Assembly Member Brian Barnwell announced via social media Tuesday morning that he will not be seeking re-election.
“It is with sadness that I announce that I will not be seeking re-election to the NYS Assembly for a 4th term,” he announced via Twitter. “… It has been a true honor to serve, and I will never forget that I owe everything to the kindness of the People who allowed me to serve as their representative.”
Barnwell’s decision was abrupt and a surprise to many political insiders since he had filed signatures with the Board of Elections last week to appear on the ballot for the June 28 Democratic primary.
The 36-year-old — who represents the 30th Assembly District that covers areas such as Sunnyside, Woodside, Maspeth and Middle Village — did not provide a reason as to why he was not running again.
“It has shocked a lot of us. It has come out of left field,” said Steven Raga, Barnwell’s former chief of staff who is running to be a district leader. “I hope everything is ok with him.”
Barnwell took office in January 2017 after defeating incumbent Margaret Markey in the Democratic primary — in what political pundits viewed as a major upset. Markey had been elected to the seat nine times, while Barnwell was a political newcomer at the time. He had worked as an aide to former Council Member Costa Constantinides before running for office.
It is unclear what impact his eleventh-hour decision not to run will have on the election of his successor.
Under election law, Barnwell could play a major role in who is elected to his position. For instance, if Barnwell submitted a document called a “certificate of declination” to the Board of Elections by the end of April 11, a special committee would be formed to choose someone to take his spot in the upcoming primary, according to Democratic District Leader Èmilia Decaudin.
The committee, which would be made up of Barnwell’s supporters, is more than likely to pick someone that the assembly member recommends. If he didn’t file the form his name would remain on the ballot.
23 comments:
Did nothing of note for his district. Made no effort.
Worked for Costa? Well, that explains it.
Kept the chair warm for someone else.
The timing of Barnwell's swan song reeks of a self serving deal with the Queens DemocRATic Party. He filed his petitions and now THE PARTY will select their handpicked hack and the district is screwed. Thanks Barnwell, you sold out your district for a job at the end of the year.
“It has shocked a lot of us. It has come out of left field,” said Steven Raga, Barnwell’s former chief of staff who is running to be a district leader. “I hope everything is ok with him"
Looks like he was keeping the seat warm for Steve-o
The scope of this problem starts in the Voting Both.
Will the Left listen to Bill Maher and admit it's gone too far?
The establishment will never admit wrong doing.
He hasn't said wh, but I'd be willing to bet that it was the looney lefties redrawing of the district lines...
If Barnwell submitted a document called a “certificate of declination” to the Board of Elections by the end of April 11, a special committee would be formed to choose someone to take his spot in the upcoming primary, according to Democratic District Leader.
The committee, made up of Barnwell’s supporters, is more than likely to pick someone that the assembly member recommends. If he didn’t file the form his name would remain on the ballot.
?????????????????????????????????????????????
This is certainly a BS way to pick a candidate - sounds like it was devised when most of the electorate was both illiterate and 'fresh off the boat.' This guy, a seat warmer, did squat.
One of the very few new state representatives who isn't DSA. Shame he's leaving instead of one of the entrenched politicians, he's the sort of new blood we need.
I wonder if he got screwed over by redistricting? The machine never liked him since he unseated one of their own.
Big News,Democratic MEGA DONOR Ed Buck Imprisoned for 30 Years After Giving Half Million to Dems in Congress.
The Sheeple deserve to know the truth of what really happened ! LOL...
"Unclear Impact" Excuse me while I fall over with laughter. New Yorker's will just shove another left wing democrat into the fray while their city burns. What a joke this article is.
I wish the woke crowd would go find another piece of land somewhere in the world and go build their own country!
@“Big News,Democratic MEGA DONOR Ed Buck Imprisoned for 30 Years After Giving Half Million to Dems in Congress.”
Yeah, it’s harder to get the republican ones. They’re usually in Russia and China.
This guy, a seat warmer, did squat.
You can say that again. Was he was given one assignment: to derail his predecessor who was cluelessly interfering with something?
It seems once in office he sat back just collecting a check. Cannot think of a single significant thing he did.
The locals, as usual, were totally clueless.
"The machine never liked him since he unseated one of their own."
Tool of 'Astoria mafia'. That crowd was in its own orbit and pretty much gone as its constituents are now well into their 80s. Gene pool, never deep, dried up.
Two or three are is still in business and another, an associate, is a lobbyist.
