My phone hasn’t stopped ringing today. People want to congratulate
me on last night’s victory in the Brooklyn District Attorney primary election.
But it wasn’t my victory. It was
yours.
And it was Ken Thompson’s.
I don’t take my endorsements lightly. I’m not interested in
being a so-called “power broker.” That’s someone elses obsession. I am only
interested in doing the right thing. When it came to the Brooklyn DA’s race, the right thing for Brooklyn and
my constituents was supporting Ken.
From the moment I met Ken, I liked him. We spoke about the
issues and about who he was, and I said to myself, “This is a good man. Regardless
of what happens in this election, I believe he’s the best man for the job.”
I must be honest: I believe that people who supported
Charles Hynes in my community did so out of fear. That’s not the right way to
do things. The correct approach is to stand up for what we believe in—and for
the people we believe in—regardless of
the consequences. That’s why I was the first elected official to take a
stance on sexual abuse within our community, long before it was acceptable to
even acknowledge the problem. To many, it still isn’t. People wanted my head.
But that didn’t matter—right is right.
I knew that standing up for Ken Thompson wouldn’t be the
most popular stance. An incumbent had not lost a DA race in our borough in over
100 years. Standing up for Ken had nothing to do with showing how many votes I
could swing. It wasn’t about me or my ego. It was about our community.
Everyone agrees that Ken is a smart guy, a good man. I saw
that every time we spoke, every time we discussed the issues and the imbalance
of justice we’d seen here on too many occasions. And as I stood with Ken last
night at his victory party, I saw something else, too. I already knew that his
credentials were impeccable, but last night I watched how Ken thoughtfully treated
his wife. I watched the tremendous respect that Ken showed toward his mother. These
small things just added to the picture that I already had of our next DA: Ken
Thompson is a mensch.
For those who have been fooled by rhetoric, I tell you your
fears are in vain. Ken will be fair to the members of the Jewish community as
Ken will be fair to the members of every
community. I look forward to working with a District Attorney where we have an open door.
My job last night wasn’t to deliver an overwhelming majority of our
community. The odds were too strong and the misinformation and rhetoric too
great. My job was to help Ken get
enough
of our community to make a difference, and to do so by informing you of the
facts. I’m proud of the stance I took.
And I’m proud of those of you who like
AMI
Magazine took the bold and honest position of supporting Ken.
But it wasn’t my victory. It was yours. And it was Ken Thompson’s.
