Here’s a taste of the Working Families Party's direct email marketing this election season. This one is for Jumaane Williams, who is trying to unseat Kendall Stewart, an incumbent who voted to extend term limits (over the WFP's staunch opposition):
Jumaane is a perfect fit. The son of West Indian immigrants, he was born in Brooklyn, came up through the NYC public school system, and became a renters' rights and affordable housing advocate.
Over 10 years of organizing in central Brooklyn, Jumaane has secured funding for youth programs, restarted a defunct housing program, and risen to become the Executive Director of NYS Tenants & Neighbors, a state-wide organization that fights for renters' rights and affordable housing through organizing and advocacy.
Meanwhile, the City Council Member Jumaane is running against, Kendall Stewart, has consistently sided with big landlords over tenants. He supported a bill to make it easier for landlords to sue renters, and even dragged his feet on legislation to protect children from lead paint poisoning in apartment buildings.
The contrast couldn't be clearer: A grassroots tenants' rights advocate versus a landlord-friendly City Councilman. Jumaane knows firsthand the changes we need on the City Council, but it's going to take every ounce of grassroots energy to get him there.
