With apologies to the “Naked City”, let me start this article by saying that there are over nine million political stories in New York City; this is just another one. It’s a story about a podiatrist named Kendall Stewart-who is also a member of the Brooklyn delegation to the New York City Council; it is also about a Brooklyn Senator named Kevin Parker. You can figure out who the hot-head is; this isn’t calculus. Come September next year the two will square off in a primary election for the Democrat’s nod. It is always strange when two incumbents throw-down; given its rarity. This race promises to be a political crack head’s wet dream.
Dr. Kendall Stewart is the consummate Horatio Alger hero. He was born on a tiny island in the Caribbean Sea (Union). It is said that he spent time growing up in St. Vincent, Grenada and Trinidad. It is said that he came from rather humble circumstances and that he has never forgotten his roots and from whence he came. Many admire this. He is also the consummate Caribbean-American; he loves his culture. He loves the carnivals, the steel-pans, the calypso, the soca, the reggae, the rum and coconut water, the beaches, the calalloo, the soccer, and the cricket, et al. He owns one of the most popular partying night-spots (Café Omar) in Caribbean-Brooklyn. He also plays “All-fours” as good as many a Trini. If you don’t know what a card-game that is, then I don’t have time to explain here. It also means that you don’t know what a “googly” is either; too bad. As punishment, go taste a “roti” (pronounced: “row-tea”).
It is said that over 25 years ago Kendall Stewart arrived by plane in New York-as a young man- with less than two hundred dollars in his pocket; he has developed into a successful foot-doctor with extensive real-estate holdings. In politics he has won 8 races and lost only one-against incumbent councilman Lloyd Henry in 1997, by about 400 in a 9,000 vote race. He was the district leader of the 58AD for 12 years before giving up the position. He reclaimed it last year by winning a 3-way race. He prides himself as an independent democrat; some may disagree, but he does make some rather unique political decisions at times. You could call some of his endorsements over the years: bold and daring.
Kevin Parker on the other hand was born and raised in East-Flatbush, Brooklyn. He attended Brooklyn College, obtained a Master’s degree, and later did adjunct lecturing there. He has worked for such elected officials as Una Clarke, Nick Perry and Carl McCall. He is arrogant, obnoxious and temperamental. One time he challenged me to a fist-fight (I hope he didn’t have any hidden weapons/lol) during a candidate debate in which he was participating-I was in the audience. We were in a Methodist church to booth; how disrespectful. He loves to toy with his mortality. I am a lover not a fighter, but if Parker ever lays his hand on me, he better make sure he leaves me dead, because comeback and payback are nothing but hard core bitches.
Parker has physically attacked and /or intimidated many people over his young political career. The list includes community activist Wellington Sharpe; it also includes a traffic enforcement agent on the job. It is said that he is rather disrespectful to women and treats them like crap; this is strange for a person whose mother happens to be quite classy (I am told). He likes to threaten, intimidate, provoke and disrespect; he also likes to play the ethnic card when he fucks up. In this upcoming race watch him try to split the community along ethnic lines. You see he did this before. When he wasn’t selected as the consensus candidate in 2002, he lied to the world that I had manipulated the process so as to secure a Caribbean-born candidate as victorious; he has never apologized for this lie that he spread; but one day he will. I will deal with that race in part two of this three-parter.
What pained me about that lie was the fact that amongst Caribbean-American political activists in Brooklyn’s politics, near everyone knows that I am the one who has supported, aided, advised, worked with, worked for and advanced, more Afro-Americans politicos than even those of my own ethnic kind. As we say on the streets: “if you don’t know better, then ask someone who knows better”.
Then back in 2005, when I was working on the C. Virginia Fields mayoral campaign, a unity rally was called for Freddy Ferrer after he had won the Dems mayoral primary; it took place on the steps of City Hall. That day I hugged Kevin in front of our female fundraiser (who had also raised funds for his campaigns), and requested that he and I bury the hatchet and smoke a peace pipe. You see there was a time I considered him a political friend. He agreed to this reconciliation. I told him that he had many fences to mend. I also told him that he had quite a few apologies to make to quite a few people in the district; he agreed. Two years have since past; his hubris will not let him humble himself to mend these fences or make these apologies. He has the arrogance of a fool; maybe he is one.
I have been informed by some of my people in his district that in order to obtain an audience with the senator (Parker), one may have to wait as long as two months or more. Others have told me that even if you get an audience, the outcomes are usually disappointing; worse yet the follow-up. Kevin Parker is on his way to mediocrity (or worse) like most of the other black-elected officials in Brooklyn; what a shame: one time he seemed to offer so much potential.
