Boerum Hill, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, Bed-Stuy, Red Hook

Jason Salmon ★ Preferred Candidate
Age: 34
Occupation: Community Organizer
Education: Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford
Candidate Website: https://salmon4ny.com/

Jason Salmon is a community organizer and lifelong resident of Fort Greene-Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. After studying music in college, Salmon opened his own recording studio where he worked with many Brooklyn-based artists. He served as a Community Liaison for the outgoing State Senator for this district, Velmanette Montgomery, from 2016 to 2019 where he worked on civic engagement initiatives. Salmon is running to advocate for his community in Albany with a particular focus on comprehensive criminal justice reform. He also prioritizes affordable housing, education reform, and tax reform. He supports all of Citizens Union’s policy items, with an emphasis on police accountability and civic education in schools. During his interview, Salmon gave thoughtful, substantive answers and demonstrated that he had the necessary experience and qualifications. He also spoke about his efforts over the past three years, in particular, representing people in the district and bridging gaps between residents and government. Citizens Union prefers Salmon in this race because of his experience working in state government and alignment with reform issues.

Jabari Brisport
Age: 32
Occupation: New York Public School Teacher
Education: New York University, B.A.; Yale University, M.F.A.
Candidate Website: https://jabariforstatesenate.com/

 Jabari Brisport is a NYC public school teacher, union member, and third generation Caribbean-American from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Brisport is running to change the deep disinvestment and gentrification in his community and create a government that invests in everyday, working class people. He ran for City Council District 35 in 2017, which partially covers Senate District 25, but lost to the incumbent. Brisport supports criminal justice, housing, environmental justice, education, and health reforms. His platform prioritizes free and fair election measures, with a focus on public financing of state elections and strict donation limits. He also supports automatic voter registration, reinstating voting rights for incarcerated people, expanding vote-by-mail, and police accountability measures, including prohibiting police from lying to suspects and elected oversight of the police. Citizens Union admires Brisport’s dedication to political reform and his interest in continuing the conversation on policy and accountability.

Tremaine Wright
The candidate declined to return Citizen Union’s questionnaire.