Over the weekend, many Brooklyn Heights residents who usually vote at the under-construction P.S. 8 received a postcard telling them that their polling place was now 250 Cadman Plaza West and not 38 Water Street in DUMBO as announced earlier. Also in the mail that day (at least for us) was a letter from district leader candidates Steve Williamson and Hope Reichbach. The dispatch claimed responsibility for securing the new facility after “[you] asked us to find a better polling site location.” The letter states that Reichbach and Williamson worked with City Councilman Steve Levin to set up the new polling site at 250 CPW. Makes sense since candidate Reichbach works for Levin as his communications director. Confusing? Yes. Misleading? Maybe. Totally blackwhite newspeak? Well, read the full letter here and make up your own mind.
Incumbent (female) district leader Jo Anne Simon and (male) candidate Jesse Strauss issued this statement in response this afternoon:
When Assemblywoman Joan Millman and District Leader Jo Anne Simon were informed of the unavailability of P.S. 8 as a polling site for tomorrow’s Primary election they immediately sought a more convenient polling place than the one originally announced by the Board of Elections.
In response to the false and misleading accusations by the Lopez–Reichbach–Williamson team and District Leader candidates Hope Reichbach and Steve Williamson regarding the last minute moving of several polling locations in Brooklyn Heights, Independent Democratic candidates Jo Anne Simon and Jesse Strauss released the following statement:
It is deeply disappointing that Bushwick political boss Vito Lopez’ hand-picked candidates Hope Reichbach and Steve Williamson are so desperate they are lying to voters about their role in relocating several polling sites.These lies by the Lopez–Reichbach–Williamson team are just more of their shameful attempts to distract voters from their lack of community involvement.The polling sites in question are being moved temporarily due to construction at P.S. 8, a school that has undergone a renaissance due to the hard work of elected officials like Joan Millman and other community leaders. Neither Reichbach nor Williamson lifted a finger to help make P.S. 8 the wonderful school it has become. Now they are using the renovations there to spread lies and make themselves appear to be involved in the community.
We are confident the voters will not be misled by the Lopez–Reichbach–Williamson team’s attempts to mislead them.