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Ours in American Politics: Getting to Know Russian-Speaking Candidates for the City Council of New York

'25.05.2021'

Olga Derkach

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Local elections will be held in New York on November 2. Residents will elect important officials and the mayor of the city. Russian-speaking immigrants are also taking part in the race for seats on the New York City Council, ForumDaily decided to find out who they are and where they are from.

Photo: Shutterstock

Ari Kagan

He nominated himself from the 47th arrondissement for the position of New York City Councilor.

Ari Kagan immigrated to New York from Belarus in 1993. To start his life in Brooklyn, he worked hard during the day and studied English in the evening. He graduated from Baruch College and is now a successful public journalist and civil servant, according to his website. election campaign.

In 2012, Ari Kagan was elected to the volunteer position of the Democratic District Leader in District 45. He founded the Bay Democrats, which has become an influential voice for various communities in South Brooklyn.

Having worked with Congressman Michael McMahon, Controller John Liu, Scott Stringer and most recently Councilman Mark Traiger, Ari has a long history of serving the community as an advocate and in government.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ari Kagan worked hard to support communities and small businesses. He organized charity events, delivered food to those in need, and distributed masks.

When New York's unemployment system collapsed, Ari Kagan came forward to help people. He has helped hundreds of people who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 to receive unemployment benefits.

After the communities were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, Ari Kagan supported the residents and helped rebuild them. He helped secure residents' aid payments and the Build it Back program.

Key points in his campaign include: healthcare reform, support for small businesses, affordable housing, protection for the elderly, promotion of economic recovery and adult education, support for youth, assistance to small homeowners, and more.

The official website of the candidate's election campaign can be found - at link.

Alec Brook-Red

He nominated himself from the 47th arrondissement for the position of New York City Councilor.

Alec Brook-Krasny is an American politician and the first Russian of Soviet origin to become a member of the New York State Assembly. He was a member of the Democratic Party and was elected on November 7, 2006 to represent the 46th constituency. He stayed in the Assembly until 7 July 2015, according to Wikipedia.

Brook-Krasny immigrated to the United States in 1989 from Moscow, where he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Consumer Technologies in 1983. After several years in New York, he became a manager and started his own successful business, a children's entertainment and community center called Funorama in Brighton Beach. He was later appointed to the Brooklyn Community Council.

Brook-Red's first political campaign took place in 2000 in the New York State Assembly. In 2001, he ran for the New York City Council. Although he received approval from The New York Times, he lost the election to Domenic Recchia Jr. In the same year, Brook-Krasny became the founder and executive director of the Council of Organizations of the Jewish Immigrant Community - the coordinating body of 33 communities of Russian-speaking immigrant organizations in New York.

In 2006, Assemblyman Adele Cohen retired and Brook Red announced his candidacy for the office. Waging a fierce campaign against local activist Ari Kagan, Brook Red successfully reached out to many non-Jewish voters and secured the support of many local newspapers and elected officials. He won the Democratic primary with 3 votes to 101 for Kagan, then easily won the general election.

On the subject: Choosing a mayor in a new way: what is rating voting and how to learn how to use it for Russian-speaking voters

Brook-Red was re-elected to office in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. During his tenure, he served on committees for housing, aging, cities, electoral law, and civil servants.

The official website of the candidate's election campaign can be found - at link.

Maria Markh

She has nominated herself from the 48th arrondissement for the position of New York City Councilor.

A graduate of Edward R. Murrow HS, Maria holds a BA, an MA in Political Science and Journalism from Brooklyn College and an MA in Politics from Fordham University. She has worked on the New York City Council for nearly ten years, worked for two years as a public affairs manager at City Hall and has been actively involved in local politics for over 15 years, according to the campaign's official website. Markh.

She was responsible for providing life-changing resources to vulnerable residents and working to help her local community recover from Hurricane Sandy. Earning the title of "Lien Queen", she helped hundreds of families stay in their homes, working to save them from the annual sale of liens in the city.

“Like many Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union, my family had to completely change our lives in search of freedom. We came to southern Brooklyn in search of the American Dream. Thanks to the hard work and perseverance that my parents instilled in me, I achieved career growth and achieved a lot, ”says Maria.

At City Hall, Maria worked as a senior liaison with the Brooklyn Community Councils and the Russian-speaking community, bringing resources to the area. She has worked to ensure that businesses, houses of worship and community organizations have access to the critical information they need during COVID-19, and has successfully opened testing centers throughout the county.

