By Sarina Trangle
U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) faces a lone challenger in his bid to earn a sophomore title.
Jeffries, whose district stretches from Bedford-Stuyvesant to Brighton Beach in Brooklyn and includes Howard Beach and parts of Ozone Park, will appear on the Democratic and Working Families’ ticket.
His conservative opponent, Alan Bellone, appears to live outside the boundaries of the district in Brooklyn, according to Board of Elections paperwork.
Bellone did not respond to an interview request and does not have a campaign website.
Jeffries, who sits on the Judiciary and Budget Committee, said he would prioritize the federal government’s ongoing work in Jamaica Bay, which hinges on dredging the waters, replenishing sand and using vegetation to rebuff future storms.
“I look forward to continuing my work on Superstorm Sandy recovery and making sure that the Army Corp. of Engineers is engaged in the effort to strengthen costal resiliency,” he said in an interview.
The congressman said he co-sponsored a bill that would gradually raise the federalminimum hourly wage from $7.25 to $10.10 over two years and would back measures seeking to tie future minimum wage adjustments to inflation.
Jeffries said he sought to strengthen the U.S. border, particularly in Southwestern states, enact an e-verification system to punish employers who improperly hire undocumented workers and create a pathway toward citizenship for those illegally in the country.
Locally, the incumbent said he would collaborate with congressional colleagues on mitigating airplane noise and pollution concerns near the borough’s airports, work with city and state officials on decreasing property tax rates and improving southwest Queens’ sewage and infrastructure system, and outline a community engagement process should a formal soccer stadium near Aqueduct emerge.
“It’s too early to take a position on the stadium outside of trying to ensure the process is appropriate,” he said.
According to Bellone’s LinkedIn account, he is president of A Stitch Above, a silk screening and embroidery company that has contracts with the city Department of Education.
While unsuccessfully running for Congress last year, Bellone wrote an editorial that said he believes the country is declining due to high unemployment rates and poor foreign policy.
Jeffries reported having $462,319 on hand in the latest Federal Election Commission filings.
Bellone does not appear to have met the $5,000 threshold that requires candidates to register campaigns with the FEC.
Reach reporter Sarina Trangle at 718-e260-4546 or by e-mail at strangle@cnglocal.com.
