Newsletter of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club

Volume 3, Issue 3 Fall 2016 90------, ROXANNE ROMPS IN 80 70 60 DEMOCRATIC so 40 ■ Persaud PRIMARY ■ Opponent

J 41 45 54 55 58 59 60 Persaud, supported by the T Club, takes AD 76% of the vote in landslide victory Roxanne Persaud not only dominated the 19th Senatorial District as a whole, but dominated every Assembly district Sept. 13, Canarsie, - Declaring all-out war against an within the 19th S.D., as the graph above shows. insurgent faction backed by the controversial Charles Barron that challenged the Club's slate of candidates. the Thomas Jefferson Club crushed its challengers and helped our state TJ's other Partnow gets Dem senator. Roxanne Persaud. win a landslide re-election victory in the September primary. Judicial Nomination In every election district of the seven Assembly districts within the J 9tl1 Senatorial District, save one where only three people voted. Roxanne Persaud not only won, but won overwhelmingly. In neighborhoods as diverse as Mill Island and East . Bergen Beach and Brownsville, the voters agreed that Ms. Persaud should be reelected state senator. Senator Persaud captured 76% percent of the vote in the entire Senate district. Senator Persaud's victory came on the heels of the TJ Club ·s successful lawsuit challenging the qualifications of the candidates running against our district leaders, Frank Seddio and Sue Ann Partnow and Assemblymember, Jaime Williams. The candidate challenging our state senator also ran as female district Photo by Michael Benjamin th leader. claiming she lived in the 59 Assembly District in a Justice Mark I. Partnow (second from left), seen here with basement room of a two story building where she routinely (from left to right) wife Sue Ann, son Mitchell and Frank bathed out of a sink, rather than in the 58tl1 Assembly District Seddio, earned the Kings County Democratic Party's where she owns a million-dollar home in which her kids reside. nomination for Supreme Court at the Judicial Convention That candidate subsequently agreed to drop out of the race for st on September 21 • He now runs for reelection on district leader after the court heard testimony about her November 8th. Justice Partnow, a longtime T J Club incredible claims. Her running-mate also ended his candidacy member before becoming a judge, had just completed a 14- for male district leader and Assemblymembcr. year Supreme Court term. Other candidates also receiving The victory signified the TJ Club's dominance in the local the backing of the Kings County Democratic Party were Leon Ruchelsman, Shawndya L. Simpson, Katherine A. (Continued 0 11 page 2) Levine, Reginald A. Boddie, and Peter P. Sweeney. Page 2 tltbe Jeffersonian Fall 2016

Portrait of a Leader Rain Unable to Dampen TJ Club Barbecue

Photo by Elena Popon Sept. 15. Bergen Beach - Six years having passed since Bernard Catcher's death, the Thomas Jefferson Club continued it~ time honored tradition of having portraits made of our fallen leaders, this time unveiling Bernie's portrait at a ceremony at Temple Sholom on September 15th. The portrait will eventually hang in the back of the TJ Club 's main room alongside those of Meade Esposito and Tony Genovesi. Those who knew Bernie came up Photo by Adam Diamond to the podium before an impressive crowd to reflect on the August 22, Bergen Beach - With the threat of rain looming over memory of the man who was TJ's leader from 2000 to 2010. the Malone Center in Bergen Beach on August 21st, the Thomas Bernie came to the Thomas Jefferson Club in the late 1970's Jefferson Democratic Club managed to hold our annual barbecue, after leaving the Madison Club with . The TJ to the delight of those in attendance. Club ·s legendary leader, Tony Genovesi, quickly noticed The barbecue is a TJ tradition that goes way back to the Bernie's political genius as Bernie helped engineer Murray Club's early years when our club leaders donned aprons and Weinstein's defeat of Stanley Steingut for State Assembly in slaved over 77 Conklin Avenue's backyard barbecue grill. 1978. effectively ending the Madison Club 's long reign in The event has been held at the Malone Center the last two Brooklyn. As the years passed, Tony relied more on Bernie to years where space and fresh air is in abundance, lending for a run the club's operations when Tony's power and influence in very enjoyable experience for all. New York State politics continued to expand. Assembly Member Jaime Williams (above) helped serve the When Tony died in 1998, though Bernie had been TJ Club's famished guests. When the rain did eventually arrive, considered to succeed him, the club opted to go with the more the Malone Center's canopy succeeded in keeping the, by then, experienced Herb Berman as leader. The TJ Club was embroiled satiated attendees dry. 0 in a feud with the county leadership at that time and Herb was secn more as a "wartime" leader. Though Herb was the leader. l------iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-----­ Bernie ran the club and two years later as relations between TJ (Continued from Roxanne Romps. p. J) and County began to thaw and Herb was looking to relieve political landscape and our strong alliance with other Democratic himself of his TJ leadership obligations, Bernie became the male clubs in the area. District leader Lew Fidler carried out his th leader for the then 39 Assembly District. campaign operations for Ms. Persaud at his club in the 41 st A.O., During Bernie's ten-year administration, the Club would where the senator received almost 80% of the vote. The 60th A.D. eventually develop a wor,ing relationship with County and Persaud campaign; the campaign for the newly elected female th Bernie would be instrumental in getting Vito Lopez chosen as leader of the 60 , Nikki Lucas; as well as the 59th, 54th, 55th and county chairman after Clarence Norman resigned in 2005. The 58th A.D. operations all ran out of 77 Conklin Avenue. TJ Club two would eventually develop a love-hate relationship as Bernie, captains and volunteers were sent to almost every polling site in known for his intense loyalty to his members and unshakable those Assembly districts. TJ was also able to enlist the support of resolve at trying to get things for them, would constantly baute citywide officials, such as City Council Speaker Melissa Mark­ Vito for scarce positions and opportunities. Viverito who stood at the Rockaway A venue train station in In 2007, Bernie was diagnosed with throat cancer and over Canarsie campaigning for Senator Persaud. the next three years would undergo treatment, eventually Senator Persaud now runs in the general election on succumbing to the disease in 2010. Though Bernie's corporeal November 8th against her Republican challenger. She hopes to existence may have ended, with this portrait he will forever live continue her hard work for the community in the New York State in the memory of those who knew and loved him. □ Senate. o Fall 2016 ~be J effersonian Page 3

