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The Road To City Hall’s Errol Louis (a district 35 resident) hosted Councilmember Laurie Cumbo, Borough President Eric Adams, and neighboring Councilmember Jumaane Williams to talk J’Ouvert and the Bedford-Union Armory deal. Their enthusiasm for the deal was underwhelming (see picture) but each politician endorsed the overall goal of the project without consenting to the deal in its current form, leaving open the likelihood that the mayor and BFC will eventually develop the property.

In the segment, Cumbo said, “People were clear, they did not want any sale of the armory, and so we have to hold true to that. We do not want to see any sale of the armory. Right now, out of 330 units of housing, only 18 are affordable to the residents of Crown Heights,” echoing the words of community activists for the first time.

Pols: Show us the money! City withholding financial details on armory deal, lawmakers say

IDC member Jesse Hamilton decries lack of transparency for Bedford-Union Armory deal:

[T]he state senator also doubts that below-market-rate rents could fund the operation of the rec center, noting that area residents would be the first to lose access to the facility if that revenue fails to maintain it.

“So what happens? The rec center loses money,” Hamilton said at the meeting. “So they raise the fees so the people from the community who should have been using it can’t use it.”

De Blasio team supports Council incumbent in race defined by his development agenda

For de Blasio, the campaign is both a test of his controversial development strategy as well as his political cachet.

“A defeat for Laurie would be a defeat for the kind of strategy that underlies the armory project, which is essentially to leverage private-sector development to squeeze affordable units and other public benefits,” said one Council member supporting Cumbo.

Rep. Jeffries Endorses Council Member Cumbo for Reelection

The Congressman said he plans to actively campaign for Cumbo in local churches, block parties, senior centers, subway stations, and “whatever else it takes to make sure she wins decisively” in the September 12 primary and the November 7 general. Jeffries is extremely popular among his constituents and was reelected last year with 93.3 percent of the vote in the general election after being unopposed in the primary.