Justin Brannan is the most likely candidate to be the successor to City Councilman Vinny Gentile --- some say

Brannan is the mainstream Democrat in a district that has gotten more and more Democratic (with a big “D”) over the years

Brannan also is a solidly local product who has seen a lot and done a lot

Brannan promises to continue his efforts in the City Council with all the passion and effort that marked his whole life.....

Early fundraising totals show that, unlike ALL the other campaigns, the Brannan Campaign is for real and ready to go 

BRANNAN IN HIS OWN WORDS

Justin Brannan describes himself as   “…  an artist, small business owner and community activist. He was born and raised in Bay Ridge, the son of a salesman and a Catholic school educator who shared their enthusiasm for the arts with Justin.

After studying journalism at Fordham University and the College of Staten Island, Mr. Brannan pursued a career as a professional touring musician,  performing in over fifty countries across five continents;  and his band's album sales reached into the hundreds of thousands. Through its very raw sound,  the music delivered a positive message that focused on social justice, human rights, the environment.  In addition, during that time, Brannan individuality espoused his views warning young people about the dangers of drugs, alcohol and promiscuous sex. 

During a brief pit-stop as a radio announcer at the world famous WNEW, as a member of AFTRA, Justin Brannan served as a de facto shop steward.  It was in that capacity that he represented and defended the interests of his fellow employees and advocated to get all union employees retroactively paid for decades of overtime work on weekends and overnights. 

When the music stopped, Brannan moved on to the world of venture capital where he successfully raised millions for a number of renewable energy startups based out of Silicon Valley. After that, Justin then followed his passion into the world of charitable giving as a fundraising consultant where he helped raise funds for several vibrant non-profit humanitarian organizations. 

Closer to home  ---  Justin Brannan was the co-founder of Bay Ridge Cares, a not-for-profit humanitarian organization born in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. He is also a former member of Community Board 10 and a former member of the board of directors of BRAVO, the Bay Ridge volunteer ambulance corps. Also, Justin and his wife, Leigh, operate The Art Room, a fine arts school for children; it’s located on Third Avenue near 87^th Street in Bay Ridge. That business is co-owned by Justin’s wife and his mother, Mary Brannan. 

ISSUES ADVOCACY &  DEMOCRATIC PARTY POLITICS

Justin got his start in politics as an animal welfare advocate in the early 1990's, a much longer and consistent record than someone like, let’s say  Will/Liam McCabe .    He also has tackled many issues vital to the diverse residents of his Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights community. For example, he has organized rallies protesting the city's closing of crucial firehouses and headed protests giving voice to those in favor of same-sex marriage. He has coordinated the energies of small business owners in support of more favorable legislation and practices by the city and stood with unions against corporate greed. 

EXPERIENCE IN GOVERNMENTAL POSITIONS

As for government positions, Mr. Brannan served as the Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs for Councilman Vincent Gentile. In this role, Justin has helped draft and pass several pieces of important legislation including laws to increase access to NYC benefits, programs and services for veterans (another instance of Brannan’s clearly beating Wll/Liam McCabe to the punch) and laws protecting the unemployed from job discrimination. In addition, Justin helped oversee the creation of a citywide animal abuse registry and is considered one of a handful of people who helped make animal rights a hot-button topic in the 2013 race for New York City Mayor. 

In each of these pursuits, Justin's identity remained crystal clear: His "do-it-yourself" attitude, tireless work ethic and passion for the values he holds most dear—engaging with his community, helping as many people and touching as many lives as he can—has been always evident.

In each of these pursuits, Justin's identity remained crystal clear: His "do-it-yourself" attitude, tireless work ethic and passion for the values he holds most dear—engaging with his community, helping as many people and touching as many lives as he can—has been always evident.

And not so long ago, Justin Brannan made a general promise to everybody who followed his career that he would continue to follow his passion to connect with and raise up those around him, no matter what shape his journey might take in the future.  And, obviously, that now includes running for the public office of New York City Councilman.

THE BRANNAN CAMPAIGN FOR CITY COUNCIL

Recently, Brannan released his early fundraising results in anticipation of his making a filing with the New York City Financial Control Board of the city Board of Elections.  Based on those filings, it looks like Brannan raised $57,000;  and almost all of that  came from over four hundred (400) individual donors.

In discussing his current campaign for City Council, Justin Brannan observed that   ---  "The incredible grass-roots support we've received shows that the hardworking families from Colonial Road to Cropsey Avenue intend to have a voice in this election....   As a longtime advocate and activist, it's exciting for me to see hundreds of my fellow residents contribute to this campaign and take an interest in the future of our community….   I grew up in this community. My wife and I own a small business here. I love my neighborhood and the chance to make a difference as our next council member is the reason I'm in this race."

DINNER WITH A PAIR OF OLD WAGS

I recently had a sit down at Skinflint's with a pair of long-time Bay Ridge politicos. 

When the conversation turned to Justin Brannan, everybody agreed that right now Brannan looks like he's ahead of the pack.

Both warned that there are others who might come on strong at the finish  ---  one thought that Abbate might drop into the race late with a lot of institutional support;  the other said that he thought McCabe was a "new face" with a different kind of pitch.

Again  ---  right now, they think that Brannan is the front-runner overall..