Bed-Stuy Assembly Race Could Turn Into Surprise Battle

Assemblywoman Annette Robinson. Photo courtesy of the MTA

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Local politics website Kings County Politics reported Monday that New York State Assemblywoman Annette Robinson, a Democrat who has represented Bed-Stuy in the Assembly for nearly 15 nears, won't seek re-election in the fall.

But despite repeated attempts by Patch to obtain confirmation or denial from Robinson or her staffers, no comment had been offered as of Wednesday evening.

According to Kings County Politics, the assemblywoman announced she wouldn't be running at a meeting last weekend of the Vanguard Independent Democratic Association (VIDA), a Bed-Stuy political organization.

Even so, when contacted by Patch, Robinson spokesman Michael Smith deferred comment to Robinson's chief of staff, Adrienne Johnson.

Johnson, in turn, wrote in an email that Robinson, who is in Albany, would respond to the matter personally. But on Wednesday afternoon, Patch was told the assemblywoman had left her office for the day, without comment.

According to Kings County Politics, Robinson coupled her retirement news with an immediate endorsement of Tremaine Wright — the former owner of the recently shuttered Common Grounds coffee shop and community space at Tompkins and Putnam Avenues, as well as the chair of Community Board 3.

Wright, like Robinson, could not be reached for comment Tuesday or Wednesday.

Still, it's fairly clear she's running: Wright already has a campaign website, complete with a "Tremaine Wright for Assembly" banner. She also held her first campaign fundraiser in December, according to The Brooklyn Reader.

But Wright won't be the only one vying for Robinson's seat this fall.

Karen Cherry, a staffer for Democratic Brooklyn Assemblyman Erik M. Dilan — whose district is adjacent to Robinson's — confirmed Tuesday that she will be entering the race for the 56th Assembly District.

Reached by phone, Cherry said she waited to start her campaign until she learned whether Robinson planned to run. Cherry claimed she spoke with numerous community members who confirmed Robinson wasn't seeking re-election.

(VIDA member and Community Board 3 staffer Henry Butler is likewise under the impression Robinson isn't running. He wrote on his Facebook page Wednesday that "VIDA membership also endorsed Ms. Tremaine Wright['s] candidacy for the 56th Assembly District Seat.")

Cherry's entrance will make for a "tough race," Stephen Witt of Kings County Politics wrote Monday.

Witt had previously reported in December that the assemblywoman planned to step down from her seat before the election — a strategic move that would have allowed her to appoint Wright to the seat.

Doing so would let the CB3 chair avoid "a difficult Democratic Party primary" battle with Cherry, according to Witt.

A Brooklyn political insider told Patch that with two "well-qualified" candidates like Cherry and Wright in the running, the seat will be the focus of "a big Democratic battle."

Neither Wright nor Cherry have held elected office before. Both, however, boast substantial Democratic Party credentials and deep community ties.

Cherry reportedly grew up in Bed-Stuy's Tompkins Houses. Before she worked for Assemblyman Dilan, she spent more than two decades on the staff of former Brooklyn Congressman Ed Towns, according to Kings County Politics.

Wright, too, is a Bed-Stuy native. Before rising to the top of Community Board 3, she studied at Duke University and the University of Chicago, as well as launching Common Grounds.

The Democratic primary election is scheduled for Sept. 13. The general election will take place on Nov. 8.