Residents of the 36th CD are invited to attend a virtual forum at which four of the district’s City Council candidates will make the case for securing your vote. Sponsored by Our Time Press and MTOPP (Movement to Protect the People), the forum will be held on May 20th from 6-8pm, a month before the June primary.
The event will be hosted by David Greaves, Our Time Press and Alicia Boyd, MTOPP.
The participating candidates (in alphabetical order) are Henry Butler, Tahirah A. Moore, Chi Ossé and Robert Waterman. Together they represent those vying for the seat who have raised enough funds, (private donations and City matching funds), resulting in the most potentially viable campaigns.
Voters are welcome to become more familiar with these leading contenders, their objectives, strategies and priorities. This period of pandemic recovery is critical for New York City; several pre-existing challenges are equally important. City Councilpersons control large budgets and can wield large influence in some cases. Where do these candidates stand? Who will vigorously represent your immediate concerns and your visions for the future? Do you value most a candidate’s experience, endorsements, initiatives, activism or a combination of some of these? Which candidate has those?
Attendees will not be on camera for this Facebook live-streamed event, so feel free to come as you are. The sponsors and their research team have prepared straight-forward questions representing a comprehensive range of community concerns. We hope you’ll join us.
Henry Butler’s name recognition is due to positions held. As the district’s Democratic Leader and District Manager for Community Board 3, he’s endorsed by most local politicians and labor unions.
Tahirah A. Moore’s campaign says she’s focused on deed-theft, displacement of district residents, education and healthcare. She’s worked for the mayor and for Robert Cornegy.
Chi Ossé is committed to education, housing, healthcare, seniors, families and reinvesting funds from inflated police budgets. He founded the activist organization Warriors in the Garden last summer.
Robert Waterman has served as pastor of Antioch Baptist Church for over two decades and has been board chair at Interfaith Medical Center and as One Brooklyn Health vice-chair.
Register to Attend the May 20 Forum
Coming Up On June 3, 6pm the 35th Councilmanic District Forum
Michael Hollingsworth is a longtime tenants’ rights activist who has been involved in scoring wins for residents and organizations in the district and outside of it. He’s endorsed by Zephyr Teachout, by Democratic Socialists of America, New York Communities for change and by State Senator Jabari Brisport.
Crystal Hudson has served as a Deputy Public Advocate and worked on Laurie Cumbp’s staff. She says she’s for affordable housing and against gentrification and the favoring of big developers over residents. She says she’d dismantle ULURP and defund the NYPD by $1 billion.
Curtis Harris champions arts and culture and affordable housing. He is the director of the nonprofit Green Earth Poets Cafe. This tenure, he says, along with his accounting experience, make him the right person to represent the district, which is home to major arts institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, BAM and BRIC.
Renee Collymore is focused on healthcare and affordable housing. She’s served on the advisory boards of the 88th Precinct and Brooklyn Hospital and is an instructor at Medgar Evers College. She’s CEO of Putnam Avenue Community Service, Inc.