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The Jewish Voice Endorses Ari Kagan, Kalman Yeger & Inna Vernikov for City Council. Your Voice Counts – Cast Your Vote Today
Thanks to City Charter-mandated redistricting, every seat on the City Council is up this year, but vanishingly few races are close, as was reported by the New York Post.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that early voting is now open. It takes literally 5 min to go and vote. Click the link below to find your site: https://findmypollsite.vote.NYC
In Brooklyn, several council seats are up for a vote. Kalman Yeger and Inna Vernikov have been extremely close friends of the community and have been fighting the dramatic and frightening escalation of virulent anti-Semitism intensely since they entered office and especially in the last several weeks due to the hatred that has reared its ugly head since the war that the Hamas terror organization launched against Israel on October 7th when they massacred 1400 Israelis and others in a surprise attack in southern Israel. Please go out and vote for them, depending on where you live.
Early voting continues from now until Sunday, November 5th. Election day is Tuesday, November 7th.
Brooklyn, 47th District: includes Bay Ridge, Bath Beach, and Coney Island
Two incumbents, Justin Brannan (D) and Ari Kagan (R), face off in this race in a new district that includes areas that each has represented in the past.
And South Brooklyn has been shifting Republican, with two longtime Democratic assemblymen ousted there last year.
That has Brannan rushing to the center, after years of playing footsie with the council’s progressive hard-liners, according to the Post report.
Yet he’s still playing it coy, hedging on the issues surrounding the atrocities that the Hamas terrorists perpetrated in Israel on October 7th, because the district includes heavily Arabic and pro-Palestinian, Bay Ridge.
The day after virulently anti-Israel protesters clashed with police during last Saturday’s “Flood Brooklyn for Palestine” demonstration, Brannan tweeted multiple posts with pablum like, “Emotions are raw. All honest leaders acting in good faith must acknowledge the anger, pain, and fear of everyday Palestinians and Israelis all over the world.”
That came after Kagan slammed Brannan for his silence on “pro-HAMAS chants, anti-American and anti-Semitic signs in his own backyard.”
In a heated and closely-watched debate on “Inside City Hall” on NY1.com,Brannan and Kagan clashed on various key issues that have been at the forefront of their campaign in the new District 47 of South Brooklyn. The two incumbents, who previously represented adjoining districts in southern Brooklyn, now find themselves pitted against each other due to recent redistricting, which has significantly altered the political landscape in the area.
The debate touched on several contentious topics, including local tensions related to the ongoing war that Hamas launched against Israel. Kagan voiced his strong opposition to demonstrations and parades that praised Hamas terrorists, as well as to condemning anti-American and anti-Israel sentiments. He emphasized that such actions were unacceptable in New York City. Brannan countered, accusing Kagan of unfairly conflating all Palestinians with Hamas terrorists and deemed it divisive.
Another issue addressed during the debate was the influx of migrants and the city’s sanctuary city status. Kagan criticized New York’s policies, particularly the use of taxpayer dollars to provide free shelter and services to migrants. He questioned the need for offering various benefits, including mopeds and cell phones, arguing that it incentivizes people to come to New York City. In response, Brannan accused Kagan of fearmongering and staging a rally with other individuals to create unwarranted concerns about migrant camps opening up in Bay Ridge. He highlighted that such claims were baseless and that the district residents knew better.
Kagan, who recently switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, has positioned himself as a more conservative candidate in the race. He emphasized his strong stance on public safety, pointing out that he has garnered support from law enforcement unions. In contrast, Brannan sought to undermine Kagan’s position, claiming that Kagan had voted to defund the NYPD by $1 billion and publicly stated that the cuts did not go far enough. Brannan asserted that his district had more police officers now than when he was first elected, and he emphasized his role in increasing the police budget by $450 million during the current year.
Ari Kagan, a Jewish refugee from Belarus, expressed his dissatisfaction with his former party, the Democrats, citing their perceived support for pro-criminal policies, opposition to education standards, and calls to defund the NYPD. Kagan positioned himself as a candidate who would firmly oppose the progressive and Democratic Socialist elements that currently dominate the council.
For these reasons and much more, the Jewish Voice gives its full throated endorsement to Ari Kagan. He has served his constituents with a determined zeal to improve the lives of those who live in the 47th district in every way imaginable. He has intrepidly championed the needs and concerns of everyone in his district and his commitment to vanquishing the perennial scourge of anti-Semitism speaks volumes about his dedication to his people and to humanity at large.
On November 7th, we strongly exhort you to pull the lever for Ari Kagan so that we can be assured that we have someone in our corner who will boldly step up to the plate for us at every turn.
