Match-Off: 35th District Candidates

The crowded field of candidates in the rollercoaster-like race to replace New York City’s mayor of 12 years, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, is naturally attracting most of the media’s attention.

Competitive no less, yet without the drama being played out in the public eye, is the election for City Council.

A single member from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs is elected to the lawmaking body that monitors performance of city agencies, approves city budget and legislates on a variety of other issues.

District borderlines aren’t mapped out according to neighborhood boundaries, which makes it more of a challenge for residents or candidates to rally widespread support. Crown Heights for example is part of the 35th, 40th and 41st districts.

Yonit Tanenbaum of YQ Media sat down with two leading candidates courting the Jewish vote within the 35th District. Each candidate was interviewed individually, but given similar questions and equal time to answer.

Olanike Alabi served as a legislative assistant to a council member, was district manager of Community Board No. 2 in Brooklyn, and has worked at the city’s healthcare union 1199.

Ola clearly enjoys every minute of the campaign. She is kind, yet confident and determined, and says she has always been dedicated to public service. Beginning at a young age, she fought for social justice and community empowerment. Her passions for positively influencing her place of birth are the driving forces behind her campaign.

Laurie Cumbo is the founder and director of the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora (MoCADA) in Brooklyn and was a graduate professor in the School of Art & Design at Pratt Institute.

Wearing a bright floral dress that complemented her personality, Laurie sat down with me to discuss her personal life and candidacy. Over the din and hum of a busy local restaurant, we discussed some of the issues of concern to Crown Heights voters, as well as her political platform and cultural inspirations.

Tell us about your background.

Olanike Alabi: I am a native of Brooklyn, born to immigrants from Nigeria. After my freshman year in college, I interned for the late Council Member Mary Pinkett, and discovered that my passion was helping people.

Laurie Cumbo: I was born and raised in East Flatbush to a family which has made its home in New York since the 1930s. My dad’s side of the family is African with Native American Cherokee roots. Much of my ancestry is unknown and I have been researching the question of who I am beyond a multi-generation American.

Why are you running for New York City Council Member for the 35th District?

Alabi: As a New York City Council Member, I will have the political opportunity to make a real difference. My goal is for the public to view government as helpful, efficient and transparent, instead of the way it is currently viewed, as filled with mismanagement, immorality, bureaucracy and red tape. I am confident that with the right people in office, it can happen.

Cumbo: My life experiences shaped who I am today; a combination of quality education and hard work are what made me a well-rounded person. I want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from all that New York City has to offer.

Why should people vote for you?

Alabi: Of the five candidates campaigning for the position of representing the 35th District, I am the only one who was raised in the district I am running to represent. I have been socially active in this district for many years; I’ve organized food drives, raised funds for local schools, and conducted forums to help educate the public and encourage community members to participate in local politics. I believe that my extensive experience serving and advocating for the people of District 35 are what make me the candidate best qualified for this position.

Cumbo: I have been a Brooklynite my whole life. I founded the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, a non-profit art center that brings dynamic arts programming and performances to public housing developments throughout Brooklyn. I address the issues by going to the root of the problems. I have already created jobs and after-school programs in the area, and I am involved in addressing the gun control issue and improving housing projects. I have a good working relationship with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Assemblyman Walter Mosley, and many other community leaders, because I believe that the ability to work together can be the difference between moving forward and standing still.

If you are elected to the City Council, which issues would be your top priority?

Alabi: The issues that I will tackle first include working to keep our communities and children safe. On a local level, that means educating the public on how to avoid becoming victims of crime, increasing the number of police officers patrolling the streets, and supporting the work of community organization like the Shomrim safety patrol. On a larger scale, it includes supporting gun control legislation on the local, state and national levels, and reducing crime by providing people with education, jobs and a sense of purpose, as well as reinstating the funding for after-school programs that were eliminated by budget cuts. In addition to teaching academic subjects, education must also focus on engaging our youth and instilling them with values, goals and an accurate view of society and the importance of their role as the next generation.

Cumbo: One issue is that rent benefits don’t spill over to housing projects. My plan is to address this issue by advocating for a federally-funded program that provides tenants with affordable housing where they don’t have to pay more than 30% of their salaries toward rent. Another priority is looking at gun control in a different way. Instead of using resources exclusively for more police on the streets, we must dig deeper and address the causes of violence. Education and public programs can help change the culture of failing education, joblessness and teen pregnancy.

What is your plan to help small businesses struggling with issues such as the increasingly high rent in Brooklyn?

Alabi: Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. They provide us with vital resources, create jobs, and help our economy grow, but they are struggling to keep up with the skyrocketing rent. I believe that one way to address this issue is by having Commercial Rent Stabilization in the areas that need it most. I am confident that property owners would support the program because of its benefit to the economy.

Cumbo: Small businesses are the number one source of jobs, so they must be protected. Large chain stores should not be able to enter neighborhoods unrestricted and force smaller, locally-owned shops out of business. I also support grants to help small business, as well as easing the criteria for grading restaurants and bakeries.

Where do you stand on the influx of new development projects in the district and what is your plan to help increase the availability of affordable housing?

Alabi: I support responsible developments, and oppose any project whose only objective is to line the pockets of the developers. We also need to focus on restoring existing developments that are in distress. First, we must ensure that any current affordable housing is preserved. I support mandatory inclusion zoning, which means that if a development is being built, the developer is required to ensure that a portion of it will be affordable. Developers would receive subsidies or tax breaks in exchange for making a percentage of their apartments affordable. Additionally, there are many vacant buildings and lots in the district where new affordable housing can be built.

Cumbo: Housing development in Crown Heights has been taking place in a backward manner. Development should originate with the members of the community and not the developer who stands to profit from the project. I would like the City Council to have more control over zoning regulations, which would enable the creation of more affordable housing for working, middle-class families. The term “affordable” needs to be redefined; affordable in Brooklyn and affordable in other parts of the city can have a completely different meaning.

What makes the 35th District, the neighborhood you called home for so many years, unique?

Alabi: I love our district and its diversity. Living in this district has enabled me to learn about its various cultures, including the Jewish and West Indian communities. The 35th District is a diverse district with unique values, traditions and customs to appreciate.

Cumbo: I was a teenager during the Crown Heights riots 20 years ago, and I remember how the Jewish and Caribbean communities came together to heal. Jewish leaders marched in the West Indian Day Parade in the name of unity. Since then, the two communities have fallen into their comfort zones, but it is important to collaborate again on important issues such as jobs, social programs, public events and housing, and to learn from each other’s history, experiences and strengths. I would love to coordinate inter-community panels where community leaders can get to know each other.

What’s your long-term plan?

Alabi: As a Council Member representing my hometown, I can cultivate bigger change; it’s natural to care most about your own neighborhood. As a Council Member, I will have access to the funding and resources necessary to help my local community.

Cumbo: I would say that I’ve never chartered my life that way. I feel that the work that I do is really a calling from G-d, so it would be egotistical to predict where G-d leads me next. You have aspirations and dreams, but you continuously see how it changes. Be nimble and move with G-d’s plan.

VOTING INFO

The New York City’s 35th Council District includes the neighborhoods Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, Bedford Stuyvesant and parts of Crown Heights (covering the area within the streets St. Johns Place to Schenectady to Lefferts Avenue and Empire Blvd. until Flatbush Avenue).

The Primary Election is this Tuesday, September 10th. There is a poll site in the Crown Heights neighborhood at St. Marks’s Day School, located at 1346 President Street.

+ OlanikeAlabi.org.
+ LaurieCumbo2013.com