The Five Borough Ballot: Carrión, Liu Vy for Votes in Brownsville

In order to gain a microcosmic perspective on the actual opinions of New Yorkers about the upcoming election, City & State and City Limits, in partnership with MetroFocus, present a new series: “The Five Borough Ballot.”

When a candidate for mayor enters the domain of Lisa Kenner—the president of the resident association at NYCHA’s sprawling Van Dyke Houses—he or she is welcomed as an honored guest. But that can be a time-consuming status.

When former Bronx borough president and Independence Party nominee Adolfo Carrión came out to Brownsville to visit the Van Dyke community center in late April, he waited patiently for an hour, through a presentation about a GED program and a Q&A with the new manager of the Van Dyke development, before getting to make his stump speech.

Last week, Comptroller John Liu stopped by the Van Dyke senior center for a post-Mother’s Day “high tea” and waited nearly as long to make brief remarks. Then he was pressed into handing out awards honoring “Older Americans,” an achievement virtually everyone in the room except Liu could claim.

Continue reading this week’s Five Borough Ballot coverage on the City Limits website.