Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer (Photo: jimmyvanbramer.nyc)
June 14, 2021 By Christina Santucci
Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer picked up several endorsements in his bid to become borough president from workers advocacy organizations – ahead of the start of Early Voting this past weekend.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU); Make the Road Action; and New York Communities for Change all said Friday that they are backing Van Bramer for the seat.
Make the Road Action is the political arm of immigrant advocacy organization Make the Road New York. New York Communities for Change is an economic justice group that seeks to “challenge capital and oppressive economic systems.”
The organizations said they supported Van Bramer’s rejection of real estate contributions and his vocal opposition to Amazon’s now-scrapped plan to build one of its headquarters in western Queens.
“Queens thrives when we have a workers’ rights leader in Borough Hall and that’s Jimmy Van Bramer. Jimmy was raised by labor parents, and fought alongside us in the Amazon HQ2 fight to demand that Amazon treat its workers better and for unionized good-paying jobs,” Stuart Appelbaum, RWDSU president, said in a statement.
Amazon cancelled its plan to build a campus in Long Island City in February 2019, citing steadfast opposition from local politicians. Van Bramer, along with state Sen. Michael Gianaris, had been a central voice against the proposal.
“Jimmy Van Bramer fought against Amazon because he knew it was a bad deal for immigrant workers in Queens, standing up instead for real, good paying jobs. He took on the richest corporation in the world, and as Borough President, we know he’ll fight for the local businesses and good jobs that working families need,” a spokesperson for Make the Road Action said in a statement.
Van Bramer called the groups supporting him a “powerhouse trio of workers rights organizations.”
“We were on the frontlines fighting back against a multi-billion dollar tax giveaway to the wealthiest, most anti-worker corporation in the world – right here in Queens – and together we won with and for workers.” he said in a statement. “I’ve spent my life defending working families like the one I came from, and I’ll always put them first.”
The council member was also endorsed Friday by Christian Smalls, a former Amazon worker who is seeking to unionize four of the company’s facilities in Staten Island.
Van Bramer is running against former Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards in the Democratic primary this month for the seat. Richards was elected to the role last year in a special election.
Early voting kicked off Saturday, and Primary Day is Tuesday, June 22.
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7 Comments
No way! Leave his bubble blank on your ballot! He ignored his voters on bike lanes, Barnett Avenue, Amazon, and many other initiatives. He is about himself only, so much so, that he had to publicly apologize for misleading residents for not being truthful about his true position on the bike lanes all along. Regardless of the issue, it demonstrated that he’s basically untruthful and can not be believed at his word. I will absolutely leave his bubble blank on my ballot and urge others to do so too. Just leave his bubble blank and only rank the other two candidates so he does not get any portion of your vote.
Jimmy Van Bramer was tertible for Western Queens. Tememberbthe 500k pink statue on Jackson ave done by a artist not even from Queens He wad non existentbexcept for the recentn7 train debris teport that MTA workers falsified. Inspection reports.Thank God no people got seriously injured. Ban Bramer had brought attention to it when it happened. And now near election tine when thebreport came out he is scoring his political points. Was he wirking. Behind the scenes? O had e mailed hisboffice withbissues in my neighborhood but not much got done
Only recentlybat years endbdid my strert get paved after 20 years
Now some construction for pipes or phoneblinesbis digging up the new pavemenjt. One hand does not kbow what rhe other is.
doing in NYC. The new pavement could not get to a certain part of the street last year because of construction equipment in the street . Partbofbthe street was not even paved. Holes still in it. Thev street used to look like a war zome beforebthebpabing. Itnis back to that with the new digging
Van Bramer is a waste, .he did. very little for his district.
What a joke, clearly this union isn’t paying attention – Jimmy Van Job Killer cost LIC 25,000 jobs! A once in a generation opportunity killed by Jimmy and his buddies that didn’t get kickbacks.
Don’t Trust Job Killer Jimmy… Jimmy must go!
Oh please. Jimmy Van Bramer aka Lamer Bramer has done nothing for the community. He left us for 6 months during Covid, he did a Ted Cruz on us, left town. He has helped with nothing but building a 42 million library that already is falling apart and is not even ADA accessible, poor disabled people can not even use the whole library. He built a 16 million dollar mansion in Queensbridge park and sends out news letters bragging about it. 16 million? How many homeless could you have helped, you could have even built a mansion in the Hamptons for 16 million. It is time for Lamer Bramer to go, residents in Hunters Point South have had it. Crimes day and night and Lamer Bramer has one time after another refused to help us battle it, even put out a press release against us. Lets lose this loser.
Good Lord! This do nothing fraud should never be let near public office again!!
He has never delivered for his constituency and his only successes have been keeping himself in public office
wow you are being a little harsh on Jimmy. So what if he killed 25,000 good jobs, he gave our schoolchildren Drag Queen Story Hour…