Council candidates Amber Adler, Ari Kagan, Ying Tan, and Justin Brannan took questions and discussed important political issues at an Oct. 4 forum in Bay Ridge.
Photo by Corazon Aguirre
Conversations regarding public safety, climate change and affordable housing got heated at the PoliticsNY Brooklyn City Council Candidate Forum on Wednesday.
Each candidate — Republican Council Member Ari Kagan and Democratic Council Member Justin Brannan who are both running for a rezoned District 47 seat; Amber Adler, Democratic candidate for District 48; and Ying Tan, the Republican candidate for District 43 — had 90 seconds to respond to a set list of questions regarding the current state of city infrastructure, illegal e-bikes, access to healthcare and more.
Brannan, who currently represents District 43, and Kagan, who represents District 47, are opponents in one of the most hotly-contested seats this year. After districts were redrawn last year, dramatically changing the boundaries of his current district, Brannan decided to run against Kagan for District 47 seat which includes Coney Island, Bath Beach and parts of Bay Ridge.
The two pols took a few chances to throw political jabs at each other during the forum sponsored by AARP on Oct. 4.
Kagan accused his opponent of not speaking on the state of public transportation and the city’s growing migrant crisis. Kagan called the MTA a “dark, black hole” with no accountability or real responsibility.
“I’m very glad that perhaps this is an opportunity to debate my opponent who clearly had no answers on the most pressing issues of the day like public safety [or] the migrant crisis,” Kagan told Brooklyn Paper after the forum. “What does he know about public transportation? I use it every day.”
Candidates did not get a chance to speak on the migrant crisis, as time constraints meant not every question could be asked.
However, Brannan did speak on the need to hold the MTA accountable,…
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