WILL BROWN ANNOUNCES
CANDIDACY FOR CITY COUNCIL

Ladies and Gentlemen of Harlem:

It is a special day for me today. Today is the culmination of many dreams, goals, and conversations that has taken place over many years concerning my interest in elected office.  Year after year, I have watched elected officials, particularly in Harlem, take voters for granted so much that the voters, in time, think that taking them for granted is just a part of life in Harlem.  Some of us don’t even realize that we are being manipulated.  For the past five years  I have served this community as District Leader and have been disappointed in the outcome of most major elections as the same election results are produced  time after time with little or no desire to change things, no desire to make a difference.

Ladies and Gentlemen:, I am here this morning to do something about all of that.  I am here this morning to begin the process of destroying the notion that Harlem is somehow better off with having essentially a one party system.  I am here today to take a stand and make a statement about the way we do politics in Harlem.    Many of us have given the other party our all; all of our hope, all of our confidence, and for some of us, all of our money too!  On the other hand, while we have been busy focusing on one side of the political equation, the other side, my party, has been given permission by us as voters, to ignore us.  We have allowed an entire political organization, that routinely gets 85 to95 percent of the Black vote, to completely disregard our needs and desires when we don’t even ask for anything.  Not even accountability!

Now that is just ridiculous to me. Is is time that we as voters recognize that politics is a business and  that we the voters are both customers and shareholders.  As customers we all know you have to ask for what you want.  As shareholders or owners (and that's what we are as voters), if the politicians we hire don't know how to get things done for our community like housing and economic development, we could either teach them about our needs in Harlem or we could issue a notice of termination to be effective January 1, 2006.  I suggest that the on the job training should be over for both Democrats and Republicans.  We know Harlem, we know about housing in Harlem, we know about economic development in Harlem and we know what we need in Harlem. It's time we held somebody accountable for what is due and not received.

Like many of you, I have roots in the South.  I was born in Mississippi and for more than 35 years, I have lived in NYC and of those years, I spent vitually half those years in Harlem -- eight as the Building Manager of the Powell State Office Building that stands behind us….  I’ve Served four years in the US Air Force, I’ve served as Chair of many community based organizations and as coach for Harlem’s own Harlem Little League.  I am a  founding member of the FBI Citizen’s Academy Alumni Association and also  founder and president of the ACP memorial committee which erected the statue you now see that graces the plaza of the Powell State Office Building behind us.  The summer concerts we all enjoy each Thursday on the State Office Building plaza came from my efforts when I served at the pleasure of our great Governor George E Pataki and now, I want to serve you in the City Council.  I am here today to announce my candidacy for the 9th Councilmanic District of Harlem.

It's all very simple.  I believe that when you have a  job, you should do it with good ethics and goodwill.  You should do your best to deliver maximum services to the people you serve and never forget how or why you have the job.  I promise you that I would never forget.   I believe in accountability!  I believe that one should stand by their work and believe in it as well.  I know many politicians let us down but if you keep doing the same thing, you get the same results.  So do something different, support a Republican, the Harlem Republican, my name is Will Brown and I’m running for City Council!

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