In the 35th District race, Atlantic Yards barely an issue. But it could be.

Just as Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park hasn't come up in the mayoral race, it plays a subdued, mostly absent role in the race for City Council in the 35th District, where the project is located.

Looking first at candidates' web site, I couldn't find mention of the project on the web site of Democratic challenger Ede Fox, taking on incumbent Laurie Cumbo one-on-one after Cumbo, in 2013, won a multi-candidate Democratic primary.

Fox has been critical of Cumbo's Atlantic Yards stance in the one debate I saw, as I'll write up in a longer round-up of the race before the September 12 primary (and after another debate Sept. 6).

The bigger issue has been the Bedford-Union Armory, and Fox, in a candidate video statement, stated, "Look what's happening to our neighborhoods. Big developers are coming in, luxury towers are going up, and regular families are being squeezed out... I'll always stand up to deep-pocketed developers and big-money special interests."

I did find one odd mention on Cumbo's web site, in a biographical statement from 2013 that has not been updated, referring to her tenure as founder of Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA):

Ms. Cumbo works very diligently to bring people of all backgrounds together to discover their commonalities. Her brainchild has become the “Town Hall” institution of Brooklyn collecting thousands of diverse local and international visitors together to discuss challenging and provocative issues, such as:
Gentrification,
The Atlantic Yards Project...

Cumbo's Atlantic Yards record 

Given Cumbo's rhetoric and support in the 2013 race, she wasn't expected to be tough on the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park developer or state, and she's barely discussed the project.

But Cumbo, to my mind, is clearly vulnerable to criticism on at least two fronts. As I wrote in May 2016, Cumbo is a strong voice for women on issues of sexual harassment and assault, but when one of her constituents reported that living near the Pacific Park project was like "living in a shark tank," the Council Member was curiously reticent.

Also that month, as I wrote, Cumbo, offered the chance to speak at an information session for Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park affordable housing, told potential applicants--and future constituents--that a decade ago the project faced "challenge and controversy," but implied that it's over.

"I get to step in on the celebration time," Cumbo declared enthusiastically, with no acknowledgment of controversies regarding the actual affordability of the apartments.

In a press release about affordable housing that month, Cumbo was quoted:

“The influx of new residential buildings in communities across New York City too often excludes the thousands of families who cannot afford market-rate housing units. The highly-anticipated construction of 38 Sixth Avenue will help alleviate the overwhelming need for affordable housing in Brooklyn while preserving the cultural and economic diversity of its surrounding community,” said Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo.

This is a building with a majority of units renting to middle-income households, likely earning six figures.

The Green Party challenge

I should also note that Jabari Brisport, the Green Party candidate, should be on the November ballot (assuming he beats his less-than-present opponent), and he has forcefully criticized developers, albeit without specifying Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park. But a Green Party candidate can't beat an incumbent, absent an indictment.