The Cobble Hill Association and the District-39 Participatory Budgeting Committee hosted a virtual community forum on February 18th, where neighbors had an opportunity to meet and hear from the six City Council candidates for District 39.
After introducing themselves, the candidates answered questions about issues such as equity in education, helping small businesses, the role of participatory budgeting, repairing and re-imaging the BQE, the Gowanus rezoning proposal, ways to combat climate change, affordable housing, and defunding the police. The CHA encourages everyone to learn as much as they can about the candidates, and, most importantly, to VOTE on June 22, 2021. All of the candidates and their websites (with information on how you can reach out to them directly) are listed below.
For those of you who missed it, you can watch the video here.
MEET THE CANDIDATES
Shahana Hanif, a Bangladeshi-American Muslim feminist and community organizer born and raised in Kensington, Brooklyn is running to represent Brooklyn’s 39th District in the City Council. Hanif, 30, would be the first Muslim woman to hold elected office in NYC. She would be the first woman elected to represent the 39th Council District.
Known throughout her neighborhood as someone unafraid to take a stand for her community, Shahana has mounted organizing efforts around housing, the arts and criminal justice. She helped create the Avenue C Plaza, which has become a beloved gathering spot for community events; set up a free immigration law clinic; and was profiled in the New York Times for her work helping a young Bangladeshi woman escape from an abusive forced marriage to safety in a Muslim women’s shelter. As a person living with Lupus, Shahana is an ardent advocate for health care and disability rights. As Director of Organizing and Community Engagement for Council Member Brad Lander, Shahana managed Participatory Budgeting (PB), a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend public funds.Learn more about her at ShahanaFromBK.com. Follow Shahana on Twitter/Instagram: @ShahanaFromBK
Mamnunul Haq is a labor organizer, public health advocate, immigrant, and working class New Yorker
running to represent District 39 in the New York City Council. Mamnun immigrated from Bangladesh in 1991 and began driving a yellow taxi cab. Witnessing and experiencing the hardships of the industry, he began organizing his fellow drivers and co-founded the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), the largest taxi cab driver union in the country. His work with the NYTWA involved co-organizing two of the largest taxi strikes in NYC history and led to improved wages, rights, and working conditions for drivers over the years.
Over the last 12 years, Mamnun has worked as a Community Health Worker with NYU’s School of Medicine engaging directly with South Asian and Muslim immigrants in managing chronic health issues. His work involves bridging the healthcare access gap, helping clients navigate hospital systems, supporting clients with housing and benefits, training providers to administer culturally competent care and more. Along with his work in public health, Mamnun spends much of his time supporting his community in District 39. He’s engaged on all facets of participatory budgeting, advocated for safer streets and public spaces, supported increased language access, and fostered interfaith relations. Mamnun is a lover of the arts and enjoys singing with his music collective! He is also a proud father and husband has lived in Kensington with his wife and three children for over 26 years.
Justin Krebs is a longtime progressive organizer, parent leader, and author who has brought folks together locally and nationally to make change and get things done. For the past few years, he was the National Campaigns Director at MoveOn—fighting to defeat Trump’s divisive and dangerous rhetoric on the environment, health care, immigration, taxation, impeachment, gun violence, reproductive justice and more. He’s the founder of The Tank—a theater that for 17+ years has been a home for emerging artists and premieres more new work than any other venue in New York. He’s the creator of the Living Liberally national network of social communities—Drinking Liberally happy hours and Laughing Liberally comedy shows—that have cultivated and deepened progressive community ties across the country.
He and his wife Casey—a midwife, birth educator who owns her own small business in the district—are raising their three girls in Park Slope. Justin’s involved in the school leadership of PS 39, and the leadership of the School District 15 Presidents Council. During the pandemic, he has worked as part of the leadership team to establish the Camp Friendship Food Pantry.
Justin’s campaign will focus on schools, climate, our vibrant main streets—small businesses, safe streets, culture and open space—and an ambitious, equitable COVID-19 recovery. He loves bringing folks together—and is eager to meet new people, hear what’s on their mind, and work together for our district and our city.
Website: justin2021.org
Brief intro campaign video: https://twitter.com/justinmkrebs/status/1356993452190420992
Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinmkrebs
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justin2021/
Matthew Morgan is the chair of the Brooklyn Libertarian Party, a member of Rotary International, a Blue Collar worker, and a volunteer for a local mutual aid organization.
