He’s known to many around the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhoods as the dean of Central Brooklyn politics.
And despite his 87 years, the spry Bill Saunders is running for re-election as the male district leader in the 57th Assembly District.
The race will not be a walkover, however, as he faces attorney and political activist Walter Mosley.
The two agree on most issues except the Fort Greene Flea Market, which Saunders supports and Mosley does not.
Additionally, Saunders is more critical of the Atlantic Yards project.
Democratic assembly district leaders borough-wide are unpaid, but the position carries a lot of clout in regard to carrying petitions for elected officials, raising money, hiring poll workers and securing patronage jobs.
“He [Saunders] is the most versed individual I know of in the world of political machinery. He knows all the details and the ins and outs of the election process,” said City Councilmember Letitia James.
“He continues to advise me about issues in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights and he is particularly sensitive to the needs of seniors,” she added.
Saunders, a World War II veteran, was born and raised in Harlem and moved to Clinton Hill in 1950, where he first became active in politics working on the John F. Kennedy campaign, but was always a bigger support of Lyndon Johnson.
It is Johnson who got all the civil rights laws passed, said Saunders.
In regard to senior housing, Saunders said he is most proud of two affordable housing complexes for seniors which he was very involved in getting built.
The two 90-unit buildings are located at 80 Greene Avenue and 385 Throop Avenue.
Saunders also sees the spread of high-rise condominiums in the neighborhood, but feels that market forces will ultimately bring the prices of housing down.
A lot of condominiums aren’t selling and developers are beginning to rent them out, he said.
Saunders also disagrees with James about the increase of crime in the neighborhood, believing recent police statistics that crime is down.
When older people see a group of kids on a corner, they shouldn’t cross the street. They should just walk through them and say hello, and get to know them, said Saunders.
If they did that within a week’s time the teenagers would start saying hello back, and that’s the way to foster intergenerational goodwill, he said.
Likewise, Saunders does not buy into the word “gentrification” for the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhood, a historically African-American area, which has seen a large influx of white professionals.
“These new people are not exactly gentrifying this area because it’s always been a beautiful community,” he said.
It is this youthful take on the community that James finds enduring.
“Bill may be the elder statesman, but he’s also a hipster. He’s got the coolest house and walks around relating to even the youngest constituents in the district,” she said.
