Tomorrow’s primary day, and the more time we spend in both our roles as blog master and flea master, the more we realize how important these local positions are. And while it’s easy to feel like one’s vote might not make a difference on the national stage, all it takes to get elected to most of these local positions like city council and assembly is a few thousand votes. Which is why we want to urge everyone to take the 10 or 15 minutes required to swing by your local high school gym and pull the handle. It’s not always easy to keep up on what differentiates some of the candidates, so we’d direct your attention to the excellent coverage The Brooklyn Paper has this week. The biggest race in our neck of the woods is Kevin Powell‘s effort to unseat long-time incumbent Ed Towns; The Brooklyn Paper presents such an unflattering portrait of Towns (let’s just say the guy’s not too up on his current events), it’s hard to imagine anyone voting for him based on his record. The other biggie in Brownstone Brooklyn pits newcomer Daniel Squadron versus long-time State Senator Martin Connor; the Brooklyn Heights Blog live-blogged their debate last week. There’s a lower profile but important race in the 57th Assembly District (which encompasses Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights and parts of Bed Stuy). Bill Saunders, a fixture in the area for decades, is being challenged for the position of District Leader by Walter Moseley, a former employee of Clarence Norman, supporter of Atlantic Yards and part of the Ed Towns machine. As for Saunders, he’s taken firm positions on two issues that may interest Brownstoner readers: He’s been a critic of the Atlantic Yards process and, along with State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Councilmember Tish James, spoke up in defense of The Flea this summer when it was briefly under fire; Saunders has been endorsed by the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats.
Six men and The Paper [Brooklyn Paper]