Photo: Office of Jimmy Van Bramer
Sept. 20, 2013 By Christian Murray
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City, is interested in becoming the next council speaker, taking over the role from the term-limited Christine Quinn.
While many of the 51 council members are vying for the top council job, many political pundits believe that Van Bramer has a shot since he is in the advantageous position of being a member of two powerful voting blocs in the city council: The Queens Democratic delegation and the Progressive Caucus.
Crains NY broke the story yesterday in an article detailing the horse race.
“I think it would be a terrific opportunity to lead the city council and to do tremendous things for the entire city,” Van Bramer told the Sunnysidepost.
He said it would also be good for the Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside neighborhoods if he were to nab the speakership position. “It’s the second most important job [in city government] and I would be in a position to get more things done.”
Presently there are five or six names being circulated for the position. According to political pundits it will be clearer who the favorites are after the general election.
To get the speaker role, Van Bramer needs 26 council members to support him. The Queens Democratic delegation is comprised of 14 members (with an additional member who represents part of Queens, namely Ridgewood).
The Queens delegation is viewed as being very influential. “It is powerful delegation since we stick together and vote in a block,” Van Bramer said. “Not all delegations do that.”
Meanwhile, the Progressive Caucus, which was founded just four years and focuses on issues such as affordable housing and funding public schools, is currently comprised of 11 council members (four from Queens). After the election, that number is likely to rise to the high teens.
“I think my chances are as good as any others,” Van Bramer said. “The process is unfolding.”
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34 Comments
It’s a tough business,here you are Jimmy van Bramer and then Hans Von Rittern is giving you a hard time!
When will van and von make peace – this has gone on for too long.
Back to the Speaker-I don’t follow too closely but vanB has been out front in all the local battles here,cultural,libraries,transport,community centers…really,he’s everywhere.
He works hard and i note at least from all the photos he’s representing all our diverse communities very well as it should be.
The ABQ faction here are obviously intoxicated that de Blasio was so radical-even though no record and no accomplishments-so radical he has an African-American partner! What a guy,150 years after the emancipation proclamation we embrace a guy because he has a black partner and a son with a great afro that as Obama said tuesday that looks exactly like him some decades ago. The de Blasio use of the race card was very unpleasant.
@RockyBalboa NYC has 14.2% black unemployment rate pretty similar to Detroit’s 16% over all rate. People like JVB seem to get it. Welcome to reality.
…i gotta say….i stopped liking Quinn after a while….just didn’t trust her…yeah it’s great the neighborhood prospered ….but something didn’t smell right there…..i get the same felling with JVB….not saying he is….but crooked is crooked…whether you’re helping your own or not…..sometimes, once you get too big….you forget about the people who got you there….
If you all only knew what a phony this guy is. I have seen him up close and some of his sneaky tactics.
Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy. Welcome to Detroit!
Jimmy Van Bramer kissed me!
Last 12 years of Bloomberg = Detroit for most working class New Yorkers, especially people of color.
Jimmy plus deblasio = Detroit
I support Jimmy Van Bramer 100%.
He has done a great job for ALL the people in his district.
And we both love Jimmy Van Bramer!
the street naming trend is all fluff, he seems like he gets involved. stop with the fluff. You look like a cheap 2 bit politician out looking for BS votes. Pi** people off thats how you earn repsect. Like da man Chris Christie over there in NJ!
Alice, Alice, Alice…always hating on JVB…
Bramer boulevard
Van Bramer = Little Christine Quinn. He practically sits in her lap. I am tired of the two of them – and Melinda Katz. And they are undermining the police. Gun crimes are already going up. Had enough? I do like the idea of a street being named after him: “Van Bramer alley”. Or “Van Bramer Way”.
I’m still bothered by the way public tax dollars were funneled to a private club in Sunnyside. I think JVB is a good guy and a capable politician, but it seems like this was an act that was meant to be kept quiet and away from the attention of the general public. Of course, when everyone found out about it, there was an outcry. Lots of opinions and attempts to justify this funding were declared, but we got nothing but silence from our councilman on this topic. An explanation of how he thought it was justified would have been nice; assurance that it will never happen again would be even nicer.
Jumane Williams can’t even fix a dangerous traffic intersection in his own district. This is who wants to be speaker? Just look at his introduced bills. Laughable!
Jvb brings the bacon. His role as speaker will help spread some of those benefits to other areas of this city.
Jumanne Williams is anti gay marriage and is not pro choice. He is hallucinating is he thinks that he will be elected city council speaker. It has always felt like JVB has been auditioning for a bigger job since he went to the council. I can’t saw that my constituent contacts with his office have been good. That being said, having him as speaker would bring a lot of money to the area.
