Why Brian Cunningham Has A Chance In Hell

Good news for those who think Mathieu Eugene deserves only one vote (his own, that is if he hasn't switched his residence back to Canarsie where he mostly sleeps) in the upcoming November general election.  The Working Families Party, which notably refused to endorse Eugene as it has in the past, has come out in favor of his opponent , one Brian Cunningham, on the mysterious yet beguiling Reform line. That's big news to followers of union politics. The WFP tends to align itself with union interests (put the word "working" in your name and you should expect as much). Will they help sway the powerful local hospital workers unions next month? One can hope so.

This is not Brian Cunningham

When people meet Brian Cunningham, they like Brian Cunningham. Not because of his polish (or because he's Polish - which he's not - he has Jamaican roots). Not because of his beard, which he now sports despite being youthfully handsome without it. (Never vote for someone based on their facial hair. That's how we got stuck with that guy to the right, 21st president Chester Arthur, who, you must remember, gave us this gem: "“If it were not for the reporters, I would tell you the truth.” Hmm. Sounds familiar. He also famously said that his private life was none of our goddam business. Speaking of important political "business," it just occurred to me that Trump might actually be heavier than William Howard Taft. Trump is famous for fudging his weight (who doesn't?), but he's taller than Taft was, and if you look at him in golf clothes he's not just chubby - he's portly. Fat, if you will. I'm thinking he may be the heaviest president on record by the end of his term. First term. Gotta stay positive!

This is Brian Cunningham. And that's his real beard.

Our City Council Election Draws Nigh

Did you see it? Twice in two days pay-to-play (some-do-say) vanity rag Kings County Politics runs pieces on the two front-running challengers in our 40th District City Council race. And what do they focus on? Matching funds. Pia Raymond got them in the last round; Brian Cunningham didn't. Look for Brian to get his 6-1 matching funds at the next round, having some of his gifts kicked back not for anything truly improper - since the City takes its matching payments seriously even a small error in donor addresses or credit card authorizations can make it hard to pass on first submission. It's highly unlikely that Cunningham will miss the next batch and qualify for more than $100,000 in public funds. Will it be too late to help? Probably not, but Raymond's filing is no death blow.
What is KCP? Ask your favourite political insider or elected official - you take out ads on the site, you get puff-ball treatment and vanity interviews. The Q's heard it time and again, though even if it weren't true, the "Brooklyn Lawmakers On the Move" feature is embarrassing, as if your politicians were super-heroes for doing their job. Still, there are very few competitors. But that actually makes KCP outsize in its influence. Which is, to quote our commander in chief, sad.

First the KCP puff-blog writes this basically calling Pia the front-runner on $$ alone; then publishes this knocking Brian's first-round miss on the matching funds, which frankly come in much too late to help ANYbody in the do-or-die primary fight. Generally speaking KCP has published p.r. friendly pieces about each of the candidates, and I encourage you to check out their interviews with Raymond, Cunningham, Berkley and Eugene. But given the scant coverage of these sorts of crucial local elections, a single story can convince voters that only one candidate has a chance to beat the incumbent Eugene. Nothing could be further from the facts. BC is running a great door-to-door campaign, and doesn't need the matching funds to continue fighting hard for the all-important votes, though he'll get them soon enough. And now, some pictures:

Brian Cunningham - the Q salutes you

Mathieu "51st State" Eugene (wtf up w/that picture?)

Cool lady Pia Raymond. Might not make it in September though.

BUT (and this but is bigger than MY butt) the most interesting aspect of the race has been glossed over. What's that you ask?

Brian will be on the ballot in November. On the Reform line. Meaning even if the decade-long-serving dud Mathieu Eugene wins the primary seeking to extend his do-nothing brand of leadership (he's a "doctor" - perhaps his thing is to "do no harm?") we have a chance to vote him out in a one-on-one against him with a solid candidate with a record of policy experience and grass roots connections and political savvy.

Is Brian Cunningham a better candidate than the affable, smart but maybe too reserved Pia Raymond? I feel I have a good sense of who they are and what they stand for. And honestly I would be happy to vote for either over our current absentee-councilperson. In the end, the Q must go with his considerable gut - Brian strikes me as in it to win it, ready for the Big Leagues, honest and capable. I think he'll grow with the job, he's been a political operator for years, and I think it's meaningful that he had the good sense to find a spot on a third party line as a hedge against the big field of candidates vying for the primary nod.

Jen Berkley is also on the ballot, and while I think she does great work on housing within the community, I can't in good conscience, with where we are as a city and country, vote for the relative newcomer to the nabe who has few deep ties to the African-American and Caribbean-American community that Lefferts has long been. Okay, okay, why bullshit. You count on the Q for nothing if not bluntness. She's a white lady (sic). The time is not right for white ladies (even less so for white dudes) especially short-timers to run for positions representing a largely black quickly gentrifying district. She has a lot to offer and we look forward to her work on behalf of renters everywhere. (FYI she pretty much just unloaded on my Facebook. Another reason to question her candidacy - not because it was me, but because unloading on people is reminiscent of a certain White Dude running the country.

As we head into the final laps of the Primary Race, I hope y'all will read up on the candidates, sent their campaigns an email, check out their websites, find out where they'll be so you can talk in the flesh. It's time to bone up!

Meet Your New Councilperson. Let's hope.

The Q has made no bones about his dissatisfaction with current City Councilperson Mathieu Eugene of the 40th Council District. In 2013, the Q took off the gloves and went to bat for challenger Saundra Thomas, who came within spitting distance of the two-and-a-half term incumbent. (Sorry for all the mixed sporting metaphors - but politics is like that.) The lackadaisical, uninformed and generally incompetent pol "Dr." ME has been granted the very odd opportunity to run YET AGAIN in 2017, despite term limits, due to the strange happenstance of his first election having been a botched mid-term affair after Yvette Clarke went to Congress. Having been hand-groomed by the Clarkes (Una and Yvette) there was no reason to assume he would be as vastly under-qualified for the gig as he turned out to be. But ask anyone who's had to do business with him - the guy is a stuffed suit at best, a great harm to his district at worst, and privately a laughing stock of the Council. Just try Googling the guy. You'll note that he doesn't even bother to communicate with his constituents digitally, such is the regard and esteem he shows you. And we have no one to blame but ourselves, because we've voted him in three times already, in super-low-turnout primaries that in Democratic Brooklyn is all you need. 5K or 6K votes is all it takes in a District of nearly 180,000 people.

Enter Brian Cunningham, already announced, already putting together a great team, already talking like someone who has a clue and possessing the deep neighborhood love that's needed for the gig. I spent a couple hours with him last week crisscrossing the neighborhood and talking about what makes him the best possible candidate to send Eugene packing back to Canarsie. (Oops. That's right; he already lives there. ME doesn't even lay his head in the District at night.) Granted, other candidates may enter the race. But to the Q's ear, Cunningham's already capable of beating Eugene. A third or fourth challenger would make it harder. But then again, who's to say it wouldn't make it easier? The point is - Brian Cunningham is a decent, hard-working, smart, young, electable guy with friends around town (he was an aide to uber-competent State Senator Kevin Parker and pals with all the electeds), friends who might just be gutsy enough to blow off the machine-politics-as-usual and back a guy who might actually take this office seriously. Seriously.

