David Yassky

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David Yassky is a member of the New York City Council. First elected in 2001, he represents the 33rd Council District, which includes parts of downtown Brooklyn, including Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, DUMBO, Boerum Hill and Park Slope.

He previously served chief counsel to the House Subcommittee on Crime, a Subcommittee chaired by Rep. Charles Schumer. He was also previously a member of the faculty of the Brooklyn Law School. In 2006 he ran for the Democratic Party's nomination for the 11th Congressional District seat, an open seat held by the retiring Congressman Major Owens. In a primary election held September 12, 2006 Yassky came in second to New York City Councilwoman Yvette Clarke, taking approximately 26% of the total vote in a four-way primary ([1]).

[edit] 2006 Congressional Campaign

Incumbent Congressman Major Owens, Councilmember Al Vann, and the Rev. Al Sharpton (the latter two not being residents of the district) called Councilmember Yassky a "colonizer" and asserted that "a white individual" shouldn't be allowed to hold the Congressional seat. However, because the United States Constitution provides that Members of the United States Congress are elected by the district they seek to represent, neither Rev. Sharpton nor Councilmember Vann was permitted to vote in the election. On September 12, 2006 Yassky garnered 26% of the popular vote, amid light turnout.

The winner was Yvette D. Clarke, who in August 2006 acknowledged to the press that she had lied about having graduated from Oberlin College. Her campaign website for the 2004 elections stated that she was an alumna of Oberlin. She reiterated the claim in her campaign biography furnished to the Board of Elections Voter Guide the following year.

The New York State Board of Elections and the New York City Campaign Finance Board require that candidates running for office in New York City swear under penalties of perjury that the information in their voter profiles is true. Her mother is former New York City Councilmember Una Clarke.

On August 30, 2006, The New York Times endorsed Yassky, citing his "stellar record on the Council" and criticizing his rivals for not making a substantial case for their election, and the Democratic leadership within Brooklyn for failing to find qualified black candidates for this seat.

[edit] External links

• David Yassky For Congress
• For Congress in Brooklyn Endorsement by The New York Times.
• A Yassky Supporter in Brownsville
• Yassky Axes Archaic Laws
• Yassky Opposes Buildings' Demolition
• The Yassky Exception
• The Wonk and the Preacher