Jimmy Van Bramer + John Choe Endorse Each Other for Queens BP and CD 20

QUEENS, NY (04/03/2021) (readMedia)-- Today, Jimmy Van Bramer and John Choe co-endorsed each other for Queens Borough President and City Council respectively. Both candidates are running people-powered campaigns that uplift Queens' working families.

Van Bramer is the only candidate for Queens Borough President to reject real estate money, uplift small businesses, and put communities at the center of the land use process. Van Bramer opposed the zoning changes to the Special Flushing Waterfront District, and co-sponsors two long-standing small business protection bills- Small Business Jobs Survival Act and Commercial Rent Control in the New York City Council.

"I am thrilled to endorse John Choe for City Council District 20 and to have his endorsement as we fight for a Queens that works for all of us! John is a fierce champion for Flushing and Murray Hill small businesses, especially in the face of this dual pandemic of COVID and Asian hate. I am proud to have fought alongside him against the gentrification and luxury development of the Special Flushing Waterfront District, and look forward to continuing to work together to put people first," said Jimmy Van Bramer.

"Jimmy Van Bramer and I have fought together for two decades to empower our communities in opposition to luxury developers displacing local residents and small business owners in neighborhoods like Flushing, Long Island City and Sunnyside," stated John Choe, candidate for City Council in District 20. "I'm proud to have fought side by side with Jimmy for affordable housing, good jobs, public transit, libraries and the arts as well as fighting for the human rights of all, including immigrants, people of color, and lesbian, gay and transgender New Yorkers. I know Jimmy Van Bramer has the courage and commitment to continue this fight at Borough Hall and wholeheartedly endorse his campaign to become our next Queens Borough President."

Van Bramer is a life-long progressive activist who's been fighting machine politics for over two decades. He is the son of union workers and a lifelong Queens resident. Before being elected to the City Council, he organized for LGBTQ rights, public financing of elections, and for the Queens Public Library.

Choe is a lifelong community activist who has led efforts to enact the City's first language access bill, secure $1.5 million for small businesses, fought against gentrification and luxury development- such as the Special Flushing Waterfront District, and advocated for transportation improvements to reduce congestion and improve street safety in District 20. John Choe is the only candidate for City Council District 20 to reject real estate contributions.

Link to photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bbxj7p0glvat8s3/AAAk05tjhWO9asMgBWceDrZda?dl=0

Background on Van Bramer

Jimmy Van Bramer, born and raised in Astoria, Queens, is the Deputy Leader of the New York City Council. He was first elected to the New York City Council on November 3, 2009, and re-elected in both 2013 and 2017. Van Bramer is a founding member of the progressive caucus of the New York City Council.

He works tirelessly to fight for working people, equality for all, and the importance of improving quality of life in our community- values instilled by his parents. His father, William Van Bramer, was a lifelong member of Printers' and Pressman's Union Local 2, and his mother Elizabeth Van Bramer helped support the family - even through bouts of homelessness and food insecurity - by working as a meat wrapper and cashier at local supermarkets, and was a member of Local 1893 of the International Brotherhood of Painters.

His first foray into organizing was when he was a St. John's University student in 1993, leading a queer group of students who fought to be officially recognized by the largest catholic university in the country. Later, he organized for Ed Sedarbaum's 1998 State Senate race, gravitating towards the nascent movement to elect queer people in Queens and starting his personal decades long fight with the Queens County Democratic Party machine.

In 1998, he was an organizer with Citizen Action of New York to create what-is-now today's current New York City campaign finance system with matching funds. At the same time, he led civil disobedience actions with Irish LGBTQ folks trying to march in the city's St. Patrick's Day parades, which previously banned openly queer groups from marching.

In 2001, he stepped forward as the insurgent candidate against the Queens machine for City Council, coming in second. In the ensuing years, he worked as an organizer for the Queens Public Library and joined the board of the Queens Council on the Arts. In 2009, Van Bramer won his City Council election against Queens County machine pick Deirdre Feerick. He similarly bucked the machine to back Melissa Mark-Viverito for Speaker.

He was a leader in the opposition to $3 billion of tax subsidies for Amazon HQ2 and was the first Queens elected official to endorse Tiffany Cabán for Queens District Attorney.

He currently lives in Sunnyside Gardens with his husband Dan Hendrick. Jimmy married Dan on July 28, 2012, becoming the first openly-gay elected official to get married in the borough of Queens.

Korean:

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??? ??????? ???? ?? ? ???? ?? ??? Deputy Leader???, ??? ??? 2009 ? 11 ? 3 ? ?? ???? ?? ?????? 2013 ?? 2017 ?? ???????. ?????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?????.

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?? Amazon HQ2? ?? 30 ? ??? ?? ???? ??? ?????, Queens ?? ??? ?? Tiffany Cabán? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????????.

?? ?? ?? Dan Hendrick? ?? Sunnyside Gardens? ?? ????. ? ???? 2012 ? 7 ? 28 ? Dan? ???? Queens ???? ???? ? ? ??? ???? ????.

Link to photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bbxj7p0glvat8s3/AAAk05tjhWO9asMgBWceDrZda?dl=0