In addition to her work in government, Maria worked behind the scenes helping to elect City Councilors, Assembly members, state senators, members of Congress, and judges. She served as executive director of the Lew Fiedler Democratic Club and vice president of Brooklyn Young Democrats in south Brooklyn.

The official website of the candidate's election campaign can be found - at link.

David Aronov

He nominated himself from the 29th arrondissement for the position of New York City Councilor.

“As a first generation American born into a union family, I understand the value of hard work. My parents emigrated from Uzbekistan in the hope of securing a better future for their family in New York. Their story is the story of many families in Queens - and this is what makes me fight for our values ​​every day, ”says Aronov. “If elected, I will be the first Bukharian American to hold any position in New York, and I will be one of the youngest members of the city council. I don't make promises that I can't keep. But I can say for sure that I will always fight for our neighborhoods and communities. ”

Aronov says he enjoys a lot of support from his community, which he describes as "very close-knit." While he may support liberal policies such as universal childcare and abandoning new prisons, he thinks conservative voters will put this aside in order to finally have someone in government who literally speaks their language. writes JPost.

“It's great that a Bukharian citizen is participating in the elections,” said 19-year-old Joshua Nektalov. "Even though he is a Democrat, many people will want to talk to him, knowing that they have common beliefs and a common heritage."

Nektalov says the issue that worries him most is community strengthening, and he loves that Aronov is supporting the construction and improvement of public spaces beyond synagogues such as the Bukharian Teen Lounge, an after-school program that closed in 2016.

“He wants people in his community to talk about problems, about themselves, in addition to just being in the temple,” Nektalov said.

Aronov says political indifference is widespread in the Bukhara community. He told the Bukhara Cultural Club that even his own parents who immigrated from Tashkent do not actually participate in politics.

On the subject: What New York Mayor Candidates Promise Immigrants

“From time to time my mom still says:“ It's not too late to become a doctor, it is not too late to become a lawyer, ”and I say:“ Mom, I know what I'm doing. Thank you, ”said Aronov, who holds a master's degree in public administration from the Graduate School of Public Administration. Robert F. Wagner of New York University.

Aronov says that some Bukharians do not want to go to the polls because they think that the vote is decided in advance - this is the result of their experience in the former Soviet Union.

Working in a councilor's office, Aronov found that his experience helped him reach more voters.

“I was the only employee in all of Queens who spoke Russian,” he said.

Now Aronov calls "linguistic justice" for people in different areas who speak Russian, Bukhara, Chinese and other languages ​​an important part of his campaign.

He believes that when people have access to campaign materials in their native language, it will be easier for them to be civic.

Aronov calls the main problems in his district the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the provision of school education for all.

The official website of the candidate's election campaign can be found - at link.

Inna Vernikov

She has nominated herself from the 48th arrondissement for the position of New York City Councilor. Now 36 years old immigrant from Ukraine successful marriage and immigration lawyer.

“I am running for office because I am worried and afraid of the future of New York, the great city in which I have lived for the past twenty-five years. Progressive politics and anti-police attitudes threaten our entire city and way of life. I want schools to reopen safely, our police force is backed up and business thrives. My priority will be to help all the people in my area, and I am confident that I can be an excellent spokesperson for them, ”she said.

Vernikov is no stranger to local politics: she previously served as Special Assistant to New York State Assembly member Dova Heikind.

She is currently chair of the American Against Anti-Semitism Women's Committee, an organization founded to combat the growing threat of anti-Semitism in the United States.

She intends to address a number of issues that she considers vital to her district, which includes Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay, parts of Gravesend, Midwood, Luna Park and Trump Village. She believes in strong law enforcement support, quality education (including programs for the gifted and talented), less bureaucracy for small businesses, and fighting anti-Semitism and discrimination.

During the pandemic, Wernikov volunteered at a local canteen, donating food to police at the 61st New York Police Department in Brooklyn, as well as key staff at Staten Island University Hospital.

On the subject: Primaries, Early Voting and Registration: New York Local Election Calendar

“I will fight for our city and for my voters, as I do as a lawyer and activist. It's time to save our city, ”says Vernikov.

The official website of the candidate's election campaign can be found - at link.

A complete list of all candidates - by link.

The story of Vitaly Filipchenko, an immigrant from Russia, who is running for mayor of New York, read in our material.

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