Brian grew up on Linden Blvd, right near SUNY Downstate. Our tour began at the apartment building that his mom raised him in. He remembers it all fondly, a rambunctious kid playing with the dozens of others who called his block home, playing tree-milk-crate basketball and causing mischief. He has Jamaican roots, though you wouldn't know from his Americanized English accent, though he can easily tilt back to an Island brogue as he hugs and greets friends along our walk. Every time I've ever seen him, he's wearing a nice suit and shoes, so he'll definitely give the dandy Eugene a challenge in the debonair demeanor department. The suit stands out on the blocks of his childhood; but it's no mere show of success. Brian meets every eye head on, as if to say "we can all aspire to something if we work twice as hard." He's even been mistaken for a newcomer buppie a time or two, but it's all good. Yet another example of judging a book by its cover.

As we walked building by building, you can't help but note that pockets of the neighborhood are so Pan-Island you'd think you were strolling through the halls of a Caribbean U.N. And yet the children and grandchildren of West Indian immigrants become, to the greater society, part of the extraordinary diversity that myopic America calls Black Americans. Which is to say, from the Q's view, that mainstream white American doesn't really know shit from Shinola when it comes to Black. Most of white suburbia gets its image from rap videos, local TV news and racist Disney movies. Rich, middle, low, poor, PhD to junior high dropout, urban, rural, suburban, north, south, west, southwest, fat, skinny, wigged or natural or bald the black experience is the American experience and yet so often it's reduced to simplified demographics for marketing and polling purposes. And as multi-racial becomes ever-more ho-hum, the insistence on labels becomes more and more absurd, even as the profiling becomes even more pronounced. In the Trump age, or trumpage (note the lack of a capital T, as if he deserves one anyway), one sees a last stand for the insanity that is the census. I really believe that bit about it being a last stand, hopefully not as bloody as Orlando and Charleston, but I fear the worst. I don't think we're living a nirvana, nor will we ever. But there is a desperation to this political year that I've never experienced, on left and right. A sense from the right, a potentially toxic and violent sense, that there will never again be a pure white entitlement, that it will forevermore be mixed with resentment and fear and the need by some to defend it. Not just because now there's been a black president and a woman president (yes, calm down, there will be and it will soon be past tense) and queers of every variety in every echelon of power and prestige.  But because that entitlement is at its core unfair, just like the denying of the vote or marriage or a shot at the first rung on the ladder. Oh, the battle isn't over yet. But damned if the first shots haven't been fired. So many shots, in so many bizarre NRA-fueled outburst, that it no longer feels like isolated incidents. Especially given the backdrop of police on citizen violence, and growing protests, and Bern Feelin', and rent anxiety.

This is the first of what I'm sure will be many profiles on Mr. Cunningham, here and elsewhere. You can read more on his website, so I'll spare you the details now; consider this a formal introduction. But mark my words, his name will become more commonplace in the months to come. By all means, seek him out, talk to him, get to know him, ask him hard questions about anything you like. Because come September 2017, we're already assured to have ONE thoughtful and passionate candidate in the race. The choice, dear Flatbushians, will be up to you.

Your next Councilperson?

It's Official - The Race Is On

Folks have been asking the Q whether 2nd place finisher Brian Cunningham will attempt to unseat much-to-long incumbent Councilperson Mathieu Eugene in November, given his place on the Reform Line ballot. To which I say - does the Pope where a funny hat? Sure he does! And he makes it look good, too.

So yes, BC is ready to roll up his sleeves and do what pretty much nobody does - unseat an incumbent Democrat in the Big Apple's November election.

Let's think about it for a minute. Is it really so quixotic? Last week Brian won approx 4,000 votes. Mathieu Eugene got around 5,500. Pia Raymond got around 3,000. Jen Berkley got just under 1,000. You gotta figure every single one of those anti-Eugene votes could potentially be picked off. Why would a voter turn back to an incumbent they've shown no enthusiasm for? Put Brian & Pia's together alone and you beat the E-man.

If voter turnout for this "off year" election stays in the range of 15,000 (painfully small, I'll admit) and a rousing campaign educates voters on their actual choice in the matter, and the energy is behind the challenger...well, it's still an uphill battle. But one Brian's ready to wage, if we help him win a historic dark horse council race. So let me be the first to make it official. Vote for this guy:

1) His name is Brian Cunningham.
2) He's running on the Reform Party line.
3) He is not related to Ross Perot.
4) He could work one day a month and accomplish more than the other guy
5) Don't vote for the other guy

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.

The Race Tightens

No, not that race. For City Council in the 40th, against incumbent Mathieu Eugene.

Okay, so he's not running for reelection til 2017. But Mathieu should already be running scared. A likable, politically savvy newcomer has announced plans to run. Brian Cunningham lives in Flatbush and has all the trappings of a potential contender for political office. He's experienced in politics and government, he's cute, dresses nicely. I've met him a few times and I have no idea what sort of councilperson he'd be (yet) but I'm sure we'll all have plenty of time to get to know him before Primary Day a year and a half from now. Declaring early is a good idea though. This way when you see him around you can know you're talking to a candidate and ask all those questions you're dying to ask now. And I expect to see him around a hell of a lot more than the guy with the gig and the nearly $150K salary who actually lives in Canarsie and can't be bothered to show up or send a rep at CB9 meetings. Unless he's touting something like his new trash cans that were payed for by some of his discretionary money. Btw I shook his hand and thanked him for them.

So when I say the race has tightened, I mean the odds are already good that Brian can beat Mathieu and nobody knows Brian yet. As I see it, Brian needs support from a few key places and he's a gimme. If he can nail down support from 4 of 6 of Yvette Clarke, Diana Richardson, Kevin Parker, Jesse Hamilton and Eric Adams and Jumaane Williams that would pull him even at least. A couple unions go his way and you're golden. Unless other people run, then it's gonna be tougher. Another reason to announce early and try to raise money and dissuade others.

Here's his page with all the upbeat tidbits. What's he look like?

Why, you might ask, am I posting the picture with his wife Stephanie? Couple reasons. First, in order for a dude to get married he has to impress his to-be wife, right? She's attractive, smart, works at the Brooklyn Museum. She picked him, so maybe he's not all bad. I like married guys, at least until they end up as front page news for being not-such-great married guys. But let's assume for the moment that Brian's one of the good ones. She chose him, that's a plus. Sexist of me? Nah. Just practical.