Next year, expect Parker and many African-Americans (born in the USA) to raise the specter of Caribbean-American “over ambitiousness” in the political realm, once this campaign (dog-fight) starts in earnest. Expect this race to get messy. Many Caribs feel that Parker is just about ego; they don’t believe that he cares about the region or about the issues of the region. Personally, I would love to publicly debate Senator Parker and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke about the issues facing the Caribbean-basin; I doubt that they would accept my challenge. Parker loves to sponsor these nonsensical and amusing little immigration forums from time to time, as if to demonstrate that he is on top of the issue; he does this in a rather condescending manner anyway. He helps to keep immigration-lawyers in business; and some of them are rip-off artists; believe me when painfully I say so. I know some of them.
Lately Kendall Stewart has been meticulously going about the task of representing his district in the council; he has brought in city commissioners to answer resident concerns/complaints, and over his tenure he even brought in both the mayor and the speaker to meet residents. After one or two mistakes early on, Stewart-who has always been accessible- has been even more focused on becoming a better council member than ever before.
Lately Parker has been boasting that he will beat the shit out of Stewart come next September; what he doesn’t seem to remember is that the last time he faced Stewart, he (Parker) was smashed; he lost. It was the 2001 city council race (45th district). It is known that Parker is intent on pulling in all the Democratic Party heavyweights to save his sorry ass next September; he is going to need them before the race is over. Some are saying that the vultures are circling Parker’s overblown head and he doesn’t even know it. I still believe that he is the favorite in this race however, since it is damn near impossible to unseat an incumbent. They win 99 out of every 100 races in New York.
This is a race that is sure to divide political friends. Some of the prominent political activists in the district are torn between these two. It is said that Assemblyman Nick Perry is playing a wait and see game, and is keeping his cards close to his vest on this one. Parker has already threatened Perry, so let’s see if Nick is pusillanimous (use your dictionary here) this time around.
Veteran activist James Connolly says that he is undecided as to where he goes at this time; so too is the young attorney Terry Hinds-who many believe is going to jump in somewhere in this race (fight). Some are saying that Hinds will either go for the same senate seat (21SD), or the assembly (58thAD), or the male district leadership (same AD). It seems that all the players want Hinds on their ticket and he is becoming a rather hot commodity in those parts. I also know that he (Terry Hinds) wanted to file for Council (45) in 2009, by registering a committee with the NYC Campaign Finance Board earlier this year; if he did (and I am told that he did) then the question is: can he make back to back to back races, if he were to run in 2008 and not be successful. I am sure that Hinds would write in here on this thread and let us all know what he is doing. Presently we hear that he is aiding the Barack Obama presidential effort in Brooklyn.
Former district leader- and veteran political and union activist- Weyman Carey is supporting Parker. Former female leader Marietta Small is also said to be supporting Kevin (is this true?). Current female leader Melba Browne is also rumored to be supporting Kevin Parker, and another former leader- Gale Reed-Barnett is supporting Kendall Stewart. Gale is said to be running next year to reclaim her leadership.
Others in the Stewart camp include Wellington Sharpe and veteran political operative Omar Boucher. What district leaders Lori Knipel and Jake Gold (44thAD) do in this race, is left to be seen; so too Booker Ingram and Mary Hobson (leaders in the 42ndAD). Assembly members Jim Brennan (44) and Rhoda Jacobs (42) haven’t publicly declared for either candidate as yet, even though I am sure they have already been pressured to take a side. In the 41st and 43rd Assembly districts, I am still to ascertain where the key players are going. I expect that Lew Fidler will go with Stewart when it’s all said and done (probably bringing Helene Weinstein along), and I expect Rev. Camara to go with Parker. What district leader Jesse Hamilton does is still unpredictable at this time; same with Ms. Patterson. The million dollar question is: where is our county leader (Vito Lopez) on all this? Are the rumors that he will be with Kendall Stewart come election-day, true? If you know, would you tell Cousin Rocky; please. TYVM/lol.
H. Rap Brown once warned that you should never let yourself be caught in the middle of a fight, since you may get mowed down by the crossfire. This is one instance where his words seem prophetic. Take a side folks, and now go to your corner before you come out swinging. Kevin Parker loves to fight: so he has got one now.
Stay tuned-in folks.