Yesterday, the special election held for a City Council seat in Brooklyn's 40th District brought some history: Dr. Mathieu Eugene (pictured on the left) became the first Haitian-born member of the City Council - and he has been called the "Haitian Sensation" in the media.
Eugene won an election with 10 candidates vying for the seat vacated by Yvette Clarke, who won a Congressional seat last fall. Armed with endorsements from Clarke, health care workers union SEIU 1199, and even Wyclef Jean, Eugene got 43% of the vote; Jennifer N. James, a former aide of Clarke's, was in second place with 15% of the vote. The race was very hot, and NY1 had the funny report about how some candidates were stumping on at polling grounds, which is not allowed. Candidate Zenobia McNally was told to leave, as was Clarke, who was there to support Eugene. The NY Times has details about how Haitian-American leaders in Brooklyn were very serious about the election and how the Haitian-American population in the city is growing.
And in Staten Island, Vincent Ignizio (pictured on the right) won a City Council seat representing the South Shore vacated by Republican Andrew Lanza, who is now in the State Senate. Ignizio, a Republican also, won 72% of the vote over Manny Innamorato.