Second, of all the places in the world to run into Brian, I ran into him and Stephanie last summer in Manchester, VT at the estate of Robert Todd Lincoln, called Hildene. They were also visiting the bizarre Pullman Car museumy situation they have there, where you find out that Robert Todd Lincoln really didn't do much with his life other than cash in on his daddy's name and become head of Pullman, a position that was handed to him for his political connections. The story of Pullman Porters, however, is a great window onto the world of post-emancipation racial economics, or put another way, how to turn slaves into indentured servants and make it look like you're a racial progressive, all the while only further stereotyping and belittling an entire group of people and calling every last one of them "George" or "Boy." Also the idea that train travel on Pullman sleepers could give you an opportunity to live like the upper crust, if only for a couple thousand miles, is bizarre in itself. Pullman Porters gave you a manservant for a few days, and quite possibly the closest thing to haute cuisine you could expect on wheels.

As bad as Pullman Porters had it, they were considered the top of the pops for black men. A small but steady wage, a decent uniform, seeing the country. Truth be told MOST Americans had shitty jobs at little pay during the dawn of the Industrial Age. Check out the coal miners and migrant farmers for starters. It was a time of great income discrepancy and fast-moving technological achievement and racial and political upheaval. How very very different from today. Must have been craaaaaazzzzy!

Diana Richardson Weighs In On Cunningham/Eugene Race Next Tuesday

Somehow this pic captures DeeRich perfectly

From your tell-it-like-it-is neighbor Diana Richardson, your State assembly-person, whose candor is always welcome in the Q's book. I urge you to read this, remembering that is highly, highly uncommon for a sitting elected official to come out against an incumbent in another office, as incumbents usually win and having to work with someone you worked to defeat is, to put it mildly, a tad uncomfortable and a smidge prickly.

So...read carefully! Particularly if you voted for Pia Raymond, an honorable candidate from the Democratic primary who is not on the ballot this time around. Brian is, on the sneaky upstart Reform line.

Greetings PLG:

I feel as your N.Y. State Assembly Member that it is time for me to speak to you personally regarding the District 40 Elections.

1. I have heard the echos for the need for new leadership in the CD which has a underlay in my AD.
2. After looking at the election data (Please note I stated data so this is not an emotional statement): PLG SPLIT their vote totally. When you look at PLG as a whole but especially in the Manor, the votes went to Raymond and Cunningham evenly.
3. I totally understand the split because many of the candidates are good and hard working and to be honest I know them ALL personally (everyone who ran) (One of the reasons I did not get involved and let the community make their own decisions)
4. Now that the Sept results are in there is only 1 option for change: 1) Vote for the Incumbent Mathieu Eugene or 2) Vote for Brian Cunningham on the Reform line. I have watched many discussions with my name in it as far a party lines go. Let me be the first to tell you that a party line is just that: A Party Line. Did you know WFP endorsed me at 7pm the night before the 12pm deadline to get a party line? Yes, I almost didn't have that line. I created my own line "Now is the time" I was going to run on that line and the Green Party Line. (You can Google the Green Party story) - Had I not obtained the WFP line those 2 lines is where my name would have appeared. 
5. I recently saw a post where some one suggested "writing in additional names on the ballot when voting". I STRONGLY stand against  the write in of any names because that WILL NOT get you to the end result of the change that you desire.
6. I know it's difficult when the candidate we support does not win. I have personally been on the end of losing and I know how painful it is.(trust me unless you have run for public office and lost PUBLICLY you don't know how bad it really hurts) HOWEVER- we can't let our emotions cloud logic. This is a number games. 
7. Again, I've looked at the numbers, if unified again if unified PLG WILL make the difference in this race.
8. It is not enough to ppst online and engage in back an forth discussion. I am asking everyone to volunteer for they change they seek. Here are some things for you to consider doing. A) Knock on the doors of your neighbors to talk about the candidiate you support B) Make phone calls (aka phone banking) C) Put up a poster in your residential window, lawn or business D) Ask the local businesses you patronize to put up posters and assist them with doing so E) Make a list of 10 ppl and call to  remind them to vote on E-day.
9. My personal statement - I have more going on internally than you can imagine. In the face of everything I feel that I represented the 43rd AD fully. I can not personally wrap my hands on this race. However, as your elected official if you take the advice I've written above you will have a fighting chance on Nov 7th.
10. Everyone in this room is capabale of making decisions and I respect that. Note I never told you how to vote. But given the facts I think you know what to do.

- Diana Richardson

1.  

Getting Busy - 13 Shopping Days Left For City Council

Just returned from a strategy session at the Brian Cunningham campaign - not as a curious soul or blogger this time, though I AM blogging about it. I actually want the man to win. His Field Campaign Manager was on the ball; they seem to think they have a lot of votes in the bag through months of knocking on doors. But to get to the threshold they need a ton of door-to-door person-to-person campaigning. If you want to read more about Brian head on over to his webpage. The Q doesn't want to try to convince you if you're already on Pia Raymond's team - I get it and can appreciate your opinion. However, if you're considering voting for the miserable incumbent Mathieu Eugene or the bizarrely hotheaded under-prepared recent-arrival Jen Berkley, who called me the other day in a huff to chew me out for among other things referring to her as Jennifer, which is her name on the Facebook, and for being white, which isn't really debatable. And then she wrote some nasty responses on the Facebook to reasonable questions, and it struck me that she hasn't the emotional maturity for the office. Frankly, I think we've all learned in the past six months just how important that quality is to leadership. Regardless, if you haven't made up your mind I beg you to talk to your neighbors and friends and see if they have insights.

If you're with Cunningham and wondering how to help him win, it's really pretty simple. Convince 5 or better yet 10 people you know to vote for him. That's it. If you're feeling frisky volunteer for the campaign. In particular, they'd like to see a lot of people out on election day, passing out flyers near but not too near the polls, making it clear that he really does stand a chance. Eugene will have a couple big union machines out doing the same, basically people told to do it. But with 13 endorsements and counting, Brian's showing real strength.

The Q has sounded off on the most extraordinary ineptness of your City Councilperson for nearly 8 years now. I simply don't know how to make it any plainer! If you want a neighborhood leader, and responsive city representative, a voice from the community who's respectful and thoughtful, then you're what I would call a responsible, civically engaged person.

Let's be the adults this time and put an adult into the council chambers.

Here They Come...Council Wannabes Start Their Engines

The single least engaged, least effective Councilperson in all of NYC. Maybe ever? That's yours folks! Mathieu Eugene. Google him. Try to find his online presence, beyond old youtube videos with computerized voiceovers. If you're not aware of the extraordinary lameness of this do-nothing, you should really do your research. Then, consider the alternatives in the upcoming election.

