Rep Mondaire Jones Blasted as Carpetbagger by New Brooklyn Neighbors

Mondaire Jones cant catch a break.

The congressman from New York’s 17th district decided to run in the newly redrawn NY-10 which covers parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Problem is he doesnt actually live there. He lives in Westchester. Hence the carpetbagger accusations from locals who think he should stay in his own district.

His neighbors in Brooklyn – well his new neighbors since he just moved there – are not exactly rolling out the welcome mat. Community board meetings have gotten heated. Longtime residents are asking why someone from the suburbs thinks he can just parachute into their district and represent them.

Jones argues that redistricting forced his hand. His old district got completely redrawn and hes facing a primary against Sean Patrick Maloney the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Rather than fight that battle he figured hed try his luck in a different district.

Politically it makes sense. Emotionally it looks pretty cynical.

New Yorks redistricting process was a complete mess this cycle. Courts threw out maps. New ones got drawn. Districts shifted dramatically. A lot of incumbents ended up in weird situations.

But most of them didnt literally move to a different borough to keep their careers alive.

The thing is Jones has been a pretty solid progressive voice in Congress. Hes spoken out on issues that matter to the exact voters hes now trying to win over. But representation is supposed to be local. The people of Brooklyn deserve someone who actually knows the neighborhood not someone who googled “best Brooklyn pizza” last week.

Supporters say policy matters more than geography. Critics say you cant claim to represent a community you just joined. Both sides have points.

The primary will sort it out one way or another.