OP-ED: We Deserve More Than Weak TEA, by Julio Peña III

When I announced my campaign for District Leader in Assembly District 51, my goal was to bring the T.E.A. to Kings County Democratic Committee: Transparency, Equity, and Accountability.

We hear far too often about the self-serving narcissism and general lack of leadership from our President. But this is a problem at all levels of government, and when it comes to local leadership – the offices that are closest to and should be most accessible to the people – we deserve so much better than what we’ve gotten.

We deserve Transparency, to know what our elected officials do and why they do it. We deserve Equity, to know they are looking out for all our interests, and not just for the good of a well-connected few. And we deserve Accountability, to know that, in the end, they serve us, their constituents and not the bosses at the top. We deserve strong TEA, and with it a Democratic Party for the people. The Brooklyn Democratic Party needs to represent the values of its diverse communities.

Given all this, it is both shocking and yet completely unsurprising that on March 24, 2020, Felix Ortiz, the current incumbent candidate for District Leader, someone who has held the position for over two decades and who dually holds the seat of Assemblyperson in the District, declined the nomination for District Leader. He then filled the vacancy on March 27 with someone who has done none of the work of talking to constituents and gathering their signatures to be placed on the ballot for District Leader.

This information was only brought to light on March 30, when the New York State Board of Elections updated its ledger. There was no explanation of why Ortiz could not serve. There was no acknowledgement to those who signed his ballot petition that someone else, whom they did not sign for, would be running in his place.  Doesn’t he owe us more than this?

This appointment was made by the Committees to Fill Vacancies, a group listed on most designating petitions of every candidate. They are listed in the event of an incapacitation, death, disqualification, or indeed declination of a candidate before the election. And so, this move was legal.  But shouldn’t we expect more than the barest minimum required by law? Don’t we deserve to know why Ortiz could not serve and what qualifications his designated successor brings?  We have none of that. That is not even weak TEA. That is not any TEA at all!

I can only make assumptions at this point. Anyone who chooses to run for office, I would hope, does so with good intentions to represent their community in good faith and with a clear purpose to put the community above themselves. However, nothing about this move seems to be in good faith or in the interest of respecting the electoral process. There was nothing transparent about this whatsoever. On the contrary, there was no announcement, no notice, no opportunity for the community to speak. Just closed-door decision-making that once again reinforces how far the status quo will go to protect power.

At a time when communities are scared, fearful, and our democracy is threatened by a pandemic, there are those who are willing to use this moment when attention is diverted to an ongoing crisis as an opportunity to push an agenda of keeping the politically connected in power. Not to help the people, but only themselves.

This is why I am running to represent my community and why so many of my fellow District Leader candidates throughout Brooklyn are doing the same; from Sunset Park to Greenpoint, from Crown Heights to Bushwick. It is why I petitioned my neighbors, did the work and ran for the District Leader seat openly stating my goals. I have served as a County Committee member for the past two years and was elected by fellow County Committee members as the Head of Public Meetings for our Assembly District Committee 51. TEA is the bedrock of my campaign and Transparency, Equity and Accountability will be the key to how I will help facilitate County Committee in the future. The days of business as usual and the Brooklyn Democratic Party status quo must come to an end.

This June, Brooklyn voters have a choice to make. A choice between candidates who choose to be transparent, open, and inclusive, and those who perpetuate the same backroom decision-making that protects the interests of the candidate and leaves the community desperate for leadership. I’m bringing the TEA and I’m making it strong, just like we like it. Just like we deserve.

Julio Peña III is a lifelong Sunset Park resident who is running for State Committee/District Leader in Assembly District 51 against Robert Berrios of Red Hook. He is a Kings County Democratic Committee member representing Election District 31 in AD51. He is also a member of Community Board 7 and works for a community based organization in Red Hook supporting afterschool programs.