FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT PEARL – PAID FOR BY THE FRIENDS OF JAIME 2026
An Open Letter To The Community
Dear Neighbor:
In the heat of a political primary, facts often become casualties of ambition. Labels are thrown around carelessly, narratives are manufactured, and long records of public service are suddenly reduced to slogans and smears. That is exactly what is happening in the Democratic primary against Jaime Williams.
Let me set the record straight, and not allow facts to be distorted, events to be manipulated and voters misled. Although I stay away from editorializing, as I was at almost each and every rally, community board and civic meeting, when the most pressing issues needed a voice and representation, and reported on same. Quite factually, Jaime was there; her primary opponent wasn’t.
Williams is not a Republican in disguise. She is not a turncoat. She is not some rogue politician who abandoned her party. (In fact, it is my opinion that the party abandoned her and many other common-sense public servants.) She is, and always has been, a lifelong Democrat who overwhelmingly caucuses and votes with the Democratic majority in Albany.
But unlike many elected officials today, she is also willing to stand up and say “no” when policies pushed by the far-left wing of her party threaten the very neighborhoods she was elected to protect.
That is not weakness. That is leadership.
Williams has built a reputation as a common-sense Democrat — one supported not only by constituents, but by moderate Democrats, civic leaders, community voices and longtime Brooklyn Democratic figures who understand that governing requires independence, not blind ideological obedience.
Her opponents now seek to weaponize that independence.
Some attacks against Williams stem from her opposition to the disastrous handling of the Floyd Bennett Field migrant crisis. Yet those attacks deliberately ignore reality. Williams never opposed immigrants. She herself is an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago. What she opposed was the reckless and inhumane decision to place migrant families in tents in a flood-zone federal site never intended for human housing.
She stood in the rain at Floyd Bennett Field while others issued statements from afar.
And, importantly, opposition to that shelter was bipartisan and broad-based. Community coalitions, civic groups, mutual-aid volunteers, environmental advocates and Democratic elected officials all raised alarms about the conditions and legality of the site. This was not some fringe position. It was a community uprising against failed policy.
Williams stood with her constituents when many others would not.
The same was true on issues like the “City of Yes” rezoning proposals and dangerous lithium-ion battery storage facilities proposed near residential neighborhoods. Residents were frightened, angry and desperate for representation. Williams showed up repeatedly and fought for her district in Albany and at home.
Where was her primary opponent during those fights? Nowhere.
Before deciding he wanted to represent this community, he was largely absent from the rallies, civic meetings, protests and neighborhood battles that consumed southeast Brooklyn. While residents packed community board meetings and fought for their neighborhoods, there was little public engagement, advocacy or leadership from someone who now claims he is ready to replace a senior Assembly member.
In addition, her opponent is selling himself as the “real Democrat” (whose definition is debatable these days). Although a talented contributing writer, columnist and colleague of this very newspaper, I do not recall him using his pen and platform to discuss these critical issues, comment on them nor take a stand in print, online or in person. I, on the other hand, have routinely and frequently covered and reported on these issues, and was present at every occasion – but I digress, this is not about me.
This is not a knock on youth or ambition nor a personal attack on this candidate or his character. Every generation deserves new voices. But experience matters. Relationships matter. Seniority matters. Influence matters.
Williams is a senior member of the Assembly with committee positions, institutional knowledge and access to resources that directly benefit District 59 — from schools and infrastructure to public safety and community programs. Replacing that with an inexperienced freshman aligned with activist elements of the far-left may satisfy ideological factions but risks weakening the district’s voice in Albany.
Perhaps the most disturbing and largest attack on her is the dishonest effort to falsely portray Williams as endorsing Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. SHE DID NOT! A published report claiming otherwise was formally retracted after review of the record and her remarks.
<< Retraction from Vol. 105, Issue 39
September 29, 2025, Vol. 105 No. 40 (https://canarsiecourier.com/retraction-from-vol-105-issue-39/)
In the September 25th edition of the Canarsie Courier, the article entitled “Curtis Sliwa Opens Southeast Brooklyn Campaign Headquarters With Thunderous Support” stated that Assemblywoman Jaime Williams offered an “official endorsement.” Upon review of the event and her remarks, we wish to clarify that while Williams did not issue a formal endorsement, she did express strong appreciation for Sliwa’s consistent presence in the community. She highlighted his efforts on issues of concern to her district and constituents, including the migrant tent city at Floyd Bennett Field, proposed lithium-ion battery storage sites and the “City of Yes” rezoning proposals. Her remarks were intended as recognition of shared priorities and advocacy, not as an official endorsement. We regret the error.>>
Acknowledging that Sliwa showed up repeatedly to community events and neighborhood rallies, when others did not, was not an endorsement. It was an observation of fact.
Finally, Williams did not simply speak out on community issues — she took action. She introduced and advocated for legislation aimed at restricting the placement of lithium-ion battery storage facilities near residential neighborhoods, schools and businesses, responding to serious community safety concerns over fire risks and lack of oversight. During the Floyd Bennett Field migrant crisis, she also joined bipartisan legal efforts challenging the shelter’s placement at the federal park site, standing with local residents and community groups in opposition to what many viewed as an unsafe and inhumane policy.
Voters should reject smear tactics and manufactured labels. Judge Jaime Williams on her actual record: her advocacy, her accomplishments, her consistency and her willingness to stand up — when her constituents are threatened by bad policy.
This election should not be about rigid ideology or political purity tests. It should be about who has truly fought for this community — and who will continue to do so.
Respectfully,
Robert Pearl,
Canarsie Courier
PAID FOR BY THE FRIENDS OF JAIME 2026
