (according to eyewitnesses - not independently confirmed). One of his placard-bearing soldiers told me he wasn't even being paid (others were of course). Really? Actually campaigning out of the goodness of your heart? Dang. And I thought America had fallen to pieces. You give me hope, young brainwashed Democrat!
Even if you do mistakenly vote for Eugene, you get to complain. I voted for him 10 years ago and I've been complaining ever since! Take a few minutes to educate yourself on this race, and maybe the ConCon proposal on the back of the ballot. (I voted yes, but there are those who swear it would lead to a stripping away of environmental and labor protections, to which I say that's fear-mongering and in fact, it could be argued, the proposals sent back to voters could provide MORE of such protections, and do so in a more democratic manner. But to each his/her own. Fear or Bravery, IMO.
Just vote. In the Q's opinion, massive voter turnout now and in the future is the only true protection we have against the Mathieu Eugenes and Donald Trumps and Roy Moores of the world. Regressive Populism can only be defeated with Progressive Big Big Numbers - in other words, Populism with Popularity. We the people, indeed. Makes an old lefty like the Q misty with patriotism, if not for the now, for the future.
Vote Cunningham.
 |
| Just a bit of day-of campaigning from the dictator at PS249 |
Sunday, November 5, 2017
Post-Debate Eugene Refuses To Shake Cunningham's Hand
Brian Cunningham crushed do-nada incumbent Mathieu Eugene tonight in a debate 48 hours before the Election Day polls close. The moderator's questions were solid, the event marred by raucous vapid applause from Eugene's small but loud gaggle of minions. But after final comments, Eugene blasted debate host (not moderator, host) Duane Joseph for being a biased moderator, a Cunningham surrogate. Craaaazy, y'all. Duane merely welcomed the crowd and ran the p.a. Why would you piick on the Gentle Giant? And if that weren't bad enough, Eugene refused to shake his opponent's hand, or as a rascally pundit noted, he went all-in with the Papa Doc optics (hey, I didn't say it, but he was posturing like a dictator). As in seriously, check this shit out:
For a more professional and unbiased account of the debate, check out this from your good friends at BKLYNER. Needless to say, many folks were shocked by Eugene's and his supporter's antics.
The basics of the debate went something like this. Solid question, solid answer from Cunningham, meandering pandering nonsense about "we must work together" and "I have been fighting hard" and then even a few lies like "my office is number 1 in constituents served" and perhaps the strangest answer to "are you pro-choice?" I think you could possibly concoct. I'm still trying to make sense of it.
Eugene was responding to the fact that Planned Parenthood refused to endorse him, because he hadn't come out against Pro-Life fake family planning clinics - abstaining in fact. Eugene talked about having delivered many babies (though he's lived in the U.S. for decades and never practiced here) and how when a mother is giving birth and is given the option save her life or her baby's, it is a very personal decision and she must make it, and of course she chooses the baby. You could almost see an entire roomful of people straining to figure out what the hell he was saying. But wait a minute...as a doctor isn't he SUPPOSED to save the mother's life? And how often does one even have time or inclination to present a mother with such a Sophie's Choice? I mean, is he just totally making this shit up??? I'm not even sure he answered the question at all, at least not as it was asked. So very, very strange. And whenever he equivocates, his accent gets suddenly WAY thicker, like he's purposely trying to be misunderstood (not mocking his accent here - but I've noticed this over the 10 years that he mumbles when hoping not to be heard). But seriously...what the fuck was he saying about life of mother/baby scenarios?? It's actually haunting me.
And even if the debate hadn't been so laughably Cunningham's victory, this next picture tells you all you need to know about whom to vote for on Tuesday. End of the night, after Eugene has long since left with his disrespectful supporters (I particularly like the Eugene groupie/staffer Soumia Chraibi who gave me the finger while calling ME out for booing his rejection of a handshake - classy!). BC spent the remainder of the eve taking questions from everyone who wanted a moment of his time; then Cunningham helped clean up the room.
Don't let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the neighborhood's course pass us by. And tell everyone you know.
For a more professional and unbiased account of the debate, check out this from your good friends at BKLYNER. Needless to say, many folks were shocked by Eugene's and his supporter's antics.
The basics of the debate went something like this. Solid question, solid answer from Cunningham, meandering pandering nonsense about "we must work together" and "I have been fighting hard" and then even a few lies like "my office is number 1 in constituents served" and perhaps the strangest answer to "are you pro-choice?" I think you could possibly concoct. I'm still trying to make sense of it.
