Jesus González for Brooklyn's 54th District Assembly Seat.
If you're not, you should be.
New York Daily News today declared Jesús González is the best pick in the race for the 54th District. They conclude:
There is nothing unclear about González's history of hard work and dedication to the community.
And I agree. González is the kind of person we should all be sending to our state capitals.
From Albor Ruiz in today's New York Daily News:
Grassroots rising in Brooklyn." That's how Andrew Friedman, of Make the Road NY characterizes Jesús González's bid to replace former Assemblyman Darryl Towns in a Sept. 13 special election.
Towns was appointed state housing chief by Gov. Cuomo and left his 54th Assembly District seat vacant after 18 years. The traditionally Democratic district encompasses Brownsville, Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East New York and part of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Towns' sister, Deidre, is also running for the seat on her own Community First line and Rafael Espinal, Councilman Erik Dilan's chief of staff, is the Democratic Party candidate in the three-way race.
Born and raised in Bushwick, González, 26, is a community organizer with the nonprofit Make the Road NY who is making his first foray into electoral politics. He has the backing of the Working Families Party.
"(González represents) a really important challenge to the corruption, cronyism, and mediocrity that is business-as-usual politics in so many working class communities of color here in the city," said Friedman, speaking as a community activist and not as MRNY's co-executive director.
If you've ever lamented that the party machine is destroying politics in New York—and let's face it, every New York progressive has—you'd do well to give this candidate's campaign a boost in anyway you can.
Kings County (Brooklyn) Democratic Party leader Vito Lopez didn't pick González for the Democratic ballot line in this special election and more's the pity. For the district and the party. Lopez made an error, but the people of Brooklyn don't have to. There's still a chance to send González to Albany on the Working Families Party line.
New York Daily New's Albor Ruiz says:
The fact that at his young age González has already won real victories in the community is remarkable. When the city wanted to close down Bushwick Community High School, he helped lead a campaign to save it. He also organized a citywide campaign "to stand up for educational opportunity" last year, when the city and state planned to cut MetroCards for students. And a few years ago, when police wrongly arrested 32 young people who were walking to a friend's wake, he helped organize a community campaign that got the charges dropped.
[...]
However, there is nothing unclear about González's history of hard work and dedication to the community.
I had the occasion to meet and speak with González at a fundraiser recently and have concluded for myself, yes, he's the real deal. I only lament I cannot vote for him as I'm not in his district.
It's not only the Daily News that is taking this young man seriously. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez has crossed her Democratic colleague Lopez to deliver her endorsement to this young man, saying:
“Jesus Gonzalez is the kind of fresh, fearless activist our community deserves to have representing us in Albany. As a community organizer, he has been on the front lines of important fights for quality jobs, affordable housing and equal justice. And he is just the person to take those fights to Albany.”
Not bad at all. Velazquez is no small get for the campaign.
Colin Campbell over at The Brooklyn Politics is a great source for more info on this race. The special election is September 13th.
Update: Colin as quick to alert me that Kossacks might be interested to know the guy on the Democratic ticket (in New York!) opposes marriage equality and women making their own reproductive choices. 'Nuff said?