Mathieu Eugene
Mathieu Eugene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 40th district | |
| In office April 25, 2007 – December 31, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Yvette Clarke |
| Succeeded by | Rita Joseph |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 26, 1953 Cap-Haïtien, Haiti |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Website | Official website |
Mathieu Eugene (born April 26, 1953) is a Haitian-American politician. A Democrat, he was a New York City Councilmember for the 40th district, and was the first Haitian-born city councilmember.
His district included portions of Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Prospect Park and Prospect Lefferts Gardens in Brooklyn.
Life and career
[edit]Eugene is a Haitian-American, born in Cap-Haïtien in April 1954.[citation needed]
He is also a physician, having attended medical school in Belgium[citation needed], the Dominican Republic[citation needed], and Mexico.[citation needed]
He claims to have a medical degree from Universidad del Noreste in Mexico but there is no record of him practicing in the U.S.[1]
Before he became a City Council member, he described himself as a community organizer.
New York City Council
[edit]In 2006, Councilwoman Yvette Clarke resigned following her election to the United States Congress. In the special election to replace her, Eugene won both the non-partisan primary and the general election. Eugene is the first Haitian-born elected official in the state of New York.[2][3]
Eugene was re-elected in 2009, 2013, and 2017. He ran for Brooklyn Borough President in 2020 and endorsed his relative Maxi Eugene to succeed him in city council.
In an effort to be elected Brooklyn Borough President in 2020, Eugene prioritized special interest groups outside of his district and disbursed funds intended for council district 40 elsewhere. An investigation by The Haitian Times [4] found that Eugene gave over $946,000 in discretionary funds to groups outside District 40 in FY2020, compared to $298,600 to organizations located within district 40.
A City & State analysis found that in 14 years in the city council, he was the primary sponsor of only 141 pieces of legislation: 78 of those were “resolutions” —effectively non-binding statements with little impact on city operations. Of the remaining 63 sponsored “introductions,” or proposed changes to local law, only 11 were enacted in 14 years. [5] [6]
Personal life
[edit]Eugene is a practicing Catholic.[citation needed]
He is a black belt in the martial art of Taekwondo.[7]
Electoral history
[edit]| Election history | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Year | Election | Results |
| NYC Council District 40 |
2007 | Special Primary | √ Mathieu Eugene (D) 51.30% Harry L. Schiffman (D) 24.70% Wellington Sharpe (D) 22.99% |
| NYC Council District 40 |
2007 | Special | √ Mathieu Eugene (D) 90.29% Clarence John (R) 9.71% |
| NYC Council District 40 |
2009 | Democratic primary | √ Mathieu Eugene 59.41% L. Rickie Tulloch 23.52% Rock Hermon Hackshaw 17.07% |
| NYC Council District 40 |
2009 | General | √ Mathieu Eugene (D) 94.12% Noel Burke (L) 2.99% Hugh C. Carr (Conservative) 2.88% |
| NYC Council District 40 |
2013 | Democratic primary | √ Mathieu Eugene 47.88% Saundra Thomas 37.49% Sylvia G. Kinard 10.48% John E. Grant 4.15% |
| NYC Council District 40 |
2013 | General | √ Mathieu Eugene (D) 89.88% Sylvia G. Kinard (Rent Is Too Damn High) 6.12% Brian W. Kelly (Conservative) |
| NYC Council District 40 |
2017 | Democratic primary | √ Mathieu Eugene 40.81% Brian-Christopher Cunningham 30.12% Pia Raymond 22.49% Jennifer Berkley 6.44% |
| NYC Council District 40 |
2017 | General | √ Mathieu Eugene (D) 60.47% Brian-Christopher Cunningham (Reform) 36.01% Brian W. Kelly (Conservative) 3.34% |
References
[edit]- ^ Hicks, Jonathan (9 March 2007). "Winner in City Council Race Requests Another Election". New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ "Mathieu Eugene". naahpusa.org. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ Hicks, Jonathan (21 February 2007). "City Council Gets First Member Born in Haiti". New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
- ^ https://haitiantimes.com/2021/02/18/eugene-gives-950k-to-groups-outside-his-area-raising-questions/?ref=bklyner.com
- ^ https://bklyner.com/mathieu-eugene-legacy/
- ^ https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/new-york-city/who-are-new-york-city-councils-most-prolific-lawmakers.html?ref=bklyner.com
- ^ Hicks, Jonathan P. (8 November 2007). "3 Elections, 3 Victories for Brooklyn Councilman". New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
External links
[edit]
- People from Cap-Haïtien
- American politicians of Haitian descent
- Haitian emigrants to the United States
- New York City Council members
- Living people
- New York (state) Democrats
- Candidates in the 2021 United States elections
- African-American New York City Council members
- 1954 births
- 21st-century African-American politicians
- 20th-century African-American politicians