The Q At Parkside Takes On The District 40 City Council Race

As you likely know, September 10’s Democratic Primary will pit District 40 incumbent Council Member Mathieu Eugene against John Grant, Sylvia Kinard, and Saundra Thomas. Tim from The Q at Parkside wrote an interesting piece yesterday about the race, featuring an interview with and praise for Thomas…

She knows the City well, its people, and most of all, she knows the way kids are often left behind, far behind, in this City of wealth, prestige and power. She’ll listen to you, but she won’t pander… As they might say in Crown Heights, she’s a mensch, and her reputation as such is echoed by those who know her.

… thoughts on Grant and Kinard…

John Grant is sweet… He will not win many votes, if he can even accumulate enough signatures to get on the ballot. Sylvia Kinard is starting to rev her engines… [but] she’s a lawyer who seems way too eager to step into the spotlight – she ran unsuccessfully for congress last year, so maybe (certainly) she has some extra bread in the collection plate, and needs to spend it on another campaign… She’s smart, she’s got experience, but her credentials reek of insider-ism, and same ol’ same ol’.

… and some serious straight-shooting in regards to the current Council Member.

I’d go as far as to say we’ve “worked” together. I like Mathieu Eugene, and I also think he hasn’t the slightest idea what he’s doing, or the desire to learn or grow. He’s had six years to distinguish himself, and that is enough. I think as a district, as the greater Flatbush area, we deserve better.

Tim also talks about the example set by District 45’s Jumaane Williams as a responsible and active representative of his constituents, as well as our unique needs as such a diverse and evolving district. He makes no secret of who he’ll be voting for, but what about you? What are your thoughts on the candidates at this point, having read their interviews and heard what they had to say at the Flatbush Tenant Coalition Candidate Forum, if nothing else?

Council Member Eugene is the only candidate at this point not to have granted us an interview. Some neighbors have suggested it’s his race to lose, since the rest of the vote will be split between his three opponents. Do you think Council Member Eugene will win again by default, or would an interview be helpful to you as a voter in making a decision?

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