New York City politicians have for too long been leading from the front and shaping the city in their own image, but to paraphrase a quote from Nelson Mandela, a good leader leads from behind, and that is what my campaign is all about. I want to return the power to shape our city, our neighborhoods, and our lives to the hands of everyday New Yorkers. My campaign is not about destruction, but the resurrection of the city as we fight to bring it back and push it forward. NYC needs more and affordable housing for everyone in every neighborhood, we need a better trained police force and a more fair justice system, we need safer streets for our kids and families to walk and bike on and we need a place where our local businesses can flourish and give good jobs to all our citizens. My campaign is about making sure all New Yorkers have a voice and feel empowered in their lives, in their communities, and in their city.
Twitter: @VoteMorgan39
Instagram: @VoteMatthewMorgan
Briget Rein was born to an immigrant mother, Sarita Silberman from Peru, and Arnold Rein from Brooklyn. Inspired by her mother, who worked alongside Mayor Abe Beam and Senator Charles Schumer to provide high quality education for all students, Briget became involved in political campaigns while she was in junior high school. She continued to do so during college, where she volunteered on local and federal campaigns.
Briget is a proud educator, previously teaching at PS 104 in District 20 and PS 109 in District 22 where she was also a chapter leader. Currently, Briget works for the United Federation of Teachers as Assistant to the staff director and previously served as government liaison to the New York City Council. As a union organizer, she has worked with educators across the city to defend their right to work in a safe environment. As a local political activist in Brooklyn’s 39th Council District, Briget has led social campaigns to enhance labor initiatives throughout Kings County and New York City. She also serves as a member of Community Board 6.
In addition to having worked alongside educators, students, families, and communities, Briget has also collaborated with many officeholders including Councilmember Ben Kallos, Assemblymember Peter Abbate, Senator Charles Schumer, and Mayor Bill de Blasio both in his current capacity and as a member of the City Council.
Avidly committed to community organizing and education reforms, Briget is now running for the City Council in District 39, encompassing the Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Windsor Terrace, and Gowanus neighborhoods of Brooklyn, so that she can continue to fight for working and middle class New Yorkers.
Email: Briget.rein@icloud.com
Doug Schneider is a civil rights attorney, community activist, public school parent, and currently serves as the Democratic District Leader for the 44th Assembly District. Doug is a former trustee of the Park Slope Civic Council, served on the District Committee for Brad Lander’s participatory budgeting initiative, and is a lay leader at Congregation Beth Elohim, where he currently sits on its school reopening task force. He lives in Park Slope with his wife, Joni and two kids, Micah (age 7) and Evie (age 3).
Brandon West has spent his career fighting for everyday New Yorkers. As a voting rights activist, union organizer, racial justice advocate, committed Democratic Socialist, and the former president of the New Kings Democrats, he has brought hundreds of people into local politics and built grassroots power.
From his years as a City Hall Budget staffer, he understands exactly how the budget process works—and how we can change it to create a New York for the many, not the few. That’s why he’s running to represent Brooklyn and District #39 in the New York City Council.
Jessica Simmons
Jessica is a working parent, a former principal and teacher, who has worked in education for more than 20 years. As a community, we talk about putting racial equity at the center and ending segregation in schools – Jessica actually knows what this looks like. As a CEC member, she launched IEP Parent Meetings (for parents of children with special needs) during the pandemic to discuss the needs our students have and started an Anti Racist Working Group to determine how we as parents can advocate for more equitable distribution of resources in our district. COVID-19 has exacerbated inequities in our community. It’s shown us the role government plays in our lives – from whether or not we get our unemployment check to whether or not we get our vaccine. As someone who works daily on accelerating learning given the learning loss from COVID, Jessica knows what it takes to set a vision, put plans in place, and hold everyone accountable to seeing the outcomes that truly put students on a successful path in life. This is the approach we need to take to city government – identify the gaps, work together to implement the solutions that put our neediest communities at the forefront, and then assess our progress along the way. As an educator who leads with community partnership and equity at the center, Jessica has the experience and expertise to lead us into positive change and create a community where EVERYONE can thrive.