Eugene was responding to the fact that Planned Parenthood refused to endorse him, because he hadn't come out against Pro-Life fake family planning clinics - abstaining in fact. Eugene talked about having delivered many babies (though he's lived in the U.S. for decades and never practiced here) and how when a mother is giving birth and is given the option save her life or her baby's, it is a very personal decision and she must make it, and of course she chooses the baby. You could almost see an entire roomful of people straining to figure out what the hell he was saying. But wait a minute...as a doctor isn't he SUPPOSED to save the mother's life? And how often does one even have time or inclination to present a mother with such a Sophie's Choice? I mean, is he just totally making this shit up??? I'm not even sure he answered the question at all, at least not as it was asked. So very, very strange. And whenever he equivocates, his accent gets suddenly WAY thicker, like he's purposely trying to be misunderstood (not mocking his accent here - but I've noticed this over the 10 years that he mumbles when hoping not to be heard). But seriously...what the fuck was he saying about life of mother/baby scenarios?? It's actually haunting me.
And even if the debate hadn't been so laughably Cunningham's victory, this next picture tells you all you need to know about whom to vote for on Tuesday. End of the night, after Eugene has long since left with his disrespectful supporters (I particularly like the Eugene groupie/staffer Soumia Chraibi who gave me the finger while calling ME out for booing his rejection of a handshake - classy!). BC spent the remainder of the eve taking questions from everyone who wanted a moment of his time; then Cunningham helped clean up the room.
Don't let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the neighborhood's course pass us by. And tell everyone you know.
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Two Big Electric Fires - One Night
Came home from work to this happening at (oh god, not again) 60 Clarkson:
According to my pal Vina it was an electrical fire in 6E. She said the lady whose apartment it was is devastated. But nobody - nobody, is surprised by the occurrence of fire. Everyone knew slumlord Barry Hers was doing shitty work in the building and recently folks were complaining of smelling smoke, and not just the cheeby cheeby. To my knowledge no one was hurt, but the street was slammed with people. It's so incredible to see how many people file out of a single NYC apartment building - and this one only has 80-some units.
As I walked through the crowd I spotted a couple reporters. Without deaths, this fire wasn't going to make the 11 o'clock news I figured. But I'll bet Rachel Holliday-Smith will be here! You know, the intrepid local reporter for DNA Info that I link to three or so times a week? Except...I can't anymore. In fact, all those links are currently dead. Because...well, read for yourself.
Rachel's smart. She can write. She'll find another job and she'll nail that one too. But we just lost two of the most outstanding hyper-local news sources ever - DNA and Gothamist. After I started digging into the 60 Clarkson saga it was Nathan Tempey of Gothamist who really started to make the connections and nail the S.O.B. He was going longform on the story, and many others. These two reporters were among the young guns that you count on to make the Kleptocracy almost resemble Democracy. And with one fell swoop, billionaire Joe Rickets tossed 'em all out. Fact is, only billionaires can afford to run news organizations anymore. (maybe that's just the cost-of-living - it's always been a rich man's sport hasn't it Roop?). And Rickets wasn't doing it for his love of journalism. He saw a way to harness hyper-local advertising. But the fact is, we don't want to pay for content, do we? Like pretty much everything else, we feel entitled. Entitled to good journalism, good TV, free parking and regular trash collection that hauls our plastic and uneaten meat to the dump.
I'm going to eat a Halloween $100,000 bar and rue the day. THIS day. The one where two very different but somehow deeply related Electrical Fires hit home.
As I walked through the crowd I spotted a couple reporters. Without deaths, this fire wasn't going to make the 11 o'clock news I figured. But I'll bet Rachel Holliday-Smith will be here! You know, the intrepid local reporter for DNA Info that I link to three or so times a week? Except...I can't anymore. In fact, all those links are currently dead. Because...well, read for yourself.
Rachel's smart. She can write. She'll find another job and she'll nail that one too. But we just lost two of the most outstanding hyper-local news sources ever - DNA and Gothamist. After I started digging into the 60 Clarkson saga it was Nathan Tempey of Gothamist who really started to make the connections and nail the S.O.B. He was going longform on the story, and many others. These two reporters were among the young guns that you count on to make the Kleptocracy almost resemble Democracy. And with one fell swoop, billionaire Joe Rickets tossed 'em all out. Fact is, only billionaires can afford to run news organizations anymore. (maybe that's just the cost-of-living - it's always been a rich man's sport hasn't it Roop?). And Rickets wasn't doing it for his love of journalism. He saw a way to harness hyper-local advertising. But the fact is, we don't want to pay for content, do we? Like pretty much everything else, we feel entitled. Entitled to good journalism, good TV, free parking and regular trash collection that hauls our plastic and uneaten meat to the dump.
I'm going to eat a Halloween $100,000 bar and rue the day. THIS day. The one where two very different but somehow deeply related Electrical Fires hit home.
An Actual Debate! Check It Out on Sunday 4pm
Hard to believe it'll come off as advertised. But it will be great to see the candidates confront each other up close and personal.
Folks, this race is going to be a lot closer than anyone imagined...
Folks, this race is going to be a lot closer than anyone imagined...
