Antonio Reynoso is Ready to be the Next Borough President of Brooklyn

Antonio Reynoso is Ready to be the Next Borough President of Brooklyn

Born to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic, Antonio Reynoso, who considers himself a Caribbean man, commenced his political career over a decade ago, backed with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He knows how to engage with community members through his earlier experiences as a Community Organizer for NYC ACORN, before joining Councilmember Diana Reyna as Chief of Staff in 2009.

He considers himself progressive and promotes his candidacy based on his personal experiences as an offspring of immigrants. His parents are immigrants who leveraged on policies in the society to raise him. His desire to serve as the next Brooklyn Borough President is a way of paying forward, according to him, “An opportunity to give back to a community that has given him a lot.”

Track Record
While representing City Council District 34, he has focused on issues of transportation, especially transit, environmental justice, and police accountability. He also chaired various committees, including Sanitation and Solid Waste Management.

He considers himself an outspoken activist for ambitious and bold reforms, such as challenging policies that encourage police brutality. As a City Council member, he called for greater police accountability and reallocation of funds.

He has said, “New Yorkers are sick and tired of hollow promises – we need real action so that no family is forced to endure another tragedy at the hands of the police….”


Listen to an interview with Antonio Reynoso on “Running for Brooklyn Borough President” below:


Issues and Plans for the Borough
Convinced of his ability to make a significant difference, City Council Member believes he can deliver if elected as the next Borough President of Brooklyn because of his knowledge and understanding of the main issues that can make a difference. He intends to focus on land use and development issues, minority health equity, immigration, diversifying community boards, promoting infrastructural policies that will benefit more working people, and limiting policies that quickly affect minority groups.

Specifically, he is determined to creating health equity for Black women who have endured poor health outcomes over the years. In his view, he wants to address discussions on Black women’s health during childbirth. He considers it one of the most significant forms of inequities in New York City, particularly in Brooklyn.

Reynoso also plans to advocate for comprehensive planning legislation, including providing technical assistance to community boards. What’s more, he plans to strongly encourage community participation and apply a holistic approach to the borough’s development strategy rather than the imposed rezoning and the use of blocks of development strategy.

As a child of immigrants and with such a diverse immigrant population in Brooklyn, Reynoso is very conscious of immigrants’ challenges. As Borough President of Brooklyn, he plans to set up a pro-bono legal service to assist with critical issues, such as Temporary Protective Status (TPS).

On education, Reynoso opposes any increase in the charter school cap because he feels that there are some fundamental issues of concern, such as the double standard that is obtainable in charter and not public schools.

Reynoso believes in and strongly supports public transit. For example, he supports the building of more dedicated busways, bike-riding, and building protected bike lanes for riders, and he will be expanding both plans if elected.

A borough-wide approach to addressing infrastructure issues such as limiting the construction of waste stations in low-income communities of color is an approach he intends to explore in addressing some of the challenges faced in the borough. Reynoso believes that when issues and solutions are uncoordinated, inequities grow.

Reynoso feels that economic inequality is an injustice and is committed to putting an end to it.

Endorsements
For all his ideas and convictions, a combination of notable people in the progressive organizations, elected officials, and community members has endorsed him.

Some public figures and colleagues include City Council Members like Helen Rosenthal, Margaret Chin, and Brad Lander. State Senators Julia Salazar and Jessica Ramos have also endorsed his ambition.

Additionally, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Assembly members Marcela Mitaynes and Maritza Davila, and former New York governor candidate Cynthia Nixon also support him.

Terrence Floyd (brother of George Floyd), Victoria Davis (sister of Delrawn Small), who are victims of police brutality, also supports his ambition and groups like the Working Families Party, Make the Road Action, and the New Kings Democrats.

Listen to podcasts of Antonio Reynoso’s full exclusive interviews on People, Power, & Politics Radio Show by clicking here. You may also listen to full shows of People, Power, & Politics Radio Show at anchor.fm/pppradio, on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, and RadioPublic.

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