Walter Mosley Hopes to Replicate Hakeem Jeffries’ Magic [Video]

In the sweltering heat earlier today, District Leader Walter Mosley formally kicked off his campaign for the State Assembly seat currently held by Hakeem Jeffries. Mr. Jeffries, of course, is set to cruise into Washington D.C. after his dominating congressional primary win in the heavily Democratic area, leaving a vacant seat behind him.

“It’s a referendum of the amount of support the assemblyman has built up during his time in the assembly, … what he’s been able to do both statewide and locally,” Mr. Mosley said of Mr. Jeffries’ victory last month. “I think it can only help me going forward given our relationship, given our working relationship, our personal relationship, and our ability to have worked together in  the four and a half years that we’ve both been elected officials.”

Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Mosley both belong to the same Democratic club, so most expect and endorsement from Mr. Jeffries to come landing down at some point in the campaign, although it hasn’t been formally rolled out yet. Mr. Jeffries obviously won his own assembly district by a strong margin in his own race and his backing can only help as Mr. Mosley seeks to beat primary rivals Ola Alabi and Martine Guerrier.

Ms. Alabi’s last race, running for reelection as Mr. Mosley’s fellow district leader, turned into a fairly charged affair despite the fairly low profile of the unpaid position, but Mr. Mosley declined to weigh in.

“I really can’t be concerned about all of my opponents,” he said, ticking off things like housing that he is, in fact, concerned about.

And on the most charged and controversial issue in the district, the construction of Atlantic Yards, Mr. Mosley took a middle-of-the-road position of acknowledging his support but demanding more action on the chief complaints of the project’s opponents.

“I supported the Atlantic Yards arena at the beginning, but obviously promises have been broken, with regards to affordable housing going forward, with regards to the full-time jobs that were going to be there,” he said in response to a reporter’s inquiry on the matter. “We’re going to hold them to the task. ”

Watch below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W65DXEm3gA&w=560&h=315]