The foisted system (of American failed government) was never designed with the betterment and efficiency in mind for its citizenry; its only requirement is for the politically ignorant massess to show up and vote for their newest slaveowners. Voting, in fact, is political slavery and political conformity for life (doing the same thing over and over——but foolishly expecting a different result). But, as long as the poorly educated proletariat (read politically indoctrinated——INOCULATED!) still keep equating the voting enslavement process with American allegiance and loyalty (to flag and country), then there will never be the slightest hope for change to ever prevail, much less to demand and impose challenge to the lawless, political graft) when there is only a tacitly implied obedience to a corrupt, criminally insane system of neo-feudalism, neo-fascism and neo-liberalism that has completely betrayed and devalued honesty itself (❝Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.❞ ——Ben Franklin). Also germane to this argument are the words of Robert Anton Wilson: ❝The obedient always see themselves as virtuous rather than cowardly.❞
When all is said and done, the duped, patriotic peons will keep voting for their new owners (in perpetuity), doing the same insidious actions that keep them at bay from the never-ending political shenanigans that include, but are not limited to, grinding corruption, graft, nepotism, cronyism——and outright mental laziness and greed that has long ago betrayed a byzantine system (of coveted power on the public payrolls) that continues to destroy and alienate its happily conformist, participating voter-slaves with impunity. And the public be damned! What? THIS IS NEW???
❝We'll use the Democratic and Republican parties, and keep the people busy. And with matters that have no consequence to our business.❞ ——Banker's Magazine
❝It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.❞ ——Thomas Sowell
❝The American government is corrupt. Those who have enough money can almost get anything they want from our government, whether it is tax breaks, or subsidies, or policies and laws changed, removed, or added.❞ ——Ravi Batra, 'The NEW Golden Age'
❝It’s difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary demands that he NOT understand it.❞ ——Upton Sinclair
❝Anarchy doesn’t mean ‘out of control’; it means out of THEIR control.❞ ——Jim Dodge
❝Learn to disobey immoral orders Otherwise, you reinforce oppression and tyranny.❞ ——Anonymous
❝The system cannot be fixed by the system.❞ ——Tom Morello
❝The illiterate of the 21st century will NOT be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn——and RELEARN.❞ ——Alvin Toffler
My guess is he got shivved by the Queens Machine that want to change the complexion of the district.
Barnwell is what we need in an elected official. He was always available when problems arose and he always was there at community events and pitching in on clean ups and graffiti removal.
He had lots of energy and a good guy to talk too as well as his staff. He will be missed in Maspeth.
Barnwell is what we need in an elected official. He was always available when problems arose and he always was there at community events and pitching in on clean ups and graffiti removal.
He had lots of energy and a good guy to talk too as well as his staff. He will be missed in Maspeth.
Yea, even to the point that his associates openly questioned in the press as to what is going on with him.
So what does his redistricted district look like? Was he drawn into unwinnable lines?
Sorry to see him go. He's better than alot of what's out there.
Just because Brian Barnwell was deemed ❝...better than a lot of what's out there❞ doesn't absolve, much less expiate all marginal politicians from fulfilling their full oath of public office obligations and responsibilities to public service. And to serve the people where justice, action, ethics, integrity and accountability are mandated, not as a 'selective' or 'occasional' option on the menu.
The BIG problem (exactly like The BIG LIE) is that there is zero policy enforcement, and even less of a social contract, much less social trust, from their ever languishing constituencies, all of whom take to lawlessness, vigilantism and street level anarchy when paid politicians are busying themselves with 'Lunch-and-a-manicure' as a stressful day in the hood. Which is why there is a total crisis in citywide and statewide leadership that has never led by example, nor is it ever demanded. These phantom politicians have stopped answering telephone calls altogether from their bases, and used the Corona-bologna PLAN-demic/SCAM-demic over the course of two-plus years (and counting!) as an excuse not to work whilst getting taxpayer funded money to sit and rotate: It's the perfect crime, or rather CRIME WAVE——sanctioned from within the crooked corridors of all flagrantly abused government power for which we all continually pay the ultimate, soul-crushing price.
The corruption never ends, inactive, hobbled 'SHEEPLE,' and neither do their vastly overpaid paychecks——compliments of the complicit flock of peasantry whose indifference makes it that much easier for cradle-to-grave, government grandstanding criminals to rake in their graft——easier than they breathe!
❝Learn to disobey immoral orders. Otherwise, you reinforce oppression and tyranny.❞ ——Anonymous
❝Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, the city halls. They got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies, so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying. Lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else, but I’ll tell you what they don’t want. They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests. That’s right.❞ ——George Carlin
❝Sooner or later the people in this country are going to realize: The government does not give a fuck about them. The government doesn’t care about you, or your children, or your rights, or your welfare, or your safety. It simply doesn’t give a fuck about you. It’s interested in its own power. That’s the only thing keeping it and expanding it wherever possible.❞ ——George Carlin
❝If you think that strong men are dangerous, wait until you get a load of weak men.❞ ——Jordan B. Peterson
❝The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.❞ ——H. L. Mencken
❝Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed by the masses.❞ ——Plato
❝Blind faith in authority is truths greatest enemy.❞ ——Albert Einstein
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