Lydia’s Platform

Organizing + Community Engagement

 

As one of the highest turnout districts in the state and the center of political activism in Brooklyn, the 52nd Assembly District is the engine that drives the progressive reform movement. As a State Committe Member & District Leader, Lydia will work to build the party, educate the public, and promote redistributing resources.

  • Whenever there is a significant change in the law or important upcoming election or ballot measure, Lydia goes into the community and educates her constituents through issue-based canvasses and townhalls. Lydia also sends out a monthly newsletter to keep constituents updated on local issues.

  • Lydia devotes special attention to residents of the 52nd AD’s NYCHA developments (Wyckoff Gardens, Gowanus Houses, and Warren Street Houses), attending tenant meetings and volunteering at Tenant Association events. She listens to residents’ concerns and helps them find solutions — connecting with an elected official, fundraising for meals, finding childcare, etc. She will also organize deep canvasses throughout the district on issues like public safety, aiming to open minds and reduce harm to our marginalized neighbors.

  • Lydia organizes regular opportunities for constituents to volunteer for the campaigns of progressive Democrats in other parts of the city, especially those in areas with fewer active voters and less robust progressive infrastructure.

  • Lydia will conduct voter registration drives in parts of the district with lower political engagement and turnout, and she will keep her constituents informed about upcoming voter registration deadlines and election timelines.

Democratic + Accessible Party Meetings

 

Under the current party leadership, Kings County Democratic County Committee meetings are difficult to attend and undemocratic. The county boss holds all of the power, finances are not transparent, and the party cannot function well enough to organize or engage the communities of Brooklyn. As District Leader, Lydia will continue to support reforms to the party rules that move our party towards a true inclusive and transparent democracy.

  • The Brooklyn Democratic Party’s proxy voting system should exist to make voting accessible for every County Committee member, but instead the system's current form is used to suppress democracy. The current rules allow the party boss to hold an unlimited number of proxy votes, which gives her an incentive to make County Committee meetings as difficult to join as possible. As District Leader, Lydia supports rule changes to limit how many proxy votes any individual can hold.

  • Lydia supports having party meetings at ADA-compliant, central locations in the borough that are close to multiple lines of public transportation. She also supports holding hybrid meetings to give members the choice to attend meetings in person or join remotely. Lydia knows that our disabled and immuno-suppressed County Committee members should be able to make their voices heard at party meetings just as easily as other members.

  • The party rules allow for the formation of Standing Committees, which are advisory committees (focused on issues such as upcoming elections, fundraising, and legislation), within the Executive Committee of the County Committee. At present, no committees exist. Lydia will work to bring back the Standing Committees so that the party can encourage year-round organizing and policy work.

  • County Committee members should have as much of a say in party rules and governance as District Leaders do. Lydia supports rules changes to prevent the Executive Committee from changing party rules without a vote from the general membership of the County Committee and to require that a minimum number of party officers be rank-and-file County Committee members.

  • Currently, the Brooklyn Democratic Party does not have an official policy platform. Lydia believes the party should have a platform and that it should be decided by the party membership. She wants the party to prioritize taking positions on particularly urgent issues like abortion rights, voting reform, and climate action. Lydia will support a process that allows any member to propose additions or changes to the platform, followed by open debate and a vote.

  • In recent years, the party hasn’t always fulfilled its requirement to publicly post its quarterly financial statements. Even when they are posted, the statements tend to be general and vague. Historically, lack of financial transparency has made it easier for bad actors to misuse party resources. Lydia believes that a political party run for and by the people should be financially accountable to the public. She supports having an active financial Standing Committee that works alongside the party treasurer to oversee party finances and publicize itemized financial reports.

  • The current Brooklyn Democratic Party chair, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, has suppressed the grassroots membership of the party at every turn. Lydia will work with other reform-minded District Leaders to elect a new Chair who will work to make the Brooklyn Democratic Party an active democracy.

Transparency in Judicial Selection

 

In New York, certain judicial candidates are nominated directly by political party leaders instead of being nominated in a primary. In Brooklyn, the judges endorsed by the Democratic Party usually run unopposed in the general election. As District Leader, Lydia has a vote in the party’s judicial endorsements. She believes judges should be chosen by the voters through a public process, not by party bosses in back rooms.

  • Alongside her fellow District Leaders, Lydia will organize public and online judicial forums to publicly vet candidates, and give constituents the opportunity to ask them questions directly.

  • Lydia will work with local clubs, legal experts, and people directly impacted by the criminal justice system to create endorsement questionnaires and research candidates’ backgrounds. All endorsement application materials and background research will be made public and emailed to constituents.

  • Throughout the endorsement process, Lydia will seek feedback from her constituents. Before deciding on her final endorsement vote, Lydia will solicit opinions from a wide range of constituents.

Board of Elections Reform

 

For many years, the New York Board of Elections (BOE) has been plagued by nepotism, patronage, and incompetence. The BOE is the backbone of our democracy, and Lydia believes that we deserve elections infrastructure we can trust. She will use her power as a State Committee Member & District Leader to clean up the corruption and party influence on this crucial institution.

  • Many of the problems with the BOE stem from the fact that the agency is directly controlled by political parties. Democratic party leaders can easily install their friends and allies in BOE positions, regardless of how qualified they actually are for the positions. As District Leader, Lydia will work to support legislation to make the BOE non-partisan and professionalized.

  • As District Leader, Lydia will have the power to recommend BOE commissioners and other staff. Similarly to her judicial endorsement process, Lydia will maintain transparency and accountability to her constituents in this process and will only recommend those who have demonstrated qualification for the position and disclosed any conflicts of interest.

  • Lydia will work with local high schools and colleges to recruit fellow young people to work the polls. She will also support efforts to make poll working an accessible option for more people, including breaking up the 16+ hour Election Day shift into multiple shifts and increasing pay for poll workers.