See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Will Bredderman
Brooklyn Daily
The latest of the candidates flocking to replace term-limited Councilman Domenic Recchia is a longtime shepherd of the Coney Island community.
Pastor Connis Mobley of the United Community Baptist Church has become the fourth candidate to jump into the race to take over the district covering the People’s Playground, Seagate, and parts of Bensonhurst and Gravesend — and he claims his experiences as a religious leader and a Teamster make him the best man for the job.
Mobley — whose father founded the house of worship where he now preaches at the corner of W. 27th Street and Mermaid Avenue — vowed to continue his close contact with neighborhood residents once in office, and to be constantly responsive to their needs.
“I see myself as an employee of the community. We would sit down for some community forums, and let the people decide what direction we go in,” said Mobley, who has led the church for the past 16 years. “I have the three Ls. First, be a good listener, listen to what their concerns are. Then by listening, learn what their needs are. And by listening and learning, I can lead them to the resources they need.”
Mobley attacked developers and the city for not producing the economic benefits promised to Coney Island residents during the contentious rebuilding and rezoning process of the past decade. The faith leader pointed to the failure to make MCU Park a year-round attraction or to hire neighborhood residents for the construction of the new Stilwell Avenue station and other new buildings and attractions that have gone up in the last several years. He said he would use union-style tactics to end the pattern of letdowns.
“One thing that the unions do that we need to learn from is having a direct action call to action,” said Mobley. “That’s how we need to deal with these developers — sit down at the table and say, ‘This is what you need to do: A, B, and C. And if you don’t do it, we won’t do business with you.’ ”
Mobley suggested putting similar pressure on small businesses located outside the amusement district, like restaurants and bodegas, which mostly belong to people who do not live in the area and do not hire staff from the community. He said he would ask the shopkeepers to contribute to a fund that would help native Coney Islanders start their own businesses.
“We need to speak to them and let them know, if you’re going to continue to work in our community, and we’re going to feed your families, you have to help us feed our families,” said Mobley.
Mobley also proposed holding money-management classes to teach residents how to make good investments.
Like his three rivals, Mobley pledged to allocate discretionary funds to rebuild Sandy-shattered parts of the district, and to keep the iconic Boardwalk wooden. But unlike his foes, Mobley said he would support Borough President Markowitz’s vision of a casino in the People’s Playground if there were grassroots support for the project.
“I would side with whatever the community says,” said Mobley, adding that he has personal reservations about gambling.
Mobley will face Council Speaker Christine Quinn aide John Lisyanskiy, Assemblyman Bill Colton (D-Bensonhurst) ally Mark Treyger, and community activist Todd Dobrin in the September Democratic primary.
Louis Jerome — the scion of a Manhattan real estate family and a major Recchia donor — was considering running for the seat, but decided to instead form a political action committee to advocate for small business issues citywide.
Mobley is the only candidate actually living in Coney Island. Treyger and Lisyanskiy both hail from Bensonhurst, while Dobrin resides in Seagate.
But the pastor comes in at a steep fund-raising disadvantage to his rivals. Both Treyger and Dobrin say they have raised over $54,000, mostly in small donations, making them eligible for the maximum of $92,400 in public matching funds. Lisyanskiy’s camp did not have exact funding figures as of our midnight deadline, but in an April e-mail to supporters, the Council staffer said he had already raised over $100,000.
Reach reporter Will Bredderman at wbredderman@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4507. Follow him attwitter.com/WillBredderman.