Bill Batson

Atlantic Yards opponents are trying to forget all the bad things they said about Hakeem Jeffries, the winner in the 57th Assembly race, like that he was a duplicitous panderer who wanted to have it both ways on the 22-acre arena-and-housing complex. It is time to make nice, after all.

"If you tally up [Bill Batson's] and Hakeem's votes, 88 percent of the vote went to two candidates who opposed the use of eminent domain, according to their stated positions," said Daniel Goldstein, the opposition's main spokesman.  read more »

Not surprisingly, the race for the 57th Assembly district in Brooklyn looks like it's going to hinge on an argument over the Atlantic Yards project.

It's just not clear who's arguing for what.

Bill Batson, whose opposition to the project has formed the centerpiece of his campaign, has a new TV ad reinforcing his stance.

Meanwhile, Hakeem Jeffries, who has previously criticized aspects of the project without actually opposing it -- he told the Times that he would be "more inclined to support it than not" -- is now blitzing the district with a new flier (posted on the Atlantic Yards Voter Guide) that appears, to all but the most careful readers, to put him in the anti-arena camp as well.

From the flier, in big red letters:

"NO eminent domain abuse"

"NO skyscraper city"

"NO backroom deals"

Dirty pool, smart politics or both?

—Nicole Brydson

Commenter 57th AD Realist reveals a little-known fact about Assembly candidate Bill Batson, whose main opponent, Hakeem Jeffries, was endorsed by the NY Times yesterday.

"Of course, when I named Hakeem's opponents, one neighbor asked me whether "Billy Batson" wasn't the real name of superhero Captain Marvel.

"Apparently, it is."

So it's the NY Times endorsement versus a super hero. Now that's a race.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

A new blog has surfaced that tries to keep track of the pro- and anti-Atlantic Yards positions of candidates running for office this year. It's authored anonymously by what appears to be an opponent of the project.

So far on the opposition list: Bill Batson, Chris Owens, Charles Barron, Tom Suozzi and (who knew?) Sean Patrick Maloney.

—Nicole Brydson

Bill de Blasio has endorsed Bill Batson for the 57th Assembly District, despite the fact that they differ in their views on the Atlantic Yards project. De Blasio's district does not overlap with the 57th, but is just north and east of Flatbush Avenue from his Park Slope district.

"The important thing is that Bill and I disagree on the Yards, but we can work together in seeking a community brokered development model," Batson said in a just-completed phone interview. "That's what I think the people in Brooklyn want right now. We want development, we want affordable housing, we just want to be onboard the planning process."  read more »

De Blasio was out of town and unavailable for comment, but at least some opponents of the project consider him to be "conditionally" supportive.

—Nicole Brydson

Robert Jackson, council member on Manhattan's Upper Upper West Side, is about to give Bill Batson his first endorsement by an elected official in the race to succeed Roger Green in his Brooklyn Assembly seat. Jackson represents a district that Batson is familiar with -- he used to work for the area's state senator, David Paterson.

Batson and Jackson met via Batson's civil rights project titled, the American Civil Rights Education Service. "We sent over 800 young people down south to learn about the civil rights movement and he has been one of our major supporters," said Batson. "He is one of the people in government that I admire the most because he went from being a parent, to a plaintiff, to a public servant. It's a great kind of arch."

On the endorsement:

"I didn't really think of it at the time as something to stop knocking on doors to do, but we're going to do a press release."

Expect the official announcement shortly.

—Nicole Brydson

Our commercial real estate reporter Matthew Schuerman passes on this little observation:

It makes sense that Bill Batson would get a lot of backing from opponents of the Atlantic Yards development. (He's been one of the project's most outspoken critics during his run for a seat in the assembly.)

As it turns out, about a third of the contributions ($10,750 of $32,841) he has received since announcing in March came from board members or close associates of Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn. The group's spokesman, Daniel Goldstein, and his father Lawrence accounted for $6,600 of that, according to Batson's latest campaign filing.

The other candidates in the 57th assembly race have until Saturday to file their reports.

Our sister site The Politicker discovers that Bill Batson, an aide to David Paterson and a member of the Prospect/Crown Heights community board, will announce for the 57th Assembly District Sunday, the race for which is shaping up as a test of the community’s feelings towards Atlantic Yards, which would be located in the district's boundaries.

Batson, who The Politicker notes has opposed the project, will be challenging its chief booster in the legislature, incumbent Roger Green (if he runs again) while Hakeem Jeffries, another challenger, has stood on the fence, at least officially.

Batson’s website is here.

-Matthew Schuerman

Hey look at this: A local political race that’s actually about something.

Bill Batson, a David Paterson aide and Brooklyn activist (and accomplished artist -- see right), has his Web site up with the note that he’ll be announcing his challenge to Roger Green this Sunday.

The issue: The Atlantic Yards project, which Batson has opposed and Green backs.

Crains (no link) speculates today that Paterson aide Bill Batson might run for Roger Green's Assembly seat, which the Insider seems to assume he's vacating.

Batson has no comment.