This column, from the weekly opinion piece MATTER OF FACT, first appeared on BrooklynReporter.com, the Home Reporter and Spectator dated October 28, 2021
With early voting underway and Election Day Tuesday, November 2, it is time for all of us to cast our votes. This may be considered a between-cycle election year, but here in New York City, this election is critically important.
Most of this year’s focus has been on the mayor’s race. Though we should never take any race for granted and everyone should vote for our next mayor, polls have Democratic nominee Eric Adams leading his nearest competitor by a margin of more than two-to-one.
In addition to races for mayor, comptroller, public advocate, and five borough presidents, all 51 city council seats are up for election this year. Most of those races are not competitive, but here in Southern Brooklyn, there is a race that WNBC New York recently described as “tight.”
Incumbent Democrat Justin Brannan is running for reelection in the 43rd city council district. There are more than 100,000 registered voters in the district, with registered Democrats outnumbering registered Republicans by a two-and-a-half to one margin. However, in 2017, Brannan narrowly won his first election by less than 800 votes, with only one-quarter of registered voters participating.
“…Brannan’s style of always being available to assist with problems, providing frequent and clear updates on community issues, and bringing back a lot of resources into the district has won over many voters who seldom vote for a Democrat.”
The bottom line is, if voters are aware there is an election and they decide to turn out to vote, Brannan will win reelection, but in election years like this that are considered off-cycle, turnout is typically low. The Brannan campaign has focused on getting the word out about this year’s election and letting constituents know that their votes are needed to ensure he continues representing them in the council.
Obviously, the party affiliation of registered voters does not ensure which way they will vote, but Brannan has garnered support across party lines from members of the community. As one would expect, there are voters whose political ideology is so rooted in conservatism that they could never vote for any Democrat, but Brannan’s style of always being available to assist with problems, providing frequent and clear updates on community issues, and bringing back a lot of resources into the district has won over many voters who seldom vote for a Democrat.
When he was elected, he committed to bringing a new school to a district that has dealt with overcrowded classrooms for years, but, to date, he has managed to have four new schools confirmed for the area. When the pandemic created problems that nobody expected, he was at the forefront of bringing relief to ensure small businesses would not go under and with helping to keep the most vulnerable members of our community safe from COVID.
His efforts to improve our parks, many of which were literally crumbling, has been hugely successful. J.J. Carty Park under the Verrazano Bridge has seen extensive renovations, and more are on the way. The Fort Hamilton High School track has seen a state-of-the-art update and the surrounding courts are being redone now. Other parks scheduled for refurbishments in Bay Ridge soon include Vinland Park along the shore, Russell Pedersen Playground on Colonial Road and Owl’s Head Park.
In Dyker Heights, Patrick O’Rourke Playground on 81st Street was completely renovated and McKinley Park will be soon. In Bath Beach and Bensonhurst, Petrosino Playground on 16th Avenue and Bensonhurst Park near the entrance to Ceasar’s Bay have recently reopened with beautiful new playgrounds and amenities. Bath Beach Park at 17th Avenue and Shore Parkway has a massive renovation taking place now and the 17th Avenue pedestrian bridge across the street from its entrance is being replaced by a new structure that will allow community members to ride their bikes from the new park, over ADA-compliant ramps spanning the Belt Parkway, and onto the shore promenade, which will soon see extensive renovations to that section in Bath Beach, thanks in large part to Councilman Brannan.
Much of what we think of when we think about elected officials revolves around politics and policies, many of which are polarizing, but the most important aspect of their roles, especially at the local level, has to do with getting stuff done. Justin Brannan got stuff done before he was elected. He has gotten so much more done as a council member. He will get far more done once reelected.
