By COLlive reporter
Menachem Raitport is giving another shot at the New York State Assembly.
The Crown Heights store owner is running in the special election on Tuesday, May 5 to represent the 43rd District which covers the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Lefferts Gardens and East Flatbush.
In 2010, Raitport lost to incumbent Karim Camara who has since vacated his seat for a job as executive director of Governor Andrew Cuomo‘s new Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services, part of an antipoverty initiative.
In this cycle, a filing error meant that the Democratic party would not have an official candidate, which the 47-year-old Raitport hopes to use to his advantage under the Republican Conservative banner.
Democrats vying for the seat are Diana Richardson of the Working Families Party, District leader Geoffrey Davis (brother of slain Councilman James E. Davis) and District leader Shirley Patterson on the Independence Party line.
“It’s not about Republican v. Democrat,” Raitport said in a statement inviting community members to a kickoff fundraiser to be held tonight, Wednesday, March 18th, from 8pm to 10:30pm at 822 Empire Blvd.
“Politics has become a dirty word. But it shouldn’t be. It’s about service to the community. It’s about doing what’s right for every single resident in this district. It’s time for a real change,” he says.
Born and bred in Brooklyn, Raitport is an EMT, a member of CERT, and he has long been involved in charitable ventures including mentoring young people. He is married and a father of 8.
He says he wonders what kind of place Crown Heights will be in the next 5 years and worries about “a further reduction in our standard of living, seeing essential services being eroded almost on a daily basis.”
“From clean streets to safe streets,” he emphasizes, “things are getting worse, not better. Residents in Crown Heights are forgotten time and time again by Albany. It’s just not good enough. We live here, and we deserve better.”
from cousin boruch
You also are in a different police precinct when you live north of Eastern Parkway, not in the 71st precinct like most of us Crown Heightsers.
Crown Heights is growing. The Rebbe stated that “Those who expand the borders of Crown Heights are expanding the borders of Eretz Yisrael,” so tizku l’mitzvot!
And get some Yidden to run for office from YOUR assembly district!!!
If i lived in CH, I would vote for him. Hope we support our own.
a link to make an donation your campaign
so we can help you !!
your california fan
The other side of Eastern Pkway between Kingston and Utica isn’t included in the map! I was going to vote for him, till I saw I’m on the other side of the tracks!
Everyone in our community must vote and get your friends to vote. This is a great chance to get some who cares about us in to this government.
Do your part.
Hatzlacha Raabah ” In 2010, Raitport lost to incumbent Karim Camara who has since vacated his seat for a job as executive director of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s new Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services, part of an antipoverty initiative….” Anti-Poverty? How long has this ‘fight’ been going on? How about ‘The (so-called) War on Crime, or Cancer?” All nonsense…smoke screen…obfuscation. Why? The cost of crime in America is, about, One Trillion Dollars. If all the non-violent prisoners (about 2.2 million in total) were freed with flogging, etc we could save, about, 500 billion dollars. We would free police and jail… Read more »
Gotta get the word out amongst our fellow Yidden in the district!!! And on election day, we have to really, really get out the Yiddishe vote, for sure!!!!!! Every last one of us must vote for Mendy, if we want change and proper representation!
Let’s hope the “liberal” (independent) vote gets divided in three, and that Raitport will therefore “conquer”!
I’ve voted for you every time so far, Mendy, and will of course vote for you on 5/5!
If it’s not too late for the May election, we need to register more voters!!!!
Donations can be made online via Pay Pal [email protected]
We can WIN if the community comes out to support and VOTES!
Please come tonight to the fundraiser.
he needs to do this with a bang not just be in the ballot he need good PR and he needs get out the vote campaign
he needs every rabbi and leader of every shul to talk about it and tell men to vote for him every man needs to go home and tell their wives and children to vote for him
We hope you win. Everyone in CH should go out and vote – if for no other reason than to get an “eiginer” into office. He will definitely represent us better than the other candidates.
with the community’s help you can do it
let’s all support him
3rd time is a charm
i had my run-ins with raitport but i would vote for him every jewish person should vote for him its about time the jews of crown heights had someone of their own represent them
Hope you win big. Shimon Cohen
I think Yossi should be hes running partner
I HOPE YOU WIN! YOU’D BE EXCELLENT!
Great ! This time I will vote three times for him !
Hatlzcha.