The "democratic" election for President has come and gone. That means...time to gear up for the City elections for 2017. The Q has already noted the emergence of Brian Cunningham, who grew up not spittin' distance from the Q on Lenox, as a strong contender. Now we can add another soft-announced candidate - Pia Raymond - to the slate. She's the head of the Nostrand Avenue Merchant's Association, and a clear favorite of State Senator Jesse Hamilton, who was a clear favorite of BP Eric Adams. My point is that these folks don't just "appear" out of thin air. They're groomed, they put out their feelers, put in their time. Pia has led her "Creating Legacies" project, and already has about 1000% more goodwill and online presence going for her than the current Councilperson. Still, Cunningham has some deep connections too.

Given that both those candidates seem to be more known in the NE portion of Eugene's district, I'd put my money on a run by current Flatbush District Leader Josue Pierre as well. He's been positioning himself ever since Ed Powell gave up his District Leader JUST IN TIME for Pierre to step in and win it. Calculated, yes. He's more known in the 70th Precinct/CB14 area. It should be noted that all three of these possible candidates sport deep roots, a near necessity around here in order to drum up big support. And don't forget the churches! You can't win without the backing of the Christians around here. Try to make a heathen understand that and you get nowhere. It's like trying to explain why half the country is Pro-Life. Does not compute, does not compute.

The pictures tell the story. These three will be part of your politics for some time, the "next generation" if you will. With Laurie Cumbo, Diana Richardson, Rodneyse Bichotte, Walter Mosley, Jumaane Williams...there's a lot of talented African and Caribbean American candidates in House Flatbush. God knows the Nation needs all of them. And no funny business!

To date, the Q's noted the

Oy. Josue Pierre Jumps In For Council

Not a bad guy...quite the opposite. The ubiquitous and conscientious Josue Pierre has been making a name for himself round here for years. The gig he currently holds - as elected "District Leader" for the Democratic Party, has always been a stepping stone for higher office. The fact that there is a "male" and "female" District Leader in each Assembly District begs a snarky diatribe in and of itself. But what Pierre has done now - as reported by the brilliant local scribe Liene Zagare and BKLYNER - switching from a primary challenge to longtime State Senator Kevin Parker to a City Council bid in yours and my 40th Council District, could help throw the vote to the brother of the single most incompetent Council person in the City - Mathieu Eugene.

So here we are again. "Doctor" Eugene has a brother. And he hopes that brother Maxie has enough name recognition to take over for the good "doctor." And frankly it's name recognition that's kept Eugene in office for three-and-a-half terms despite doing absolutely nothing to distinguish himself save throwing bones to his most dedicated voters.

Why is this a potential wrench for local voters? Well, Brian Cunningham, the last general election challenger to Eugene in 2017 and a clear early fave for the job, will now face a primary challenge for 2021 from a serious contender.

This isn't the Q's place of course (wait...I'm a constituent...of course it is!) But were I Cunningham I'd start early with a Working Families Party endorsement and plan on a solid WP vs Dem contest in the general election. Because the Dem nom nod may end up a brawl between Maxie and Josue. BC could come out unscathed.

And so, after General Trump goes down to Bernie in 2020, we'll be watching the 40th for signs of real change. We already got strength from Diana Richardson and Zell Myrie at the State level (and in fairness, Parker holds his own, anger and all), plus Laurie Cumbo and Walter Mosley walking the tightrope on gentrification and affordable housing.

So many youngish strong non-establishment candidates to go around! Just say no to a Eugene dynasty and we'll be just fine.

It's Simple. Vote for Brian Cunningham.

Good man, good beard, good heart, terrific listener, lifelong resident, worked in the council, knows the issues, gets how government and politics work. Is he perfect? Is anyone? I say give him a shot - he's the Q's favorite candidate for Council and I don't think he'll let us down. As for the incumbent, if the vote splits and we get him back for another 4, kiss leadership and representation goodbye til Bill de Blasé is off to serve as Sanders' Housing Secretary. (If his health holds out...Bill's, not Bernie's, who'll be here til they remove his brain and put it in a young, hunky cadaver, sometime in the mid 1920s. There'll be a constitutional crises over whether Bernie is technically in his 80's or 20's, since you need to be old enough to be President, but Justice Barack Obama will cast the deciding vote in favor of splitting the age difference. Justice Hannity will write the dissenting opinion.)

Sure Brian will be on the Reform line in November, so he'll get a second chance. But it's hard to knock off a Democrat in this town. Unless, like Jesse Hamilton, you run as one then change parties. But that's another story...

Need more reason to vote for him? Check this out:

Need more? Check this one out with his fierce wife Stephanie wearing a fetching optical illusion.

Just vote for crying out loud. Oh, and I like Eric G. for D.A. - met him, seems sincere, and he was really into Ken Thompson's reforms - plus Ken didn't fire him when he took over from Hynes - a good sign I think. 

In the other races just choose the women and people of color. You'll feel better about yourself, as if you're somehow striking back at the Bread Basket and Deep South and Big Sky Country and Rust Belt and everywhere else that prep-school redneck (orange-neck?) won the popular vote. Oh yeah, and the Republics of Texas and Northern Arizona. Geez that's a lot of places - and some of them are even in the U.S.A. God surely hasn't been blessing us much lately has she?

It's Official: Pia Raymond Joins Race for Council

That makes two vying for Mathieu Eugene's gig - Pia and Brian Cunningham. The question remains - will they just split the vote and hand the primary, and therefore the seat, to Eugene? Or will one of them run on a third party line, heading straight for the General Election? Oooh. The intrigue! It may be that the Working Families line is the one to get. Got my (so far) private feelings about that, but I'll save it for another day. Pia is lovely, and like Brian, deserves a solid look.

 

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PIA RAYMOND ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL, BROOKLYN’S 40^TH DISTRICT

January 2, 2017- Brooklyn, New York- Pia Raymond, community activist, business development advocate and fifth generation Brooklynite, announced her run for New York City Council’s 40^th District, encompassing Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Ditmas Park, parts of Crown Heights, Flatbush and East Flatbush.

The input of citizens is fundamental to the democratic process and Raymond wants to see more of it.  “True leadership is about community empowerment.  When people feel disconnected from the political process they disengage, don’t exercise their right to vote and go unheard.  I am committed to facilitating an open dialogue and working collaboratively with residents and businesses to create solutions and address the needs of our district.”  

Raymond’s extensive leadership experience in grassroots organizations has given Raymond a birds eye view of the district’s concerns. “Seeing my involvement and commitment over the years has allowed people to trust me with their needs. I have already been serving this community at large and when elected I can do even more.” Raymond is Vice President of the Lefferts Manor Association, Vice President of the Nostrand Avenue Merchants Association and Chairperson of the Community Board 9 Economic Development Committee.

A licensed social worker and graduate of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs: Neighborhood Leadership Institute, in 2013 Raymond founded the nonprofit organization, Creating Legacies, which engages area families in multicultural and multigenerational activities. An advocate for the diversity and strength of immigrant communities, Raymond lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Jean and children Sage and Maple.

