Why do I want to be your District Leader?
I have seen first-hand the difference between an engaged District Leader and one who is missing in action.
When I first got involved with County Committee in the 57th Assembly District, the male District Leader was nowhere to be found. With the help of female District Leader Shaquana Boykin, we were able to form the 57th Assembly District Committee, and I was involved from the very start.
We sent postcards to County Committee members to get them involved, and formed subcommittees to tackle different issues within the community. I was elected Chairman of the Community Services subcommittee. In this role I’ve worked with State Senator Jabari Brisport, Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forest, and their constituent services teams to help solve the issues our neighbors face.
Our work became even more important because the COVID-19 pandemic hit the 57th Assembly District hard. We tackled issues of food disparity and shortages by setting up food delivery programs for senior citizens and the disabled, working with groups like Clinton Hill/Fort Greene Mutual Aid. We helped bring COVID testing to the community by setting up pop-up sites at drug stores and community centers, as well as arranging transport to these sites. When the vaccine became available, we worked with city and state agencies to make sure the 57th Assembly District got its fair share. We set up buses to take people from Eastern Parkway & Franklin Avenue to Interfaith Hospital and also arranged home delivery of shots.
We also heard from people who had lost their jobs and had been facing long waits for their unemployment payments and worked with them to ensure that their checks were arriving in days or weeks instead of months. We’ve also focused on community engagement in the political process. We organized ranked choice voting education and judges forums to help bring more people, especially young people, into the democratic process.
I've been showing up for the people of the 57th Assembly District for years. I've been out working IN the community and working WITH the community.
District Leaders are not policymakers. They can't pass laws or budgets.
But they serve an important role in the party and in the community, and my work with the 57th Assembly District Committee means that I understand the role deeply. It is about listening to and securing services for the residents of our district.
A good District Leader can be like a giant ear listening to the issues our neighbors are facing and connecting the community to elected officials to help solve them.
Mike’s Priorities
Service & Engagement
We’ve all experienced how elected officials rarely engage with their constituents unless it’s “election season.” Mike believes in deep community engagement and is committed to connecting with community residents and advocates year-round in order to hear the problems they face and work together to find solutions. Mike believes in service, not empty promises.
Voter Education & Participation
Mike wants to get voters excited about the democratic process and help educate them about candidates and ballot questions. He plans to achieve this through civic engagement events that will connect voters with candidates running for office, especially for lesser-known positions and judgeships, so the candidates can explain their values and the positions they are seeking and the voters will feel informed when making decisions.
Unity
Above all, Mike is committed to working together with everyone from elected officials to community leaders – and most importantly his neighbors in the district – to create a Brooklyn Democratic Party that works for all of us, not just a select few.
Inclusion & Empowerment
Mike believes that every voice should be heard, especially those of underrepresented communities in Assembly District 57. He also believes that any Democrat who wants to should be empowered to play an active role in shaping our party’s policies and decisions around issues that will affect their community.
Transparency & Accountability
With these guiding principles in mind, Mike believes the first step in achieving it is to increase transparency in the Brooklyn Democratic Party. Only when the party’s decision making process is brought out from behind closed doors can it become accountable to the everyday Brooklyn Democrats it is meant to serve.