Two-term Incumbent Stefani Zinerman Holds Assembly Seat
By Bernice Elizabeth Green
Early Voting began Saturday, June 15, and Assemblywoman Stefani Zinerman of the 56thAssembly District in Brooklyn, was where she always says she prefers to be: in the community, working for the community, building coalitions, listening to concerns and sharing stories, for the ultimate goal of achieving the results that matter for her constituents.
Late morning, she stopped by the Cooperative Culture Collective’s 23rd annual Brooklyn Juneteenth Arts Festival at Herbert Von King Park, helped out with the event set-up and decoration, read to children and school-age youth about her “Underground Reading Railroad” project, signed books, took pictures with new friends and old acquaintances (including members of the Christian Cultural Church (CCC) East New York, where Rev. A. R. Bernard is Senior Pastor, distributed literature and listened attentively to educators, parents and young people concerns.
There was no room for a conversation on matters far removed from the world of her constituents. After 40 minutes, she was reminded of her time to move to another area
in the neighborhood. She left the park optimistic about the people receiving her messages on literacy, voting, and community unification.
She met her challenger Eon Huntley on Friday, June 21 for a little-publicized but open-to-the-public debate at the Magnolia Tree Earth Center of Bedford Stuyvesant. There, she made the case for holding on to her seat – against the tide of opinion about her associations outside of the community and their impact.
“I am especially honored for the support of all of you, our union representatives, Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, and Attorney General Tish James.
“Moving forward, we will work on reducing crime in our neighborhoods and ensure that our small businesses thrive and our union workers are strong and protected. If the DSA really wants to embrace Democratic values, they should stop running against Democrats, especially running someone not from this community.
“We have serious work to do, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in government to address all the concerns of the constituents of the Amazing 56th District.”
In the closely watched race, progressive Huntley, supported by the Democratic Socialists of America, centered international politics as his core platform. He criticized the Assemblywoman for receiving backing from pro-Israel Pac funders, including Walmart heir Jim Walcott, Mayor Bloomberg’s daughter, Emma, and Wall Street interests. Last week, Zinerman ignored the taunting that took the local contest away from Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights, calling the backing “reparations.”
The community heard her, but they also saw her walking the streets and heard her talking about literacy, healthcare, housing, racial issues, and designing solutions. They heard her ideas, and she listened to theirs.
Tuesday, June 25, the polls spoke. She won.