On Tuesday, Sheepshead Bites and GerritsenBeach.net sponsored the first blog-hosted political debate in New York City, rounding up candidates for the 46th City Council District. The debate featured incumbent Lew Fidler (D), Gene Berardelli (R), and Derek Sacerdote (L) with Gerritsen Beach Property Owners Association President George Broadhead serving as moderator. The 46th District covers the neighborhoods of Bergen Beach, Canarsie, Georgetowne, Starrett City, Flatlands, Futurama, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill Island, Gerritsen Beach, Madison and Sheepshead Bay.
A feisty debate, the candidates wrangled over special interest groups, term limits, making New York City affordable, transit issues, and more. And yes, we got to see a taste of that nastiness, as allegations of antisemitism flared once more.
Questions for the debate were compiled from readers of both Sheepshead Bites and GerritsenBeach.net, as well as from local leaders on the Community Board and civic associations, and local news outlets. Moderator George Broadhead had the final say in determining questions.
People keep asking us: who won the debate? Well, we don’t want to become horse-race commentators. Instead, we’ll let you do that! But we will say we thought all the candidates expressed themselves well, and gave us a good idea on where they stand with a variety of issues. After the debate, we certainly felt like we had a better idea of their individual viewpoints, and each candidate held their own.
We want to once again thank all of our participants, and our moderator, who were patient and accommodating towards helping us put together this event. We’d also like to thank Baron DeKalb-Knights of Columbus, who supplied space, and Joe Mikos, who handled the video.
Check out the video and hear where your potential councilman stands on issues important to the city and our little nook, then let us know below what you thought of their responses!
Download Full Video – Warning 2GB – WMV Video File
Thanks for posting this debate. I am more confused now than before I watched it. There are alot of qualities that I like and dislike about each candidate. Lew Fidler had a lot of good points and a pretty good track record, however I didn’t appreciate (what I took for) smirking through the debate. Gene also had some good points, however I didn’t like (what I took for) his condescending attitude. Derek was a breath of fresh air and I do believe that he has more interaction with the average person, however he (seemed to) be stuck in Canarsie. The perfect candidate would be a mixture of the three. I’m leaning toward Derek because I feel that even though he doesn’t have political experience, he truly wants what regular people want. My only draw back is that he will not know how to navigate all the red tape. Like I said, I’m more confused now and have alot to think about before voting.
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Thanks for watching… I think I was more nervous than anything else during the taping. Frankly, I don’t think I did as good of a job as I could have. Thank you for the feedback.
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Vote early, vote often!
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@Michael P. Judge, Lew Fiedler was more polished and sincere in his answers. Berardelli seemed like he was under a detectives light and lied thru his teeth.
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@poker face, I somewhat agree with the assessment, except with the lying through my teeth part. I sincerely answered every response.
I think everyone knew that the Councilman would be more polished – he’s had an 8 year head start. Not an excuse, merely a fact. I think we all left with so much left unsaid. Could I have done better? Definitely. I think we all could have. But I’m comfortable enough with my campaign as a whole to take it all in, keep working hard, and keep moving forward.
That said, I can live with the results and move forward with the final days of the election and then leaving it to the voters to take in the past few months into account and cast their vote.
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Thanks Dan and to the others that did the hard work of putting this up. And special thanks to George Broadhead, a true gentleman of unquestioned integrity.
Thanks as well to those that watch it. I apologize if I appear to be smirking. The TV camera does strange things…sometimes it looks like I have a moustache. When I was 17, I tried to grow one….so I know for sure that it wasn’t now what it appeared to be. LOL
Anyway, whatever you decide, please remember to vote. And thank you for having given me the honor and privilege of representing you until now.
Lew From Brooklyn
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I know more about local politics now than I ever have before thanks to this website. I used to just vote for whoever sent me less annoying mail or who shook my hand at some community event. Now you can actually vote for someone based on what they do or do not stand for. Some of the people against sites like this must be in favor of the times when we had local government in the background and many of us just didnt notice what they were doing. In the past; one day I would probably just walk up Gerritsen Avenue and say, “Wow they put bathrooms in that park”. Now I see the argument for and against, its good to see so many people so passionate about their neighborhood! I for one never thought I would care, but I do.
To those of you who particpated in the debate, it took guts to show up, congrats!
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@, Reading this comment makes running worthwhile regardless of outcome! Thank you!
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Why try to understand local politics, since its workings are more like the deliberation of a jury than a public forum? Well, that’s less true than it used to be. I love that blogging and social networking are making candidates and issues accessible, and the voices of locals easily heard. Thank you bloggers for hosting this debate, and candidates for presenting yourselves.
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Congratulations to Lew, you had to get my vote just based on the fact that you are so accessable and seem to want to listen to our concerns. The endorsement you received from our most respected community leaders said alot. Gene B., I hope that you stay active and aware of our communities and run again in the future. Derek Sacerdote, you made alot of good points, but there are alot of issues that most people don’t agree with, such as legalizing the dollar vans. I hope that you stay active in your neighborhood and in politics. Good Luck to all of you. And thank you for running a fairly clean race.
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GB Resident: Thank you for the kind words.
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