The Race Is On: Incumbents Are Challenged for Central Brooklyn Council Seats

It’s official. Candidates for elected office have submitted their balloting petitions. All central Brooklyn council members are facing challengers. Three are running for a second term. Three are running for a third term. Three voted for term limit extension; three against. One who voted against extending term limits is running for a third term.

All candidates are pending survival of the petition challenge process. The amount of private campaign funds reported to the NYC Campaign Finance Board by the July 15   filing date is listed next to each candidate.

In the 35th CD Letitia James ($31,030), is being challenged on the Democrat line by Medhanie Estiphanos ($3,517) and Delia Huntley-Adossa ($22,585). Stuart Allen Balberg (not listed) is running on the Republican and Conservative lines. James, who voted against term limits, is also running on the Working Families line. After completing the aborted term of slain Council member James Davis, James was elected to her own first term, and is now running for a second.

Seasoned politician Al Vann ($29,861), who voted in favor of the term limits extension,  is being challenged by several candidates in the 36th district. On the Democrat line William Carrington ($21,925), Robert E. Cornegy (23,339), Mark Winston Griffith ($43,019), David Grinage ($36,543), Saquan Jones ($12,947), Adrian M. Straker ($4,325), and Tremaine Wright ($8,937). Griffith is also running on the Working Families line. Robert A. Hunter ($1,861) is running on the Republican line.

First term council member Mathieu Eugene ($37,092) voted against term limit extension. He is being challenged in the 49th district on the Democrat line by Rock H. Hackshaw ($12,356) and L. Rickie Tulloch ($18,040). Eugene is running on the Working Families line. Hugh C. Carr (not listed) is running on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Another first termer, Darlene Mealy ($40,331) is being challenged by Tracy Boyland ($24,022), Anthony Herbert ($3,660), and Tulani Kinard (25,177) on the Democrat line. Rose Laney (not listed) is running on the Republican line. Mealy sent out shockwaves when she voted in favor of extending term limits.

Charles Barron ($5,840), who voting against term limits extension, is running for a third term anyway – on both the Democrat and Working Families lines. He is being challenged in the 42nd council district by Carlos A. Bristol ($10,777), Donnezzetta Brown (not listed), Winchester Key ($27,830), Prince L. Lewis ($14,750), and Regina Powell ($2,014) on the Democrat line. Godfrey Jelks (not listed) is running on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Kendall Stewart ($55,345) is in a hotly contested race in the 45th Council District. Not only did he vote in favor of Bloomberg’s term limit extension, but 2 of his staff members have pled guilty in the council slush fund scandal. Stewart has seven challengers on the democrat line: Rodrick Daley ($7,421), Earnest Emmanuel (non participant), Erlene J. King ($19,937), Dexter McKenzie ($45,975), Samuel Taitt ($38,229), Godwin Williams (not listed), and Jumaane D. Williams ($51,448). Williams is also running on the Working Families line. Salvatore Grupo (not listed) is running on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Most of the candidates and challengers have a history of public service and are known to their various constituencies. Voters are looking forward to learning more about them through candidate debates.