For more information, visit www.piaraymond2017.com

Kandidate Korner - First Up, Pia Raymond

It's a testament to the weakness of incumbent City Council person Mathieu Eugene that he's facing four challengers to his throne this Fall. An even semi-popular council dude would easily slide to his max number of terms (Eugene was "grandfathered" so he has yet another term to go before being tossed out). Two popular and qualified candidates announced a while ago, with two new ones joining the race since. Of course everyone has the right to challenge Eugene, so we can't fault anyone for piling on, But the chances of beating him outright have plummeted as a result. Mathieu will maintain his most steadfast base, and each of the other candidates will carve out their spot in the electorate. Since it's do or die in the Democratic Primary, and you need just a plurality to win (no run-off), conventional wisdom says Eugene robs us of another four years of strong, vocal and imaginative leadership.

Unless..well, we'll cross that bridge in a later post.

Brian's the one with the beard

Let's get right to the candidates. The Q wrote about the first-announced challenger last fall, Brian Cunningham. At that time I would have called him a shoo-in to top Eugene in a head-to-head battle. Smart, experienced, politically savvy with many friends in his native neighborhood, his early announcement was meant to dissuade others from joining - a shrewd political move given the nature of Democratic primaries and the cynical power of incumbency. It seemed to be working...for awhile.

Pia has no beard

Then we learn that longtime Crown Heights resident (5 generations - wow) and currently Fenimore II mom Pia Raymond joined the race. She too is smart and popular, albeit less experienced in the ways and means of the notoriously arcane and treacherous City legislature. So who wins? Let's start with surface details. Anyone who knows Pia can't help but note (and her campaign poster attests) she's quite glamorous and fashionable, plus tall and svelte - she doesn't fade into a crowd. I'm not quite sure how that fits into the equation. I mean Brian's handsome too, though his beard is new! The two could be homecoming King and Queen. The calculus here is tough to determine. She's African-American; his roots are Jamaican; Eugene's obviously Haitian. (another recent addition to the roster of candidates is ALSO Haitian, Rose St. Albord). To say these things don't matter is to deny the reality of our neighborhood (oh hell, any neighborhood), where language, culture, dynasty and custom - not to mention rivalry - often rule the day. And yet a winning candidate must transcend such simplistic identity-politics and appeal broadly, and most important, s/he must bring out the vote. It ain't easy to get people to the polls for a primary in September just as the new year begins (and let's face it, the year begins in September, no matter what the calendar says).

And who really takes the time to get to know these folks or the issues they champion? You, perhaps? Yes, identity, roots, family, church...these things really do count for a lot. But so does YOUR identity, your roots, family, spirituality, gender (let's not forget that), orientation and, for lack of a better word, your politics beyond this particular race. These are all Democrats, mind you. They're not going to go all Trump on your ass. But still, there are differences, and some come down to the intangibles of charisma and leadership. You want someone who will inspire, lead the charge on contentious issues, take tough stands, articulate difficult issues, be teachable and tolerant, communicate effectively on ALL means of communication (just try to find your current Councilperson on le Web).

Oh yes, and then there's the endorsements. Will BP Adams and Jesse Hamilton et al go to bat once again for the miserably unfit Eugene? Will the Working Families Party endorse him again too, after catching flack for giving him the WFP seal of approval last time? How about the powerful unions, particularly the hospital workers? Then there's the local political dynasty of Una and Yvette Clarke. They too showed no remorse or independence four years ago, sticking with the man they placed in the job in the first place. With the contest running near-even in 2013, they conpspired to robo-call folks in the district aGAINST capable and independent challenger Saundra Thomas. And while some consider her position as Congressperson untouchable, Yvette is more exposed than you'd think, and a strong candidate could take on her seat anytime - her district is much more diverse than it was 10 years ago. Therefore, look for her to hold on to the Haitian vote as long as she can. (So gross. To think politicians would stand by a loser for their own self-interest. Wait...I guess that's most of the Republican party with Donald Trump. Sanders supporters said the same of Clinton. I might as well have just described the political class in general. Ah, I hate everyone. Except you, of course, dear reader.)

The Q met with Pia on Friday morning, and though I've served with her at Community Board 9 for a few years, this was the first time we had a one-on-one conversation. I've gotten to know quite a number of people on CB9, but Pia is reserved, where I'm a loudmouth. I'd like to think I listen too, and I DO I really do, but Pia strikes me as a particularly good listener, and an excellent conciliator. She's super proud of her heritage, and she has plenty of good reason. She's managed to trace her own legacy to slave owners in North Carolina, and from those tortured beginnings her family rose to prominence in Brooklyn with her father - Syl - becoming a true stalwart (gentry, if you will) in Crown Heights through his sporting goods and trophies shop on Nostrand, at Park Place. This is a good example of the problem with the term Gentrification. I mean, with clear-souled folks like Syl Williamson helping define a neighborhood and working to keep kids on the right path...they were the heroes that kept a place from completely falling apart after the earlier gentry abandoned the neighborhood for the 'burbs. That's Gentry - the real deal. For a brief bio on the famous Syl Williamson, Pia's dad, check this here. Pia ran the business for awhile but eventually the landlord decided he could get more than Syl's could pay. It was then that Pia started her non-profit "Creating Legacies," dedicated to identifying and preserving the deep histories that differentiate "community" from "neighborhood."

Pia saw the worst of the drug and gang years through the eyes of a child. By the mid-80s, she started to plot her escape. She managed to earn a spot at Groton, the blue-blood boarding school in Connecticut. Then to Boston University, and back to NYU for Social Work. She's that powerful combination of reverent for elders, strong of character, and comfortable in non-native worlds. She puts people at ease. She's a laid-back presence in a rumble-tumble world. She's thoughtful and passionate, though maybe a bit circumspect. That's my only concern, really. Where folks like Diana Richardson, Jumaane Williams, Brad Lander, Laurie Cumbo can walk into a room and demand attention, Pia acquiesces. She may grow to lead, to command a room. If she surrounds herself with good people, we'll be in good hands, and she will put at ease any fears you may have of engaging with your elected officials.

Pia's work with Community Board 9 has focused on the needs of small businesses, and she and co-chair Warren Berke put together the successful and ongoing Shop Local CB9 campaign. She's a champion of local merchants as part of the Nostrand Avenue Merchant's Association, long under the stewardship of Lindiwe Kamau. Pia has brought fresh energy to NAMA, and maintains healthy relationships with all the local merchants, old and new. And she's a board member of the Lefferts Manor Association (LMA) that helps keep "the Manor" alive and thriving as a tight-knit 'hood within a 'hood. Her hubby's cool, her kids are gorgeous. What's not to like?

See what I mean? It's tough. We're going to have to look hard at these candidates and see in them what we want for the future of our neighborhood. I'll be coming back to Brian again, because I think he deserves a close-up now that we're heading into the busy season of signatures and campaigning, door-to-door. And don't you dare forget the upcoming "debate" at the Brooklyn Commons!

