City Council candidate Doug Biviano went on the attack at a candidates’ forum in Williamsburg this week, accusing his opponents of acquiescing to the Brooklyn Democratic Party and kowtowing to its leader, Assemblymember Vito Lopez (D−Williamsburg).
“They were there at the table with the city, they were cutting deals. They are part of the Democratic machine. They never stood up. Are you going to be a part of the Thies, Levin, Simon machine?” said Biviano to the crowd of over 100 gathered at Williamsburg Northside Preschool, 152 North 5th Street, referring to his opponents, Evan Thies and Jo Anne Simon, in the race for the 33rd District seat currently held by David Yassky. Also running on the Democratic ticket are Isaac Abraham, Kenneth Baer and Ken Diamondstone,
A number of issues were on the table at the forum, sponsored by Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG), ranging from open space to affordable housing, but questions about government and political reform simmered underneath the discussion throughout the evening.
In several of his responses, Biviano criticized Thies and Simon, as well as fellow candidate Steve Levin, who was not present at the forum, for working in conjunction with the Kings County Democratic leadership.
Simon aggressively clarified Biviano’s remarks during the night’s most heated exchange.
“A district leader works with her community on a range of issues while the county leader has a hand−picked candidate running in this race,” said Simon. “Let me say this, people need to understand where decisions are being made.”
Levin, who was the source of much of Biviano’s ire, did not attend the forum because he was helping convene a summit with labor leaders in upstate New York. When reached by phone, Levin called Biviano’s remarks “shocking and bizarre.”
“Our campaign is running an entirely positive campaign and we will continue to do that,” said Levin, who has served as Lopez’s chief of staff. “Other candidates want to go negative and that’s their decision, but we’re interested in keeping a positive tone and keeping it about the issues.”
Thies also called the remarks “bizarre” and clarified some policy differences he had with his former boss, Councilmember David Yassky (D−Williamsburg).
“David has done a lot of good work but I do disagree with a lot of things, including term limits [for councilmembers] and Superfund status,” said Thies.
NAG members asked several questions relating to the increased presence of vacant lots, the future of mass transit, the rise of noise complaints, the lack of affordable housing and open space, improving public schools, and the consequences of rezoning.
Several audience members said they were impressed with Thies’s and Diamondstone’s pointed answers, as well as Simon’s overall poise, though many said they were still undecided about who they were supporting.
“In this kind of format, Diamondstone was pretty strong and Isaac was more coherent than the other time I saw him,” said Williamsburg resident Philip Dray.
NAG member Lacey Tauber, who helped frame questions on transportation and quality of life in Williamsburg, was also coy with her support.
“I think it’s very clear which of the candidates really understand North Brooklyn,” said Tauber.
On a lighter note, near the end of the forum, moderator and NAG co−chair Susan Albrecht asked the candidates to draw a map of the district, which stretches from Greenpoint to Boerum Hill. Candidates did the best they could under the circumstances. Baer had one of the more accurate diagrams and Abraham drew a smiley face.
At the end of the debate, Biviano continued hammering away at his points regarding reform.
“Ultimately, this is an election about real reformers like Doug versus the same machine candidates who have had their chance to stand up but didn’t and failed to enact policies that work for our communities,” said Biviano campaign adviser Wilson Karaman after the debate.
