On Tuesday, East New York Community Advocate Nikki Lucas launched her official City Council campaign to represent Brooklyn's 42nd District, East New York reports.
Lucas' campaign is built around one slogan, 'Real Solutions for Change'. She is confident her partnerships with community-based organizations, small business owners and local elected officials will create a coalition for change within the District.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to represent residents of East New York and the parts of Brownsville, Canarsie and East Flatbush that are included in District 42," Lucas said.
"This campaign is not about me, it's about the residents who live in the district. I'm asking residents who have been left out of the process for so many years to join me as we create real solutions for change. East New York has been suffering for decades and we must move forward."
She said problems facing the district included the suffering caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which exposed how far behind the district's schools were with internet access and technology. She said another issue facing the community was gentrification and displacement of long-time residents with NYCHA being privatized.
As the child of community activists, Lucas' passion for civic engagement quickly progressed into active involvement with various community groups.
Having lived in Starrett City for over 30 years and working as an advocate for East New York residents, Lucas has implemented many community programs, such as her partnership with New York for Seniors and Healthy NYC to bring the Healthy NYC Expo, Healthcare Panel Discussions, Mental Health Forums and the New York for Seniors Health & Wellness Series to East New York and Brownsville.
She has also worked to bring the weekly live stream talk show VOICES of East New York to the community, which provides information on housing issues, legal help and healthcare.
"Partnerships are extremely important for communities like East New York," Lucas said.
"With partnerships, we are currently witnessing the results firsthand. Over the past 20 years, the council seat in East New York has not created the necessary relationships with the Congress or Senate, which is needed to secure the needed resources for the community."
She said because of that, the COVID-19 pandemic hit East New York harder than the rest of New York City, with one of the highest numbers of deaths. She said that came down to decades of underinvestment in technology, education and healthcare in the neighborhood.
Lucas' campaign is already off to a great start, surpassing a milestone by receiving eight to one matching funds from the Campaign Finance Board, according to the CFB filings in mid-July.
To find out more about Nikki Lucas or to become a part of her campaign visit the official website at: www.ElectNikkiLucas.com or Facebook.com/electnikkilucas.
