Park Slope resident Ken Baer is a one-man show.
He has no staff, no vehicle, and no cell phone, but he is running an ambitious do-it-yourself City Council campaign in the 33rd District, which he believes he can win on September 15.
But there he was, standing outside the Key Food on Montague Street, one week before the Democratic primary, handing out new fliers to potential Brooklyn Heights voters.
“What do you think about that Bloomberg third term?” said Brooklyn resident Hank Blaustein, after Baer handed him a flier.
“I was a plaintiff in the lawsuit to overturn the term limits decision. I despise Bloomberg,” said Baer.
“In that case, I’m moving to the district to vote for you,” said Blaustein.
Baer, a former chair of the New York State Sierra Club, has been a lifelong New York resident.He was born in Manhattan and attended public school in Levittown and Dix Hills in Long Island before going to Kent State in 1966 for college.
“The first baseball team I ever followed was the Brooklyn Dodgers and was delighted that they won the World Series in 1955. I had no idea until later on in life how all-out Brooklyn went in celebrating this accomplishment,” said Baer.
Baer moved to Park Slope in 1979, and promptly joined the Park Slope Food Co-op.His 21 years as a Sierra Club activist have shaped his political views considerably, from opposing the Atlantic Yards project and the proposal to construct high-rise residential buildings in Brooklyn Bridge Park to urging the EPA to designate the Gowanus Canal as a superfund site and urging the MTA to find a long-term solution to its financial situation.
“Development is an environmental issue.Atlantic Yards, if constructed, would lead to a considerable amount more traffic, noise and air pollution.It would put shadows on Fort Greene which would preclude the installation of solar panels and affect people’s gardens,” he said.
Among the thousands of residents he has met while campaigning, Baer has noticed the issues of development, the MTA’s shortcomings, and lack of classroom space coming up over and over again in discussions.He said downzoning the Williamsburg and Greenpoint waterfront is his one priority, followed by rent stabilization programs for commercial tenants.
“People object to high-rise residential buildings constructed already that impact the parks, such as the East River State Park. The primary use of the waterfront should be open space,” said Baer.
Perhaps his greatest challenge is convincing skeptical Park Slope and Greenpoint residents about designating toxic sites in those neighborhoods on the federal Superfund list, which he strongly favors.
“It’s the real estate interests that have put out a lot of propoganda.They have a vested interest in seeing development happen now and not offer a thorough cleaning of the area,” said Baer.
Baer, who has run three times for State Assembly, is in a competitive seven-way race for the seat, but remains optimistic about his chances of winning the Democratic primary on Tuesday.
“I’ve always been a Democrat,” said Baer. “I’ve been at home with the party. I’m a green Democrat.”
This article is one of a series of profiles of the candidates running for City Council in the 33rd District, encompassing Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Brooklyn Heights, and Boerum Hill.The other candidates in the race include Jo Anne Simon, Isaac Abraham, Evan Thies, Doug Biviano, Steve Levin, and Ken Diamondstone.
