Feting Frontus at swearing-in ceremony
Caribbean Life, Jan. 11–17, 2019 33
PATIENTS’
CHOICE
RATED & AWARDED BY PATIENTS
SM
By Julianne McShane
They assembled to honor
their new assemblywoman!
Kings Countians and borough
politicos toasted a newly
elected Southern Brooklyn
assemblywoman at her local
swearing-in ceremony at William
Grady High School in
Brighton Beach.
The Jan. 6 event followed
Democratic Assemblywoman
Mathylde Frontus’s official
Albany swearing-in ceremony,
and brought together some of
her district’s diverse residents
for an intimate afternoon, the
pol said.
“I was very happy to have
people there from all corners
of the district — it felt very
personal, like this is their
seat,” said Frontus, who represents
the state’s 46th Assembly
District, which also includes
Coney Island and Sea Gate, as
well as parts of Bath Beach, Bay
Ridge, Brighton Beach, Dyker
Heights, and Gravesend.
The hometown ceremony
began with an interfaith invocation
that included blessings
from a rabbi, imam, and pastor,
before attendees broke out in
renditions of the “Star-Spangled
Banner,” “Lift Every Voice
and Sing” — which many call
the Black National Anthem
— and the Haitian National
Anthem, to honor Frontus’
roots in the Caribbean country
.N
ew York City Comptroller
Scott Stringer then administered
the oath of office to the
never-before-elected pol, who
took her official oath back in
November, because her seat was
vacant after her predecessor —
disgraced assemblywoman and
convicted felon Pamela Harris
— resigned last April.
A slew of other local electeds
— including Councilman Mark
Treyger (D–Coney Island),
Councilman Justin Brannan
(D–Bay Ridge), Councilman
Mathieu Eugene (D–Flatbush),
and Assemblywoman
Rodneyse Bichotte (D–Flatbush)
— delivered remarks
congratulating Frontus, and
praising her involvement in
civic life through her career
in social work. And Democratic
Sen. Chuck Schumer,
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke
(D–Crown Heights), and
new Congressman Max Rose
(D–Bay Ridge) traveled back
from the nation’s capital to
laud the newly elected pol for
her commitment to the community.
Last September, Frontus
beat out party–backed candidate
Ethan Lustig-Elgrably by
just 51 votes in the primary
election to win the Democratic
nomination for the seat, which
she secured in the November
election by defeating her
Republican challenger Steve
Saperstein by more than 2,900
votes.
Oath of offi ce: Comptroller Scott Stringer swore in the new Assemblywoman.
Photo by Steve Solomonson