November 15, 2023, 7:00 pm
Brooklyn Law School and via Zoom
Ilyssa Meyer, President of IND, welcomed those in attendance in person and on Zoom. She noted that our endorsed candidates, as well as those we supported in other districts, won their legislative and judicial offices in the recent election and thanked and congratulated all who worked on the campaigns.
State Senator Andrew Gounardes greeted the Club members.
Nominations for next year’s IND Executive Board were taken. The following were nominated:
President: Seamus Campbell
First Vice President: Danielle Zuckerman
Second Vice President: Karen Johnson
Treasurer: Vicki Eastus
Corresponding Secretary: OPEN
Recording Secretary: Lyn Hill
Board Members: Ira Weinstock, Art Levy, Hal Friedman, Julia Elmaleh-Sachs, Maya Kornberg, Sari Kisilevsky, Joan Millman, Susannah Pasquantonio, Steven Brounstien, Bridget Farrell.
2024 Presidential Election
Marianne Williamson, who is running for the office of President of the United States addressed the membership and asked for their support in the Democratic primary.
Quentin Fulks, Principal Deputy Campaign Manager for Joseph Biden, spoke, (via Zoom), on behalf of the Biden/Harris ticket and asked for IND’s support in the primary. Alana Mounce, Ballot Access Director for the campaign, spoke about the importance of petitioning to make sure Biden is listed on the ballot. Bill Wolfsthal, representing New York for Biden/Harris, also addressed the group and invited visits to the website: nyforbidenharris2024.com.
A motion to endorse Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris as Democratic candidates for President and Vice President was duly made and seconded. A motion to suspend the rules to have a voice vote on the motion was passed. The motion to endorse was passed with one abstention.
A resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass the Earned Time Act (S.774/A.1128), Second Look Act (S.321/A531), and Eliminate Mandatory Minimums Act (S.6471/A.2036A) was made, seconded and passed. (The complete resolution is posted on the IND website.)
Executive Board Chair Steven Brounstein reported on a discussion that the Executive Board had regarding statements tweeted, retweeted, or posted by City Council Member Shahana Hanif. There was concern about the nature of some of these statements and there was consideration of framing a resolution condemning the Council Member or expressing disappointment with her actions. Instead, the Board decided to invite the Council Member to the next meeting of the Club, at which time members will have the opportunity to express their concerns and hear her explanation before deciding whether to move ahead with a possible resolution,
Ilyssa noted that tonight’s meeting had been moved from the usual Thursday time to Wednesday, in order to avoid conflict with a County Committee meeting, which will be followed by a “Rep Your Block” after-party (both on Zoom). Several Club members are also County Committee members. District Leader Lydia Green noted that the meeting would cover two issues: climate change and housing.
Ilyssa announced that there had been a very successful fundraiser for State Senator Gounardes a few days earlier and that there would be a fundraiser for Zellnor Myrie on November 17.
The Annual IND holiday party will be held on either January 21 or 28.
Before adjournment, Ilyssa noted that this was her last meeting as president and that she had enjoyed serving in the role and thanked all who had helped and supported her.