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Getting to work

Getting to work

Posted November 6th, 2009 by brad

Thank you so much for your extraordinary support! 

On Tuesday, I had the honor of winning the City Council seat in the 39th District in Brooklyn, with 70% of the vote. 

I has been a truly humbling experience.  If you had asked me a year ago whether I was ready for the job, I would have said yes ... but I would have been wrong.  The thousands of conversations I've had with people in every corner of our neighborhoods -- about your hopes and fears for your blocks and for the city, about what you want to see change and what should stay like it is -- have been essential preparation for the job of representing our community. 

Those conversations both strengthened my faith in democracy, and left me feeling a profound set of obligations:

• To the thousands of you who voted for me, convinced that we can make a real difference on the issues we have talked about in the campaign -- good schools, affordable homes, more green space, good public transit, supporting local businesses, an open, transparent, and accessible city government, and progressive leadership that is not afraid to speak out for equality, dignity, and respect for all New Yorkers and all of our city's diverse communities.
• To the more than 1000 people who volunteered or contributed to the campaign, and to our great campaign team, inspiring me time and again with your energy and commitment to our shared goals.
• To the elected officials, advocacy organizations, community groups, and unions who expressed confidence in me, and with whom I hope to partner in making change.  
• To my family (especially Meg) and friends, who are a source of my values and my belief that we can make them real, and who have always provided rock solid support and wise counsel. 
• To the other candidates in the race, who raised the bar on public service by running campaigns that raised critical issues and showed how much our communities care.
• And to the thousands who didn't vote for me, who have a right to expect tireless public service and integrity.  Too often, they don’t get it, and it undermines their faith in our shared project called government.

Luckily, the form of payment is no more, and no less, than fully dedicated public service.

So I'm getting right to work.  On Wednesday morning, I was back out at the Fort Hamilton Parkway subway stop, on the border of Kensington and Windsor Terrace, saying thank you, but also talking about how to get started.  I heard a lot about public safety concerns, so I'm setting up introductory meetings with all the police precincts in the district to start working more closely with them.

while I won't become the councilmember until January, there's already a lot to do -- following up on the stalled development sites that many of you emailed us about, helping make sure the Park Slope Armory recreation center gets opened soon, and starting to address broader issues like the paid sick days bill and protecting our water supply from dangerous drilling upstate.  I'll also be hiring staff and finding a district office, so we can hit the ground running in January.

As exhausting as the last two years have been, it is just the beginning.  We've put together an incredible coalition together of community leaders and activists.  Now, the work begins of putting that coalition into action to fight for the things this campaign was all about: a more affordable Brooklyn, more livable and sustainable neighborhoods, and a city that does more to offer real opportunity to everyone who calls it home.

With deep gratitude and bright hope,

Brad

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