By:  Marty Raminoff

Democratic Councilman Justin Brannan has gained a foe, intent on supporting the incumbents’ challenger.

As reported by the NY Post, a former aide who had been a staffer in the New York City Council is speaking up, alleging harassment by Brannan when they were both employed by then-Councilman Vincent Gentile.   Michael Bistreich, who suffers from autism,  says he was discriminated against and tormented as a staffer, and points a finger at Brannan for being one of his bullies.  Brannan and Bistreich had both been staffers for Gentile, before Brannan had won his own election, entering public office in 2018.  Bistreich is now endorsing GOP rival, Councilman Ari Kagan, hoping he can help unseat Brannan in the upcoming November 7 election.

This isn’t the first time Bistreich has spoken up.  A former legislative director and budget director in the Brooklyn city council, Bistreich sued the city for $10 million in 2016, alleging he faced discrimination for his Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. The suit had alleged that Gentile and senior staff referred to him as “retarded,” threw pencils at his head, locked him in a basement and told him, “You sit there and drool on yourself all day,” per court records. Per the Post, Bistreich settled the case in 2021, accepting $850,000.  Gentile had left his council post in 2017, to run a bid for Brooklyn District Attorney- although he was defeated, and Brannan had won his seat. Now, Bistreich is endorsing Kagan for the newly drawn 47th District, while disparaging Brannan in an explosive video where he notes being locked in a basement like an “unwanted creature.”

“Unfortunately after I was hired, I began getting harassed, bullied and abused by people in that office. I’m very sad to have to say that one of those people is council member Justin Brannan,” Bistreich said in the video released by the Kagan campaign.  “During my time there, I suffered daily. I had humiliating experiences, like being locked in the basement as some type of unwanted creature, something that Brannan laughed heartily at,” Bistreich said in the video.  “If Justin Brannan would do this to me, is he someone who is going to keep his promises to you and be good to the people of south Brooklyn? I don’t think so,” Bistreich said in the video, urging constituents to vote for “integrity” by backing Kagan.

Brannan has denied the accusations, and additionally told The Post he plans to sue Bistreich for slander.  His campaign rep also dismissed Bistreich as a “Republican operative.”  “Justin’s desperate political opponents have been using Michael to lodge these false accusations since 2017. Justin was not named in this lawsuit and was never subpoenaed,” said Brannan’s campaign spokesman, Ian Brown.

Brannan and Kagan are expected to run a very tight race, and as evidence to this, an independent political action committee is actively sending out fliers accusing Kagan of having been a former communist when he lived in the old Soviet Union.  The fliers also disparage Kagan for switching from Democrat to Republican last year to run against Brannan.

For his part, Kagan commented on Sunday saying he had been a member of the Communist Party 40 years ago, for two and a half years when he was a journalist in the former Soviet Union.