Unwarranted Self-Promotion (no, not from him)
The Q has spent most of his adult life (and a good deal of his pre and post adult life) making music. Writing songs. Playing in bands, you know the drill. I can see in retrospect that there have been two complementary tracks - one experimental and outrageous, the other poppy to the hilt. Both reside in the rock, skronk and folky veins. One, Babe the blue OX, happens to include two other Lefferts residents (actually ON Lefferts, as a matter of fact), while the bassist singer Rose lives in Kensington).
After a semi-successful run in the 1990's on Homestead and then RCA records, the Q (then known as Timothy James Thomas - his coming-out as the Q was but a twinkling in the groin) turned back to the straight-up rock and pop stylings of his youth. Then he briefly stopped making music to sober up, returning with a vengeance with music made in basements and crummy bars. The Babe continues, and the flame re-emerges every so often in the forms of nostalgia and melancholy. It must be noted, without boast, that the Q can still play the hell out of his Telecaster. You can fool a Strat, but you can't fool a Tele. If you know what that means, you must play at least a wee bit yourself.
Two super-long career-spanning records of material are now available to be freely streamed and cheaply purchased. And they're in alpha order, because who wants to decide what works and what doesn't? I've never had a clue. I'm stunned to see that I somehow managed to pen more than 100 songs that I actually still want to hear. The rest have been scrapped, but even they remind me of moments and emotions that have since faded into wistful, sometimes painful, memory. But like Poloroids in a shoe box, I can't help but be moved that we humans still have a desire to communicate in ways that language alone fails.
Here they are. Enjoy or scoff. They are now free to roam.
After a semi-successful run in the 1990's on Homestead and then RCA records, the Q (then known as Timothy James Thomas - his coming-out as the Q was but a twinkling in the groin) turned back to the straight-up rock and pop stylings of his youth. Then he briefly stopped making music to sober up, returning with a vengeance with music made in basements and crummy bars. The Babe continues, and the flame re-emerges every so often in the forms of nostalgia and melancholy. It must be noted, without boast, that the Q can still play the hell out of his Telecaster. You can fool a Strat, but you can't fool a Tele. If you know what that means, you must play at least a wee bit yourself.
Two super-long career-spanning records of material are now available to be freely streamed and cheaply purchased. And they're in alpha order, because who wants to decide what works and what doesn't? I've never had a clue. I'm stunned to see that I somehow managed to pen more than 100 songs that I actually still want to hear. The rest have been scrapped, but even they remind me of moments and emotions that have since faded into wistful, sometimes painful, memory. But like Poloroids in a shoe box, I can't help but be moved that we humans still have a desire to communicate in ways that language alone fails.
Here they are. Enjoy or scoff. They are now free to roam.
 |
| always an inspiration |
 |
| always an inspiration |
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Complacency Could Still Put Mathieu Eugene Back In City Council
It's Sad with a capital sssssssss to think that do-nothing, non-responsive, disinterested and uninformed City Councilperson Mathieu Eugene might just win a final four year term representing most of Flatbush. It is an indictment of us all to think that matters of urgency to us would mean so little to so many voters that they'd either care to ignore 10 years of negligent representation or forgo voting altogether.
Shame on us if he wins again. I know no person serious about politics who has even one good reason to vote for the man; yet he will come away with between 5,000 and 8,000 votes just by being a smiling man from Haiti who throws money at a few churches and hospitals. Money which, it should be said, is called "discretionary" because he doesn't actually have to work for it or champion these projects - he just gives it away like Santa. And to put even THAT in perspective, after more years in office than almost anyone on the Council, he gets the third fewest dollars. He's a joke on the council, he's a joke in the neighborhood, and like our president he likes to claim responsibility for little victories he had nothing to do with. Don't let him get away with it...again.
That's why it was heartening to see the Queen of Brooklyn Blogs (QBB) Liena Zagare tell it like it is about Eugene's anemic performance getting one measly stoplight installed over on Coney Island Avenue.
Liena's assessment here in BKLYNER.
Shame on us if he wins again. I know no person serious about politics who has even one good reason to vote for the man; yet he will come away with between 5,000 and 8,000 votes just by being a smiling man from Haiti who throws money at a few churches and hospitals. Money which, it should be said, is called "discretionary" because he doesn't actually have to work for it or champion these projects - he just gives it away like Santa. And to put even THAT in perspective, after more years in office than almost anyone on the Council, he gets the third fewest dollars. He's a joke on the council, he's a joke in the neighborhood, and like our president he likes to claim responsibility for little victories he had nothing to do with. Don't let him get away with it...again.
That's why it was heartening to see the Queen of Brooklyn Blogs (QBB) Liena Zagare tell it like it is about Eugene's anemic performance getting one measly stoplight installed over on Coney Island Avenue.
Liena's assessment here in BKLYNER.
 |
| Mathieu Eugene: Always Happy To Take Credit For Things He Didn't Do Or Even Care About |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)