Council Member Eugene Will Face Second Challenger In 2017

Mathieu Eugene, who has represented the Flatbush area in the New York City Council since 2007, will have two competitors for his seat in 2017.

Pia Raymond, PLG native, trained social worker, business owner, and mother of two, filed paperwork with the City’s Campaign Finance Board showing her intention to run for City Council District 40. Raymond has been working and living in the community for her entire life, including at Brooklyn Community Board 9, spearheading workshops on local entrepreneurship, and advocating for merchants on Nostrand Avenue.

For Raymond, District 40 is a part of her personal history. “My great-grandmother graduated from Erasmus High School, an African-American woman at the turn of the century when most women weren’t even graduating,” she told DPC.

One of the jobs of a City Council Member is to reduce the tensions around growth and protect thriving mom & pop businesses, and neighbors, from displacement, she said. As a City Council Member, Raymond hopes to bridge the gap between neighbors and city government, continuing the work she’s been doing through her family-oriented business Creating Legacies.

In May, we reported that Brian-Christopher Antonio Cunningham had also announced his candidacy to run for Eugene’s City Council seat in 2017. Cunningham, who calls himself the “proud son of Brooklyn”, has held many posts including Director of Government and Foundations Relations at Nazareth Housing, member of Community Board 14, Special Assistant to State Senator Kevin Parker (21st Senate District), Chief of Staff for Council Member Laurie Cumbo, and Director of Small Business Services for the New York City Council, according to his biography.

The 40th District includes Ditmas Park, along with sections of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Kensington, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and Crown Heights.

Stay tuned for more stories on both candidates as their campaigns develop.