Brooklyn Focus: CHRIS OWENS FOR BROOKLYN

My friend Chris Owens is running for the joint position of District Leader and State Committee member in the 52nd Assembly district. He is running against an ally of the corrupt Vito Lopez machine (Steve Williamson) and a complete new comer with no previous experience in local politics (Jesse Strauss).

Here is a statement from Chris Owens about his candidacy:

Chris is a public school graduate as well as a public school parent. He has an M.P.A. from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, a B.A. in Sociology from Harvard University, having graduated from the Bronx High School of Science. Professionally, Chris has worked with low-income populations in need of quality health care and better public education.

Chris Owens has been a musician, a politician, an activist arrested protesting police brutality and the closing of NYFD Engine Company 104, an organizer, an Air America Radio host, and a fighter against Atlantic Yards and for sensible development. Chris has been involved with numerous organizations, community initiatives and election campaigns. For his community work, Chris Owens has received honors from People for the American Way and the Brooklyn Children's Museum, amongst others. Chris Owens is the most qualified candidate to serve as our Democratic State Committee member.

Today, the Kings County Democratic machine wants to control votes and endorsements in our Assembly District and the County Leader is running candidates to make that happen. Unfortunately, a history of judicial corruption and unethical behavior distinguishes the current Party leadership.

Chris Owens, however, is defending our district. The Owens campaign is supported by City Council member Letitia James, retired Congressman Major Owens, Park Slope activist Eric McClure, Boerum Hill community leader Sandy Balboza, former Community School Board 15 President Marsha Borenstein, musician Dan Zanes, FUREE activist and Wyckoff Gardens resident Beverly Corbin, Atlantic Yards hero Daniel Goldstein, the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) and the Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn (LID), amongst others.

From the Intrepid Liberal Joural's endorsement of Chris:

It seems that entropy has been unleashed upon our lives. Hyper-sized banks, corrupt institutions, out of control developers and a political culture that wages class warfare against regular folks has taken a wrecking ball to the American dream. Here in Brooklyn, it seems that corporatist wrecking ball is on steroids. The best antidote is to support the best and the brightest of authentic progressive reformers locally.

I was reminded of that recently when Chris Owens shook hands at my Bergen Street subway station in Brooklyn last week. As readers of this blog may recall, Chris was my first podcast interview in 2006. He’s a true progressive who champions wage earners and community over the interests of developers. Chris is just the sort of person we need to represent core progressive values of decency and fairness with the Democratic State Committee for Brooklyn’s 52nd Assembly District. He's an independent voice and not part of the machine.

His campaign slogan says it best,

“Stop the corruption! End the dysfunction!”

For those out there who REALLY want to clean up Brooklyn politics, this is a damned good place to start. Support Chris Owens for District Leader and State Committeeman (positions that are joined in Brooklyn for some reason) in the primary on Sept. 14, 2010.