Malbox

photo by Trey Pentecost in the Brooklyn Paper

That's no typo. This Mailbox is monstrously malodorous, should be sued for malpractice and malfeasance, its maleficent malfunction making it the Menace at Midwood.

So, breathe in Colin Mixson's latest from Brooklyn Paper about the notorious postal bin. And similarly, take in this dandy new look from near-miss Council candidate Brian Cunningham, who to this blogger looks like he's ready for the runway, if not another run at elected office.

From Mixson's missive:

The blue mailbox at Midwood Street and Flatbush Avenue is one of the single most pilfered collection points operated by the U.S. Postal Service in the borough, according to area advocates, who’ve created a website called worstmailboxever.com that locals can use to petition the city for a more secure drop box to send out their rent checks and birthday cards.

Whole Story Here.

Douchebag Wins Democratic Nod - Again

How does he do it? Are we living in some sort of upside-down inverse of reality where incompetence and ignorance puts Democracy to shame? Guess so. If the Orangeneck can do it...

Look, with three challengers to the 40th Council seat in the field it was going to be damn near impossible to beat him. But he basically lost the total votes 6 votes to 4. Think about that. No other incumbent comes even close to those kind of shitty numbers. Cumbo beat back a strong challenger with ease, for instance, and she has plenty of detractors (I do not count myself among them, btw, and I get pretty tired of the nonsensical insults hurled at her, but hey, dem's the games. I happen to think she may be too smart for politics, frankly. After this term, maybe she'll get the deserved turn at helming Spelman College she's always wanted.)

Brian Cunningham's on the ballot in November, on the Reform Line, his ace in the hole sensing this turn of events. Forget about Ross Perot and Pat Buchanan. Ralph Nader also ran as a Reform candidate. BC had the good sense not to run as a Republican. Um, it's not really their time right now.

Go get 'em slugger. But remember, there's something truly remarkably Forest Gump about this guy.

Let the Games Begin

Mathieu Eugene, your days are numbered. (In politics of course. I mean no ill will personally).

With your help, we'll unseat multi-term do-nothing Council Member Mathieu Eugene next year. Never too early to spread the news. As reported by the Q last December, a solid challenger has emerged. And he's early to the party, so he has a better chance of extending a formidable fundraising and marketing apparatus.

A good guy, so say many, Brian Cunningham's hat is officially in the ring. The Q will do his best to get up close and personal. And this year, one would hope that the Powers That Be won't pile on support for Eugene as in years past. It's time to send him packing.

More from our good friends at Ditmas Park Corner, who will likely wade into this one with a bit more oomph than in elections past:

DPC on M.E.

Mathieu "Inside the Flag" Eugene, of the 40th Council District

Tomorrow Oct 21: 3:30 pm. Let's Help Brian Cunningham Skewer the Lame Duck

It's time to get serious, y'all. Just a half-hour or hour of your time is required. Bring the whole family. Organized by a passionate neighbor, this event gives you a chance to meet the only hope we have that the next four years aren't as lame as the last 10. Let's get rid of the worst Councilman in NYC and replace him with a capable challenger, who managed to get his name on the Reform Party line for just this opportunity. Ironically, if elected, he'll be more of a Democrat than a certain State Senator around here who likes to tie his pony to the Republican hitch up in Albany. (Jesse, they're coming to get you!) So get on out there and vote for a true Democrat! (er, but on the Reform line).

The Armory Meets the Machine II - You're Being Played The Fool

I'll start with the conclusion then repeat it after the background info. I'd hate for you to miss the crux!

Ex-felon Clarence Norman, Jr. started showing up at CB9 meetings exactly the time that the Armory housing and community center opportunity was coming online. His dad's Local Crown Heights Development Corp (LCHDC) even made a play to be the lead developer, but lost to Slate, which due to its crookedness lost it in turn to BFC. Around the same time, longtime Norman pal BP Eric Adams shook up our Community Board with 18 new members in a single year, more the following year, losing all the people they knew would interfere. NO OTHER CB SAW ANYWHERE NEAR THIS KIND OF TURNOVER. Then the new board ousted its longtime Chair and District Manager, and guess who came out of the fray on top? Longtime Norman followers Carmen Martinez (as DM, out of dozens of qualified applicants) and Musa Moore (as Chair, and Demetrius Lawrence before him and Dwayne Nicholson). The wrench in this audacious plan? One Sterling resident Alicia Boyd, who has continued to thwart the common sense of unaligned locals (um, me, and maybe you) and politicians (every last one). The problem is...even she still doesn't get WHY all this is happening.  She's just worried about her precious Empire Blvd. Wanna know the mastermind behind the plan? Check out Ingrid Gordon, the BP's longtime political strategist. The bold names above are longtime friends and neighbors. Once in a position to do so, Gordon saw to it that a singular vision for the nabe was set in motion, and that only loyalists were in place. After a stint in jail for shaking down judges, Stormin' Norman fires back, unseating the man who put him in jail (DA Charles Hynes) and wedging his recently passed dad's baby (LCHDC) into the middle of the neighborhood's renaissance.

Folks, wake up. Your neighborhood is being hijacked - actually it's always been hijacked - by a small group of cronies who don't always have your back. Now to the tune of $500,000 for LCHDC to sway locals to the BFC deal, but rest assured, this is just the beginning. You've even got a State Senator in Jesse Hamilton who thinks he can just opt-out of the Democratic Party days before the election without bothering to explain himself (lame answers here). He has the huevos to call those who disagree with his decision "disingenuous," and bizarre accusations have been leveled that racism is causing the backlash (because white Democrats don't like being played the fool? I dunno, you tell me. I thought shifty politics was shifty politics, regardless of the hue). And don't count on your Council person to come riding to the rescue! It's high time for all of us to engage. We can only blame ourselves for the results if we don't.

The Backdrop:

Okay. Lots of intrigue going on in Washington. I know that what happens in our little parcel of the world is hardly big potatoes. But let me lay out there as clear as I can so there's no mistaking what's happening in local politics. Because this is a pretty big year, and if we're to reform and improve the levers of power, it's always good to start locally. That's where our individual voices are heard loudest.

This year we've got the Mayor's reelection campaign, and our City Councilperson - Mathieu Eugene - is running for a ridiculous 3rd full term, which would be 14 total years since he was "placed" in the job by finishing out Yvette Clarke's term when she was promoted to Congress. If you're new around here, or weren't paying attention, Yvette and her mother before her - Una Clarke - were the Council people before Eugene and continue to be among the most powerful players on the Central Brooklyn scene. You can decide for yourself what you think of these ladies, but you should not underestimate their influence. The "machine" is alive and well, though around these parts. But in a very real sense, the Central Brooklyn machine is broken two. Let's just call it the Clarkes and Normans shall we? Our very own Hatfield and McCoys.

