Back in June I collected forty one signatures to get my name on the ballot for Democratic County Committee Representative for Assembly District 52 / Electoral District 32. I did this as part of the Rep Your Block campaign, organized by the New Kings Democrats (NKD) folks, with the intent of making change within the most local level of the Democratic Party. I knocked on doors with Malynda Rascoe, who was also running to rep our district (four blocks), and stood outside buildings with my wife Amanda, who was there to support me (and democracy!). To no surprise, we ran unchallenged (which meant our names were not on the ballot) and along with two others we became County Committee Representatives by default.
Yes, four representatives, two male and two female, for a single electoral district. Multiplied over all of Brooklyn the County Committee should have about 5,000 members. In reality, only half of those seats are filled. Of those couple thousand or so, only a few dozen show up to meetings to participate and vote. But in recent history, when votes are counted, a few hundred are tallied by proxy, signed over to Frank Seddio, the current chair of the Executive Committee. Essentially, Seddio holds enough votes to make unilateral decisions. The mechanics of the meeting, debate if there is any, the tallying of votes in the room, are all just a show.
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| Malynda and I waiting on the NKD shuttle bus to take us from the Brighton Beach Subway to Kingsborough College, where the County Committee meeting was being held. |
With much effort, the Rep Your Block campaign was hoping this year would be different. Our first meeting of the two year term took place on September 27th. On the agenda was the election of the committee officers. A reform coalition including NKD and other like minded clubs organized a slate of candidates to challenge Seddio's slate.
The meeting started two hours late. Blame was pinned on the New Kings Democrats by the old white guy at the podium for turning in their proxies late. I'd tell you his name if he bothered to introduce himself, but he along with all the other old white folks on stage did not. Perhaps they were not used to so many new people at the meetings. Maybe they weren't really interested in incorporating us into the party.
The meeting was contentious to say the least. Reform voices constantly interrupted the chair looking for explanations or to enact changes to the committee right then and there. Procedure prevented that from happening. Per the established rules, changes to the rules need to be raised in advance of the meeting. The chair recognized many voices on the floor, following Robert's rules, which are commonly used in legislative bodies, but that most people don't know. The chair used these rules and procedures as a shield for the established power. We were scolded for not knowing them, often those objecting were told they were out of order.
"What are the rules?"
Much happened and yet nothing happened. Rather than drag you through the muck of the details, I'll focus on the Executive Committee vote and the questionable math imposed on us.
Told by the chair (or another officer), 541 members were present who could vote and 752 proxy votes were tallied (so that's 1,293 total votes). Of those proxies, NKD held 130 and Frank Seddio held 550 (that leaves 72 unknown proxies).
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| Proxy form from Seddio suggesting I sign my vote over to him. |
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| A sketchy proxy request made to appear to be from our District Leaders, but still signing over votes to Seddio. |
Throughout the auditorium individuals started crunching numbers. We saw Brandon West, president of NKD, speak to Committee officers at the back of the stage (he later confirmed they were discussing the vote count). I reviewed some video I took and broke out my calculator, verifying what we remembered. The math wasn't right. 647 was the needed count for a majority.
First vote counts
Much later, as the chair was trying to close the meeting, individuals attempted to challenge the vote count. One after the other were shot down based on procedure and rules. NKD member Matt Stern, following Robert's Rules, called for a point of information, sited the rule he was evoking, and requested a recount. He too was rebuked. Only a member who voted for the winning slate could call for a recount, the chair exclaimed. Then one stood up, declared they voted for Seddio and demanded the recount. Cheers and applause filled the room as the committee officers filled with disdain.But the recount commenced.
Repeatedly throughout the evening the chair reminded us that only members could vote and that those who gave their proxy to someone else but still were in attendance could not vote. It was comical how he scolded no one in particular for this, especially since those proxies were never even counted.
Present votes for Seddio were tallied and added to the proxies which he held and again he won. Somehow, his proxy count was now over 700.
It was done. Any further challenges were quickly overruled and the meeting was adjourned. Malynda and I departed around midnight back to our AD/ED in Boerum Hill.
This contentious battle I've described above was within the Brooklyn Democratic Party. The night kicked off with speeches from Democratic candidates Tish James and Andrew Gounardes which we were all happy to support. I expect we collectively have many other similar views. So where do we diverge? What I see and experience is an entrenched established power that is serving itself, holding onto power to continue doing just that. These are the people that are supposed to represent me and they simply do not.
Rule change proposal to limit proxy power of Chair of the Executive Committee (currently Frank Seddio)
The current proxy vote rule, which allows the Chair of the Executive Committee to send a card in the mail to every committee member requesting their proxy vote then allows him to consolidates votes and continue making decisions unilaterally. Additionally in recent history, the meeting date and location has been inconvenient to most. Rather than encouraging attendance, it seems the established officers prefer less members attend. This is not government by the people. To change this rule, allowing proxies to only go to others within the same AD would help decentralize power. No one man could collect enough to trump all other votes.
NKD President Brandon West speaks
The existing officers boasted of their decades of experience, which is truly impressive, but they seemed to miss the fact that a newer younger generation of Democrats wants to be heard and their turn at the steering wheel. The positive work many of the existing officers have done for the community and Democrats in their history is undeniable. But nepotism and corruption can thrive in these types of environments. The lack of diversity and evolution in the party allows them alone to dictate what causes are worthy and what solutions are best. Unless you think as the establishment does and allow them to stay in power, they have no interest in integrating you or your ideas.
Kings County Democrats web site is here. Read NKD's take on the meeting: proxies here and the count here.
