Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer (Photo: NYC Council)
Jan. 19, 2021 By Christina Santucci
Three weeks after hinting to the Queens Post that he was considering running for Queens Borough President, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer has launched his bid for the seat–announcing his run in a video posted to YouTube Tuesday morning.
“It’s time for a new vision for Queens where working New Yorkers get ahead – not real estate developers who put profits before people. Where we tax millionaires and billionaires and reimagine affordable housing. Where we invest more resources in black and brown communities and not the NYPD,” Van Bramer said in the video.
Van Bramer, who currently represents Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City and Dutch Kills, will face his former Council colleague Donovan Richards who assumed the Queens Borough President office last month.
Last year Richards won both a primary and general election for the remainder of former Borough President Melinda Katz’s term, which is scheduled to conclude Dec. 31. Katz had left the BP seat to take over as Queens District Attorney.
Van Bramer initially ran in last year’s race for borough president but withdrew in January 2020, citing family concerns.
“About this time last year, it took a heavy toll on me, and I wasn’t in a good place to mount the run,” he told the Queens Post in a podcast. “If you are ready to run, you have to be all in.”
During the interview, Van Bramer spoke about how the pandemic forced him—along with his siblings–to devise a plan to care for his elderly mother’s health problems.
“I am in a position to run,” he said during the podcast.
When asked what he thought about his chances, Van Bramer said, “I wouldn’t enter a race that I didn’t think I had a chance of winning.”
“If there is a principled reason to run, if there are issues that really should be aired and should be discussed, and if there is a values-based platform that I think is important to share, then I would run,” he continued.
Van Bramer, who advocated against Amazon coming to Long Island City and was opposed to the recent Flushing waterfront rezoning, has already picked up the endorsements of State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly member Ron Kim.
According to the New York City Campaign Finance Board, Danniel Maio, a mapmaker from Forest Hills; Stan Morse, tenant organizer with the Justice for All Coalition; and Diane S. Sanchez have also filed candidate certifications for the BP seat.
It’s time for a new vision for Queens, where working families get ahead. Together we can say “yes” to a future that works for *all* of us. I’m so proud to announce my campaign for Queens Borough President ?
(Subtitles available in English & Spanish) https://t.co/bG3xyLc8OP— Jimmy Van Bramer (@JimmyVanBramer) January 19, 2021
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4 Comments
No. We don’t want him.
Jimmy van Bramer likely wouldn’t win again if he were permitted to run for his own council seats. He’s going to learn a hard lesson about the desire of greater Queens for Amazon jobs and their distaste for champagne socialists.
I don’t understand Jimmy, we have an African American as our queens borough president, who has not even been in for over a month and Jimmy is running against him. I wonder if Jimmy is afraid of a person of color as borough president? Just asking but to me I dont understand why he is running right now?
He was first elected to the NYC Council in 2009. As a result of term limits, he will be out of a job at the end of 2021. Now he had to find another public office to run for. Is he really different from any other another career club house politician using the perks of one office at taxpayers expense to run for another?.
Larry Penner.