Message from Kristina Naplatarski, AD50’s newly elected Female District Leader

Dear neighbors,  I hope this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. As the newly elected female District Leader for the 50th Assembly District, I want to thank you for the congratulations and support that you’ve shown me, even before I’ve formally taken office. I am very much looking forward to working with every one of you to improve our neighborhoods and bring greater transparency, accountability, and inclusivity to the Brooklyn Democratic Party. I also want to thank District Leaders Linda Minucci and Nick Rizzo for their years of service to our district.  Although my term has not yet begun, due to an unusual turn of events, I will have to take my first formal action as your District Leader before I even take office. Every assembly district has a male and female District Leader, however, this year there was no candidate for male District Leader on the ballot, leaving the seat vacant for the upcoming term. It is past precedent that in choosing an appointment to fill the vacancy, the Executive Committee of the Kings County Democratic Committee gives deference to the co-leader of the Assembly District in which there is a vacancy.   I will be frank in saying that making an appointment to a seat that is typically an elected position does not comport with the democratic principles that guide my work. Moving forward, I believe that the Party should establish a formal process for filling vacancies in order to allow for greater participation and transparency. However, in the absence of a formal process, it was important to me to establish an informal process that would bring a level of transparency to choosing our next male District Leader. I want the community to have the same access to the candidates putting themselves forth for consideration as I do. I want each of you to have an opportunity to express to me your opinions on each of the candidates and for residents to engage in dialogue about who they would like to have represent them until the next Democratic election in 2022.   While it is required that an appointment be made to fill this vacancy, it is imperative to me that my community be at the table in making such a consequential decision. Furthermore, I am committed to working with our Assembly District Committee and local residents to create a truly democratic process for how to fill any future District Leader vacancies here in AD50, one that can hopefully serve as a standard bearer in Brooklyn.  The ADC has kindly agreed to help facilitate this review process by putting aside time at their next meeting tomorrow night, Wednesday 8/26,  to hear from potential candidates. In addition to putting out an open call to all County Committee members in the 50th Assembly District, the ADC has also developed a questionnaire for prospective candidates in order to help meeting participants understand the positions of each of the candidates and how they envision the role of male District Leader. At tomorrow’s forum, after hearing from the candidates, meeting participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback on each of the candidates in order to help inform my appointment decision. I hope you will join us! In solidarity,  Kristina