THE Tl CLUB'S GENERAL ELECTION T J Club to Honor Roberta SLATE OF CANDIDATES Sherman at Club Dinner PRESIDENT: HILLARY CLINTON The TJ Club will be honoring former leader Roberta Sherman at this year's club dinner at the El 1 VICE PRESIDENT: TIMOTHY KAINE Caribe on November 6 h. Ms. Sherman, who retired in July as the TJ Club's female leader, a position she U.S. SENATE: CHARLES SCHUMER held for eighteen years, will be the club's sole honoree. The club dinner attracts hundreds of attendees U.S. CONGRESS: HAKEEM JEFFRIES each year and tickets usually sell out fast. We therefore urge everyone to RSVP as soon as possible N.Y.S. SENATE: ROXANNE PERSAUD by contacting Jean Joseph at (347) 234-3 11 1 or email at [email protected]. Admission is $ 135.00. N.Y.S. ASSEMBLY: JAIME WILLIAMS Journal ads can also be purchased by contacting Joel Cohen at (7 18) 702-3584 and e-mailing your ad NEW YORK STATE SUPREME COURT: to [email protected] or regular mail to 9306 MARK I. PARTNOW Flatlands A venue, Brooklyn NY 11236. Ad prices range from $25 for a booster to $1,000 for an outside LEON RUCHELSMAN back cover. □ SHAWNDYA L. SIMPSON KATHERINE A. LEVINE Borough President Eric Adams REGINALD A. BODDIE PETER P. SWEENEY to Speak at T J Club The Thomas Jefferson Club has announced that CIVIL COURT (COUNTYWIDE): Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will be the guest speaker at the TJ Club on Thursday, November DENA E. DOUGLAS 3'd at 8pm. The borough president wi ll talk about the JACQUELINE D. WILLIAMS latest developments in our borough. All are welcome ODESSA KENNEDY to attend and admission is free. □

UPC0 1\1ING EVENTS Meetings are Thursday nights at the T J Club starting ~be JI effersontan at around 8 P:\I. All T,J Club events are at 77 Conklin A\'enue. unless stated otherwise. Di\trict Ll·adcr, ( oundlml'lllhl'r Frank Sl•ddio \Ian \lahcl Guest Speaker: Borough President Eric Adams Sur .\1111 Partno\\ Thursday, November 3rd, 8 PM Stall' Senator Prl',idrnt Ro,annl' Pl·r,aud Thomas Jefferson Club Annual Dinner/Dance Hrnr~ Bolus Sunday, November 6th, 6 PM .\ "l'111hly111e111hl'r El Caribe, 5945 Strickland Avenue Editor .Jaime\\ illia1m Ian Ga~nor t,.,,.,, GE:\ER\L ELECTIO;\ ,·.,·,1, Tuesday, November 8th, 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM Contact 11,: Seddio Famil~ llolida~ Display Lighting .\cldrl'\\: Phone: (718) 649-7830 Sunday. December 4th, 5:00 PM 77 Conklin \ H'nlll'. Brook!~ n. '\, 11 Bl'mocratic Cluh PRESORTED ST ANDA RD Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club U.S. POSTAGE PAID 77 Conklin Avenue BROOKLYN, NY Brooklyn, NY 11236 Permit No. 1781

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