Mark Griffith, Young Lion Proceeding Instinctively
Was it the words of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his “Why We Can’t Wait” speech that encouraged Mark Winston Griffith to run for the 36th NYC Council seat? Was it simply a personal vision of change in his community? Whatever compelled him, Griffith diligently connected with grassroot, borough and city stakeholders, while respectfully acknowledging encumbent Albert Vann. During his brief speech November 1, 2009 at the Pre-Black Solidarity Day Rally at Boys and Girls High School, Griffith asked for the audience to “vote for him though, he realizes he sits on the shoulders of Albert Vann and sees Vann as a mentor.” CEMOTAP executive Betty Dobson remarked “It’s always good when there’s competition.”Griffith, a Brown University graduate, dubs himself a community activist. Prior to directing the Drum Major Institute, he was a senior policy analyst there. Before that he worked with Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project where he studied predatory lending patterns existing in New York City. His community-based experience includes the Central Brooklyn Partnership and Crown Heights Neighborhood Improvement Association. This campaign has him view his role as “a paid community organizer rather than a legislator.”
The September 15, 2009 primary election results were Griffith being 600 votes shy of winning. The close results had the Griffith campaign team see a chance for victory and constituents were willing to consider someone other than the 35-year veteran of public office. Mark Griffith endorsers mounted to include United Auto Workers, ACORN, Educational Justice PAC, New York Daily News, Council of School Supervisors and Administrators and the Working Families Party. Momentum increased when on October 26, 2009, Council member Charles Barron and Rev. Al Sharpton endorsed Griffith.
“Public office isn’t holding onto power as long as possible but being a connective tissue,” opines Griffith. Vann’s vote for term limit extensions greatly impacted him. “Consider change…hold our leadership accountable and consider a new generation of ideas to come in,” were Griffith’s requests to his neighbors. During a talk at Betsy Ross Apartments in Crown Heights two days before the general election, he acknowledged being “audacious to run against Vann and that as a Working Families Party candidate he was fighting against automatic ticking off down the Democratic column at the poles.”
Election night November 3, he switched between New York 1 and Brooklyn 12 TV stations. By 10 o’clock the final tally of Vann receiving 64% and Griffith receiving 32% was “disappointing” to him. “We knew it was an uphill battle; however, we’re impressed with the 5,000 votes and pleased that a third party line garnered the numbers,” Griffith states reflectively days later. His family and campaign team took cues from him as to the mood during the after party at Akwaaba Mansion. He’s pleased he contributed to getting people to use the Working Families Party to vote for the mayor and 36th CD.
Griffith’s immediate task following the election was completing his chapter on economic recovery strategies for New York City for the Drum Major Institute’s upcoming book. Other issues with which he will be involved are the school to prison pipeline and healthy food delivery to communities of color.
Labels: Brooklyn, NYC politics, Working Families Party
posted by Unknown @ 5:28 PM
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