I was disappointed his name was not among those the Times mentioned yesterday. However, he–not Jumaane–was standing right behind De Blasio on the steps of City Hall when Quinn announced her support of him.
I like Jumanne Williams. I would be proud to have him as speaker, but the hometown boy is my choice.
Run Jimmy Run.
Imagine what it would mean for our neighborhood and our borough if the next Council Speaker was Jimmy Van Bramer. As a Sunnyside/Woodside resident I fully support JVB as Speaker.
House of O’shea – those garbage cans were mint!
But seriously, I would like to think JVB would be fair and not corrupt.
Naive? Perhaps.
I don’t think he’ll get it. I think Jumaane Williams will get it.
Thanks jimmy! All the derrière kissing accusations is just uncalled for. Eric Goya beans presented us with trash cans attached to his name.
Jimmy has done a great job……Good luck!
Woodside wordup: I – see the truth. The truth is, you are the company you keep. Yes, Jimmy seems to be the little smiling darling…so was Quinn. Both censored their detractors, than is a dangerous first step. You can vote for your candidate, I will vote for mine with my eyes wide open.
I am 57 and am a born and raised native Queens resident, living in Sunnyside 18 years. Bramer got the improvement because of the unbalanced share of funds Quinn doled out to her “favorites”. Yes, we benefited, but many other residents who didn’t cow-tow to Quinn…did not.
Hmmmm…both of you put YOUR words in MY mouth: “abusive” and “hysteria”. I have done nothing but stated facts that you have not addressed.
The Bloomberg/Quinn era and it’s destructive ties have got to come to an end, so I will not vote for Quinn’s mini-me Bramer. My non-hysterical, unemotional, rational, truth seeing vote. You – can vote for what you (can’t) see.
Have a good day.
Hans – You need to open your eyes. Van Bramer has done nothing but good things for Western Queens. I don’t know where you get your news but every time I see him its nothing but great improvements to our neighborhoods. How long have you lived here? Probably a short amount of time. The last guy who served in that position never materialized much.
As for the Quinn thing: Get over it. She is done, out of site. So is Bloomberg. There was an election (which you probably didn’t know about). The voters decided that she wasnt the appropriate choice and voted overwhelmingly. If Van Bramer became Speaker he would be a representative of the people for the people.
Hans Stop pumping this hysteria and just accept you have a good if not great Council Member. If you cant handle that I suggest you move to Inez Dickens’ district where shes asleep at the wheel.
The ‘Van’ in Van Bramer’s name, like ‘Von’ (in Han’s name) is a preposition, not technically part of the name. It means ‘of’ or ‘from’ like the ‘da’ in Leonardo da Vinci. It’s common for Europeans like Hans to drop it when referring to someone. It’s not incorrect to do so.
Blasio+Bramer=Detroit
Great more pluggers to invade what was once beautiful Sunnyside/ Woodside. Let the sky rocketing increases begin.
I knew that is the sort of response I would get (Keeping it real).
I am not some sort of crushed person upset that he unfriended me. It is a dangerous matter of free speech. More than four of us were deleted off his page for speaking our mind in a rational and concise manner.
How dare you ‘keeping/real’ put words in MY mouth and say my comments were “abusive”?! Did you see them? No. Do you know me? No. Take your blinders off and see VAN Bramer for who he is.
Honestly, that last guy’s comment just seems like a personal issue. He’s obviously, upset about being unfriended by someone who doesn’t want abusive comments on their page. Plus it’s Van Bramer not Bramer. Just sayin’.
BRAMMER = QUINN! He has been that evil woman’s close lap dog since she has been in her destructive position as speaker. He is a fake as she is. ABQ campaign said “Anybody But Quinn”, I say, ABB “Anybody But Brammer.”
Anyone so closely tied to her is as dangerous as she.
Example: If you post a contrary opinion on his Facebook page, he will censor/delete and ‘un-friend’ you. Nothing like free speech, eh Jimmy? He has done it to more than several Sunnyside residents. Same tactic as Quinn.
Furthermore, since he is in her and Bloomberg’s pockets he wants Citi-bikes in Sunnyside. WE HAVE OUR OWN BIKES! We don’t need to sacrifice scarce parking for the sake of greedy corporate advertising.
They say you judge a person by who your close friends are…Quinn + Brammer = bad deal. ANYONE BUT BRAMER.
Go, Jimmy! Go!
Bramer is a hustler- point blank…The last vestiges of a law abiding political figure; someone that cares and gets the job done!
My grandmother is a member of the Sunnyside senior citizen community center and the apple of my eye; Bramer was able to raise $2.6 million dollars for the space. When grammy is happy, I’m happy!
Long live Jimmy!
If he gets it, let’s name a street after him.