Google around and you'll see the degree to which Clarence Norman Jr./Sr. and the Yvette/Una Clarkes have spread their influence. It's not inconsequential that the Clarkes hail from the Islands; Norman and his influential pastor father Clarence Norman Senior are African-American. If you're not from around here you might say "so what?" Lordy, you got a lot to learn. There is no simple storyline here, but suffice to say it's not all holding hands and singing Kumbaya when the sun goes down. And this is coming from a white guy who has a deep-seated respect for black culture, not just here but around the world. To much of white America, blacks come in a single package. And it's this monovision that leads to the ignorant garbage we hear from so many well-meaning people, and not just the Trumpies. Anyone who claims they have a policy solution for black Americans is guilty as charged. Which black Americans, exactly? Are Sasha and Malia to be recipients of your policy prescription? (Muslims and Hispanics and Asians too of course get just as much stereotyping. So much easier to make sense of the world when everyone fits their mold. To me this a HUGE problem when it comes to progressing past race as THE definer, the one demographic signifier that's ALWAYS requested on the form. Recognizing the differences withIN groups goes a long way to understanding our own prejudices, and recognizing the humanity common to us all. Frankly if I didn't believe this to the fiber of my being I probably wouldn't be writing this blog at all. If you hadn't noticed, it's kinda at the root of everything I opine about.)

So the Norman/Clarke divide is very much in play at the Bedford/Union Armory and in everything else around here. Need a scorecard? BP Eric Adams, State Senator Jesse Hamilton and his Council-running protege Pia Raymond, CB9 chair Musa Moore , new CB9 District Manager Carmen Martinez - these are clearly in the Norman lineage, The Clarkes will likely (in my opinion) switch allegiance from Mathieu Eugene (their poorly chosen anointed successor) to Council-runner Brian Cunningham. Diana Richardson is a bit of a maverick, but she's got Island roots and sure enough, there were the Clarkes at her victory celebration a couple years back. The dynamic Jumaane Williams is also part of the Clarke world. I don't know where Walter T. Mosley and Laurie Cumbo come down in all this, but I know Laurie and Walter were (somewhat) handpicked by Hakeem Jeffries, a guy who is alarmingly handsome in person by the way. I think that Hakeem/Laurie/Walter thing might be more of a VelmanetteMontgomery/Ed Towns/Major Owens lineage but don't quote me. There's only so much one white boy from Iowa can keep track of, and I've only lived in Brooklyn for 30 years for crying out loud. BOTTOM LINE: the Machine decides your leaders. Your vote is not really respected, as long as the Machine can turn out victories on not election day - primary day.

And let me tell you they're all pretty nice people, the aforementioned, hard-working, smart, well-suited to politics. All except...Mathieu Eugene, a true Boob among Boobs. If he wins another term I will...I will...oh I don't know but it's gonna be gross and unpleasant and you're going to wish you'd never seen me do it.

Yep. There's more. But I felt the need to offer the above backgrounder before launching into my main beef. Which in a nutshell is this. Why on earth is it okay for BFC Partners to cough up $500,000 to a local development group (LCCHD) with deep and direct ties to the Clarence Normans all in a ploy to quiet neighborhood resistance to the deal? You can read more, again, here.

To repeat:

Ex-felon Clarence Norman, Jr. started showing up at CB9 meetings exactly the time that the Armory housing and community center opportunity was coming online. His dad's Local Crown Heights Development Corp (LCHDC) even made a play to be the lead developer, but lost to Slate, which due to its crookedness lost it in turn to BFC. Around the same time, longtime Norman pal BP Eric Adams shook up our Community Board with 18 new members in a single year, more the following year, losing all the people they knew would interfere. NO OTHER CB SAW ANYWHERE NEAR THIS KIND OF TURNOVER. Then the new board ousted its longtime Chair and District Manager, and guess who came out of the fray on top? Longtime Norman followers Carmen Martinez (as DM, out of dozens of qualified applicants) and Musa Moore (as Chair, and Demetrius Lawrence before him and Dwayne Nicholson). The wrench in this audacious plan? One Sterling resident Alicia Boyd, who has continued to thwart the common sense of unaligned locals (um, me, and maybe you) and politicians (every last one). The problem is...even she still doesn't get WHY all this is happening.  She's just worried about her precious Empire Blvd. Wanna know the mastermind behind the plan? Check out Ingrid Gordon, the BP's longtime political strategist. Longtime friends and neighbors many of the above. Once in a position to do so, Gordon saw to it that a singular vision for the nabe was set in motion, and that only loyalists were in place.

Folks, wake up. Your neighborhood is being hijacked - actually it's always been hijacked - by a small group of cronies who don't always have your back. Now to the tune of $500,000 for LCHDC to sway locals to the BFC deal, but rest assured, this is just the beginning. You've even got a State Senator in Jesse Hamilton who thinks he can just opt-out of the Democratic Party days before the election without bothering to explain himself (lame answers here). He has the huevos to call those who disagree with his decision "disingenuous," and bizarre accusations have been leveled that racism is causing the backlash (because Democrats don't like being played the fool?) And don't count on your Council person to come riding to the rescue! It's high time for all of us to engage. We can only blame ourselves for the results if we don't.

The Parksidian Year In Review

The Q is quite certain the world's political realignment will continue to dwarf local issues in the public's mind as we head into the strangest and most volatile period of national politics since Nixon's 2nd term. Think global, act local, shop local, eat global. Sound like a plan?

Some highlights from the year that did NOT involve Donald Trump:

• Loogey Hawkers have long plagued civilized society, but the mucous came to roost right here in Lefferts City when the Sinister Serial Spitter ramped up his assault on unsuspecting upstanding citizens. This also wins the coveted "Oddest Oral Incident Award" for 2016.
• House of Juice opened on Rogers and quickly became a mainstay of the community with clever marketing and fresh, healthy food and events.
• Local artist Luna Soul burst onto the scene with a serious of happenings and shows dedicated to documenting the fabric of Leffertsonian life.
  
• Lifestyle and Community Actionators BlackMarketWares brought resources and attention to the needs of local kids of color looking to navigate and change an often daunting world. Look for their Youth Summit at headquarters at Compound Cowork on February 11, 2017. 
• A group of A-list longtime residents opened a terrific pop-up shop in the mysterious Tafari Cafe space next to Tafari Tribe. Last I noticed, they were still going at it in December for the Holiday Shopping Season (HSS).
• A local powerhouse plopped a shipping container on the plaza at the Caton Market and called it CaribBEING house. It's been dropping sweet programming ever since.
• Alicia Boyd's MTOPP Empire Study Group presented a lame-ass proposal for Empire Blvd that pretty much entirely left out the need for new affordable (and regular ol') housing, while borrowing all the best ideas for the improvements to traffic and bicycle lanes already suggested by others. Non-Macarthur-Fellowship-Winning Urban Planning Professor (NMFWUPP) Tom Angotti helped draft it.  A backgrounder thru February here.
  
