Ede is listening to your concerns by meeting with residents and stakeholders across the district. Read more about what she’s been doing in the news. Here’s a round up of recent news articles:
Development Bedford Union Armory: Same Plan, Different Meeting, No Change, June 14, 2017
“I think any city-owned property should be used for the public good and that’s not what’s happening here. We’re seeing a whole city block being designated mostly for luxury and market rate housing and not for the local community who needs it the most. People need support and assistance to stay in this community [Crown Heights],” said Ede Fox, who is challenging Cumbo in the 35th District City Council primary race.
Council Challenger Demands Speedy Vote on Bedford Union Armory, June 7, 2017
“It’s easy for Laurie Cumbo to say she’ll vote no on a major issue of this campaign, especially when that vote won’t happen until after the primary. The question is whether she finally chose to listen to the community, or is just pandering for votes to save her own political career,” Fox said in a statement. “The only way we can know for sure is to see the councilmember expedite the ULURP process and show us once and for all that she stands with the community, not major developers.”
Brooklyn Armory Project – More Housing for the Rich?, New York Amsterdam News, June 1, 2017
Ede Fox (D) hopes to challenge Cumbo in September. “I believe that because the Bedford-Union Armory is a publicly owned property, it should be used for affordable housing only,” Fox explained. People are talking about this issue, not only in the district but all over the city. “We can draw a line in the sand and say, no we are not lining the pockets of big developers,” Fox said.
Fox to Cumbo: The Bedford Union Armory Debacle is All on You, May 19, 2017
Cumbo yesterday, in the face of fierce community opposition to the plan, walked back her original backing of the plan. She then faced scores of protesters opposing the plan at her state of the district speech last night at the Ingersoll Community Center on Myrtle Avenue.
In a telephone interview following the speech, Fox was pleased to see Cumbo publicly acknowledge the project’s flaws, thus proving that she has begun to listen to the complaints expressed by the neighborhood’s community leaders and activists.
“Those points have been either protested or shouted for ayear, at least, by the community,” said Fox. “I’m glad that all the protests and the community activism – and frankly, my participation in this race – have moved her to start listening.”
However, Fox remained skeptical that Cumbo will be able to follow through on her promise to ensure that the project will benefit the community.
City Council Candidate Calls for State Review of Lead in School Drinking Water – Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 19, 2017
Lead contamination poses too great a risk to our children to wait and see if they were affected by this recent exposure in city schools,” said Fox. “It’s time the state step in and conduct a thorough investigation of this growing crisis and prevent the kind of irreversible harm children in Flint and other cities have faced. This will help put parents’ minds at ease and ensure the health and safety of our single greatest resource — our children.
Cumbo to oppose Bedford Armory project, after hesitating for months – Politico, May 18, 2017
As a Council Member, Laurie [Cumbo] has repeatedly sided with developers and has always ignored our community’s needs until it was no longer politically possible to do so,” Fox said. “Any last-minute new proposal from Laurie is too little, too late for those of us who have been tirelessly fighting to preserve the Bedford Union Armory for future generations of Brooklynites.
Op-Ed by Ede Fox: Private Developers Should Be Barred from Building on Public Land – Crain’s, April 19, 2017
A community-led land trust could be the solution. By transferring properties like the armory into community-controlled trusts, we can ensure permanent affordable housing and space for businesses that local communities need.
Bedford Union Armory Developers Reach Labor Deal With Service-Workers Union – DNA Info, April 11, 2017
The labor announcement comes as City Council candidate Ede Fox, surrounded by union workers outside of the armory, officially announced her campaign against local Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo on Monday.
At the rally — attended by members of Mason Tenders District Council, Ironworkers Local 46, District Council 9 and NYS Laborers — Fox railed against BFC for not yet committing to using unionized construction workers on the project and promised that she would vote no on the redevelopment if elected to office.
Fox says she will vote no on the redevelopment. “We deserve so much better,” she says. pic.twitter.com/HELGEyHnP9
— Rachel H. Smith (@rachelholliday) April 10, 2017
City Council Candidate Will “Say No” to Bedford Union Armory Deal – Prospect Heights Patch, April 10, 2017
“We need a Councilmember who is going to say ‘No’ when the city wants to take city-owned land and turn it into luxury housing, not 100 percent affordable housing,” Fox said. “I will always say no.”
About half of the apartment units at the armory will be designated “affordable” — including 20 percent for low-income families. However, using federal affordability standards, about 83 percent of the Armory’s total rentals and condos will only be affordable for families who make around $90,000 a year.
Cumbo’s Brooklyn Council Seat Faces Challengers Opposed to Armory Deal – DNAinfo, March 20, 2017
Fox, a former City Council staffer and Prospect Heights resident, … is once again trying for the seat, she told DNAinfo New York, though she has not yet made her campaign official.
Fox said she considered the idea after people in the community approached her to run because of “lack of leadership and a lack of advocacy” in the district, she said.
“Things like constituent services, things like quality of life issues and then, of course, there are the bigger projects that are coming down the pike, including the Bedford-Union Armory,” she said, speaking of the controversial redevelopment of the former military building on Bedford Avenue in Crown Heights.
Key 2017 New York City Council Primaries by District – City and State, March 21, 2017
Ede Fox, who secured 26 percent of the vote in 2013, says she is thinking of seeking the Democratic Party’s nod for the City Council seat this cycle. Fox, who has worked for City Councilman Jumaane Williams and Speaker Mark-Viverito, could complicate Cumbo’s election season.
Fox Out Funds Cumbo; Eugene, Menchaca Sit Pretty & More – Kings County Politics, March 16, 2017
According to the Campaign Finance Board (CFB), Cumbo reported having raised $66,457 while spending $26,732 to net out with $39,725. Fox raised $29,456 and spent $260 to net out with $29,716.
While this looks like Cumbo has an edge, it should be noted that she has been fundraising for some time and her total is a culmination of several filing periods, while this is Fox’s first filing.
If you just look at this filing period, which ran from Jan. 17 to yesterday, Fox outraised Cumbo by more than 2 to 1. Fox raised $29,976, while Cumbo raised only $13,720.