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Farah Louis Wins Special Election for Flatbush City Council Seat

The former City Council staffer put affordable housing in the center of her campaign and built a diverse coalition of supporters backing her
Farah Louis, BK Reader
Councilmember Farah Louis. Photo credit: farahlouis.com

In a crowded field of candidates vying to fill the City Council Seat vacated by now-Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, his former Deputy Chief of Staff Farah Louis scored a solid victory in Tuesday's special election, defeating seven other hopefuls. 

A total of 8775 voters made their way to the polls to decide who will be representing the 45th District that covers East Flatbush, Flatbush, Flatlands, Marine Park and Midwood; 3718 Brooklynites cast their ballot in favor of Louis.

The Brooklyn native, who grew up in Flatbush and graduated from Midwood High School, ran on a platform that put affordable housing front and center, advocating for "contextual zoning" that would mandate new buildings integrate with the neighborhood's existing character and calling for reforms of the federal rules that legislate affordable housing to better reflect local communities. Other key issues of her campaign included education funding and economic development.

Long hailed as the front-runner, Louis managed to build a diverse coalition of elected officials, unions as well as community and faith groups who threw their support behind her. Among the over 30 endorsements she nabbed were Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams; Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte; Brooklyn Councilmembers Rafael Espinal, Justin Brannan and Chaim Deutsch; the Police Benevolent Association; and the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition.

"This campaign has shown me the beauty, resiliency and power of this district," said Louis in a statement. "Thank you, District 45, for everything. Thank you for trusting me to care for our home. I promise to be a good steward of our resources. I promise to listen. I promise to do all that I can to build a Brooklyn we can be proud of. And I promise to do all of this for you and with you— together and unified."

Louis will now serve as City Councilmember of the 45th District through the end of 2019, finishing Williams' last term while gearing up for the next races: a primary on June 25, and a general election in November.

Farah Louis put affordable housing in the center of her campaign and built a diverse coalition of supporters backing her
Photo credit: Councilmember Rafael Espinal/ Twitter

And here are the results for the City Council District 45 Special Election:

Farah Louis, 3,718 votes (42.37 %)

Monique Chandler-Waterman, 2,631 (29.98%)

Jovia A. Radix, 776 ( 8.84%)

L. Rickie Tulloch, 575 (6.55%)

Xamayla Rose, 494 (5.563%)

Adina Sash, 418 ( 4.76%)

Anthony Alexis, 108 (1.23%)

Victor Jordan, 42 (0.48%)




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