Every two years, the General Membership of the Kings County Democratic Committee (CC) elects 13 members to serve as the committee’s Officers. These Officers perform administrative functions like maintaining the roll of general membership, keeping minutes of the meetings, and maintaining the CC’s financials.

This year, several reform-minded political organizations have come together to propose candidates to be considered for these positions. This coalition includes Yalla Brooklyn, the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, New Kings Democrats, Sunset Park Latino Democrats, Southwest Brooklyn Progressive Democrats, the Ernest Skinner Political Association, and the North Brooklyn Progressive Democrats.

In forming this list of candidates, the coalition felt it was important to put forward people with ties to their community, with a history of political action in Brooklyn, and who represent a diverse array of voices from across the borough. We are proud to announce the following candidates for consideration at the September 27 County Committee meeting.

• Candidate for Chair – Brandon West: Brandon is a longtime reformer and policy advocate from the good government world. After spending years analyzing the city’s budget in the Mayor’s Office and City Council, he now works advocating and organizing nationally around voting rights of historically disadvantaged communities. He is the president of New Kings Democrats.
• Candidate for Vice-Chair – Claudia Galicia: Claudia is a native of Puebla, Mexico and has lived in Brooklyn since 1990. She has a wealth of experience fighting for immigrant’s rights and is the first Latina in Brooklyn to be President of a political club, Sunset Park Latino Democrats. Claudia has also led the Participatory Budgeting outreach process for the 38th Council District. Her work has ensured that over 6,000 community members voted in PB.
• Candidate for 2nd Vice-Chair – Murad Awawdeh: Murad is President of Yalla Brooklyn! Yalla was created to build and sustain the Arab and Muslim community’s civic and electoral engagement. He is the Vice President of the New York Immigration Coalition and Political Director of the NYS Immigrant Action Fund. Murad was previously the President of the Muslim Democratic Club of NY.
• Candidate for 3rd Vice-Chair – Nahisha McCoy: Nahisha has lived in Red Hook for 20 years and has deep ties to her community. She is a mother of three boys and currently serves as the Co-president of the Board of Directors for Falcon Works and is a Board Member for Cora Dance.
• Candidate for 4th Vice-Chair – John Guzek: John is the President of the North Brooklyn Progressive Democrats (NBPD), previously serving as its Chief of Operations. In these roles, he organized get out the vote efforts, established and led NBPD’s Local Issues Subcommittee that worked with Brooklyn Community Board 1 to remove absentee members and reform attendance policies, and led NBPD’s recruitment efforts around running for County Committee.
• Candidate for 5th Vice-Chair – Stacy Boyd: A Sunset Park mother of two, Stacy has been an active participant in Sunset Park's Love Trumps Hate and a vocal anti-IDC organizer. Stacy is currently a member of the Education and Parks committees for Community Board 7 and is the founder of Brooklyn Wild, which provides exploratory outdoor free play classes for elementary students in Sunset Park.
• Candidate for 6th Vice-Chair – William Vega: William has over thirty years of experience working with City government, helping hundreds of NYC small business to thrive, educating owners on how to navigate government regulations and resources. William is a bridge builder, working hard to cultivate relationships and trust.
• Candidate for Secretary – Theodore Moore Theodore has over 15 years of nonprofit and political advocacy experience, having worked as a Senior Policy Analyst in the City Council Speaker’s Office and as a National Lead Organizer with the Restaurant Opportunities Center United, with ALIGN: the Alliance for a Greater New York, and with the Working Families Party. Theodore is a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, born and raised in East Flatbush.
• Candidate for 1st Assistant Secretary – Ernest Skinner: Ernest is the Community Liaison for Council Member Jumaane D. Williams and Chairman of the Ernest Skinner Political Association (ESPA). A former Vice President and Community Development Director of Citigroup, Mr. Skinner has been actively involved politically in the Caribbean community over several decades.
• Candidate for 2nd Assistant Secretary – Dr. Ahmad Jaber: Ahmad is a pillar in the Arab American Community in Brooklyn. He has founded organizations such as the Arab American Association of New York, Yalla Brooklyn, and serves on Community Board 10. Ahmad has served on county committee and looks forward to helping build a more engaged membership.
• Candidate for Treasurer – Joan Alexander-Bakiriddin: Joan has over 15 years of experience managing content and knowledge transfer for business systems. She was a founding member of Political Power Through Organizing, a graduate of Citizens Police Academy; and volunteers with several community-based non-profit organizations. She has served as the Treasurer of a local city council member’s campaign multiple times.
• Candidate for Assistant Treasurer – Genesis Aquino: Genesis has lived in Sunset Park since childhood. She has worked serving low income children and families in Brooklyn’s public school and at the City Council. Genesis currently works as a Program Coordinator with Housing Courts Answers, where she advocates for stronger tenant protection laws and for the preservation of public housing. Genesis is a strong believer in civic engagement and is committed to strengthening the Democratic Party in Brooklyn.
• Candidate for Sergeant at Arms – Julio Peña: Julio is an active Southwest Brooklyn Democrats Member and First Vice Chair of Brooklyn Community Board 7. He is a Senior Program Director at Good Shepherd Services and identifies as Puerto Rican and LGBTQ.