The son of Grenadian immigrants, Jumaane Williams and a Haitian-born immigrant Dr Mathieu Eugene were victorious in their campaigns to be re-elected to the 40th and 45th Council Districts in the New York City general elections respectively.
Both men who are Democrats secured another four-year term in districts that are predominantly Caribbean.
Dr Mathieu Eugene, the first Haitian to hold elective office in New York City defeated Brian Christopher Cunningham by garnering 60 per cent of the votes.
Cunningham, who is the son of Jamaican immigrants, ran on the Reform Party line and secured 36 per cent of the votes while Brian Kelly, who also challenged Eugene, ran on the Conservative Party ticket but only received three per cent of the votes.
“Thank God for giving me the opportunity to be elected one more time, to continue do what I love doing – serving the people,” Eugene told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) after the results were announced. “I like to thank all the voters and supporters for putting their trust and confidence me. “I pledge to work harder, to continue to do what I can to address the issues and improve the quality of life for all, including those who did not vote for me,” he added.
According to the CMC, Eugene said even though he has accomplished a lot in his district, his priorities are to “address the challenges facing the youth; to ensure quality education with smaller class size; to improve access to healthcare for all people; to expand employment opportunities; to improve public safety services and police/community relations; to improve affordable housing opportunities and support immigrant rights; as well as to provide strong advocacy for neighbourhood preservation and homeowners.’
“I believe much more needs to be done, and I will do everything I can to address the challenges,” said Eugene, stating that he has been “well known and respected for more than a decade as a community leader, educator, health professional, local media personality and founder of the non-profit organisation, YES (Youth Education and Sports).”
Meanwhile, Williams, who is now serving his third and final term, defeated Anthony Beckford, of the True Freedom Party by a significant margin, receiving over 97 per cent of the votes for his District.
Moreover, Williams, who currently serves as Deputy Leader of the New York City Council, chair of the Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings, and co-chair of the Council’s Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, is also among eight candidates vying to become Speaker of New York City Council in the Special Elections in January.
In the run up to the elections held on Tuesday last, Williams told the CMC that the “last eight years have truly been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career,” he added. “If you want to continue the work we’ve begun and make sure the next four years are an opportunity to create a long-lasting foundation for future generations, please come out to vote. “Some of you may feel that I may not have a competitive race…To those of you that are pondering such thoughts, I ask you to look at the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC [President Donald J Trump] right now. We are well past the point of taking anything for granted” said Williams.
Mayor of New York Bill De Blasio, another Democrat, was also re-elected to serve another four years.
