Vote 2017: 35th District City Council seat

<p>The 35th District City Council seat is one of the most sought-after positions in this year's election cycle.</p>

News 12 Staff

Aug 31, 2017, 10:12 PM

Updated 2,617 days ago

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The 35th District City Council seat is one of the most sought-after positions in this year's election cycle.
The 35th District covers the Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant sections of Brooklyn.
The seat is currently held by Laurie Cumbo, who joined City Council in 2013 and is seeking re-election. She's an advocate for more affordable housing and has also come out in opposition to the controversial Bedford-Union Armory project. When it comes to education, she wants to continue upgrading technology in the classroom and revamping infrastructure like bathrooms. Cumbo wants to close the wage gap and ensure that women make just as much as their male counterparts for the same work.
Her challenger for the nomination is a familiar foe -- Ede Fox, a former aide to City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito who also ran for the Democratic nomination in the 35th District four years ago. She wants to create good-paying jobs in the community and enhance the education system by calling for more funding for after-school programs. Like Cumbo, Fox is opposed to the Bedford-Union Armory project as it is now and wants it to be completely affordable housing.
There is another primary race in the 35th District that is for the Green Party nomination. Jabari Brisport is getting his feet wet in campaigning, having spent the last 10 years as an activist. His platform consists of accelerating the community land trust, reforming police oversight by making the civilian complaint review board an elected body rather than an appointed one and closing income inequality by taxing wealthy businesses.
Brisport will be facing off against Scott Hutchins, another political novice who has spent time working for grassroots organizations. He wants to end tax incentives for big corporations, push for more affordable housing instead of homeless shelters and overhaul policing by reducing funding for the NYPD and demilitarizing the force.
Primary Day is Tuesday, Sept. 12.