• As a result of the Q's continued resistance to "doing nada" and race-baiting as the neighborhood gets remade brick by brick in real time, an activist named Imani Henry anonymously and fiendishly built a "movement" against yours truly with a campaign to oust me from CB9. An email from Henry showed how he used social media to create the impression that dozens of people who've never even met me or read this blog are united in their belief that I'm the white devil out to remake the nabe in my image (and what a handsome neighborhood it would be!) Disappointing is a term that hardly does the effort justice, since Justice is precisely what Imani claims he's after. This is the sort of in-fighting and name-calling that keeps Central Brooklyn locked in an endless cycle of hand-wringing over gentrification, rather than accepting the new realities and recognizing that we have much to offer each another and the City generally. Sadly, it's when economic times are good that we find more ways than ever to cut each others' throats. White and Black and Brown, we have way more in common than divides us. But you wouldn't believe it, to hear the rhetoric.
• Okay, this isn't really a bullet point item, but I'm within the formatting so forgive me. Let me just say, without reservation, that achieving near universal employment, even when it's stacked towards whites, is a tremendous step forward for our fair City. Yes, rents rise. Yes housing prices go through the clouds. But people have hope and opportunities - this is a "problem" we begged for just a decade ago. So what should you do? You build more housing, you build BELOW MARKET housing, and you don't turn inward and selfish. Ah hell, that would be too simple, common sensical, and practical and economical and just plain smart.
• It really was (and is) big, big news, though most recent movers to Central Brooklyn won't have any idea just HOW big. Clarence Norman, Jr., the disgraced former Big Macher of the neighborhood as head of Kings County's Democratic Political Machine, has made a roaring comeback, mostly from behind the scenes. If such things interest you, read on.
  
• It seemed innocent enough to be one of the first to note that celebrated author Ta-Nehesi Coates bought a house in the nabe. Would that it had been so simple. My humble post from March here. 
• Silver Rice opened, bringing idiosyncratic and delicious sushi cups to the Flabenue, and the Q's tuna intake jumped six-fold.
  
• Erv's, the little bar with big fans, decided to expand into the former laundry next door, ensuring that ever more Leffertsians can get their buzz on, soon with elbow room to spare.
• Yet another new 71st Precinct Commander with a rockin' name - Norman Grandstaff.
• With the help of a brilliant neighbor, the Q confronts the double standard of young men being young men, black and white.
• Bagels came to Lincoln Road, and you'd have thought they were gold nuggets the way Sunday noshers flocked to Nagle's to pan for lox. The Q still hasn't been, and doesn't feel obliged to visit. I've had more good bagels in this town than Carter had liver pills.
• Mediocre photographer Clarkson FlatBed Jr. produced a remarkable essay in pixels to the Great Boulevard of Empire
• Once bereft of decent wine stores, Lefferts City is now lousy with them, with a classy joint on every avenue. Drink and Little Mo and Vyne Yard jumped in on what was once only 65 Fen turf. And remember, 65 Fen ain't that old either. Oh, and a hip new Record Store right next to 65, which, I believe, is no longer at 65, because that's where the used vinyl shop is.
• Great new place opened up that offers therapy for young folks, particularly of the sensory and occupational variety - Sensory Street. Run by Bea, the place is alive with fun and learning.
• The Q got whiff of tenant agitation up at the Ebbets Apartments via the Crown Heights Tenants Union and took his lunch hour joining the crowd. You wouldn't believe what the management is asking now for a two-bedroom, and you can guess the longtime lower paying tenants are no longer favored by the owner. Thus...
• Brand new Assemblywoman Diana Richardson hit the tarmac screeching with her Q-translated five point program H.E.A.V.Y., an acronym for Health, Empowerment, Activism, Violence and Youth. She never used my suggested acronym, perhaps because the V for violence should really be anti-violence? Dunno. I thought it was pretty clever.
• The new look for non-landmark-designated Lefferts could best be encapsulated with this new building on Winthrop, across from the Parkside Playground. It's actually one of the nicer ones, though I already miss the Victorians.
• Brooklyn Commons is remaking the image of the old Bond Bread building that became known as the Phat Alberts building, thx to the vision of the son of owner Al Srour, known as Jack, or to his friends, "Whiskey" Srour. (okay that's not true, but were I his friend I would DEF call him that.
• Local ex-big cum new-big Clarence Norman, Jr. finally settled his score against some in the neighborhood by getting his longtime "friend" Carmen Martinez named as replacement for ousted CB9 District Manager Pearl Miles. For the benefit of the neighborhood or for personal vendetta? Put your money on the latter, but we could do far worse than to have Carmen at the helm. Much, much, much worse, believe you me.
• Born and raised a cat's throw from the Q, Brian Cunningham quietly entered the race for Councilman from the 40th and the Q caught up with him in May, more than a year out from the primary of 2017.
• In yet another plea for truly liberal urban planning, the kind where considerations are made for the most good for the most people, the Q looks for sympathy from his neighbors to can the bald-faced NIMBYism and start embracing smart growth because, let's face it, only homeowners win when you limit the production of housing across the board, affordable or otherwise. The Q doesn't mind that some favor landmarking and downzoning, as long as they recognize the trade-off is higher rents and fewer working people of all income levels finding a place to live. I'm not giving up, and neither should you.
• Blue Sky Bakery opens on rip roaring Rogers
• The Q confesses the REAL reason that Garrison Keilor makes him want to wretch. Later for you, Prairie Home Companion.
• Lefferts City gets its own cops
• A small French bistro is coming to Flatbush near JJ's and Parkside Pizza. Yes, you read correctement.
• In which the Q helps readers remember not to carry their marijuana on their person in giant jars especially onto the MTA
• A photo essay that makes the case you won't recognize this neighborhood in two years. 
• A fab new Cafe Ix takes the place of Tip of the Tongue on Lincoln Road
• More proof of a wildly changing 'hood
• The south side of Fenimore is gunning for a Downzone
• He's calling his new bistro Risbo. Hope the food is better than the name
• There is perhaps no more welcome newcomer to the Flabenue than Greenlight Bookstore. It's socially conscious, uber smart, full of life and readings. Go go go.
• The only TRUE affordable housing is the kind everyone likes to knock - public housing. Take another look folks; it ain't perfect, and it could be vastly improved, but it's still among NYC's greatest achievements

There's a lot more of course. But the single biggest story of the year came at the very end, when yours truly finally saw what's coming down the pike just north of Empire Blvd. A whole slew of new housing, plus more to come if the Spice Factory is upzoned. This will be the battle of the year, along with more from the Bedford/Union Armory. And lest you think that isn't YOUR neighborhood, I predict that once the new housing and commercial development fully takes shape on and around Empire Blvd, you'll begin to think of Southern Crown Heights and Lefferts as part of a piece. How and when it happens, that's what's in store for 2017. Oh, and the most unpredictable presidency in our lifetimes.

Happy New Year everyone.