Just days after Brooklyn Councilman Jumaane Williams won the position of Public Advocate for New York City, a young, bright Brooklyn-born lawyer, of Caribbean parentage, is seeking to succeed him as representative for the 45th Council District in Brooklyn.
Jovia A. Radix, the eldest daughter and child of Barbadian-born Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix and Grenadian-born dentist Dr. Joseph Radix, told Caribbean Life Wednesday night that she is best suited to replace Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants.
“I was born and raised in the 45th Council District,” said Radix, a Hofstra University Law School graduate, with a master’s degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, in an exclusive interview.
“This is the district in which I attended public schools and the community that shaped the person that I am today,” added, Radix, stating that she has “learned the meaning of public service” from her family, as she watched her family “publicly service the community in food drives, tutoring, mentoring, etc.”
Among other things, Radix assists her family in the “direction and management” of a tutoring program facilitated by the Brooklyn-based Barbados Ex-Police Association.
Her mother is a justice of the Appellate Court of the State of New York, Second Department; and her father is dental director at the Brownsville Multi-Service Family Health Center (BMS).
Prior to deciding to pursue her Juris Doctorate (law degree), Radix said she served as the Brooklyn Regional Representative to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, as “the voice of this community in that office.”
In addition, she is the vice-president of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club Young Democrats in Brooklyn.
Radix said she has served in various government and political positions, and has served her community in various levels of government.
“Consequently, I regard serving my community as a calling in my life,” she declared.
“It is important for this district to have strong leadership during this time in our nation’s history,” she added. “It is essential that we have meaningful representation in the City Council.
“I want to be the voice for this community in the City Council to ensure that we get our fair share of the resources available, while advocating for more,” Radix continued.
She said she endeavors to follow in her parents’ footsteps, stating that they are very big in community service.
Radix said her mother’s passion is interacting with children and young adults, which she incorporates with her love of the law by being a mentor and advisor to those who seek a career in the legal profession.
Every year, Justice Hinds-Radix participates in career day programs at several schools, where she educates young people on a career in law and the function of the judiciary.
In her role as Administrative Judge, she developed a summer internship program for law students, where, over 120 students, annually, were able to participate in workshops and visit other courts to observe to learn the role of each court.
Seemingly, Justice Hinds-Radix epitomizes the statement, “it takes a village to raise a child,” by the outstanding work that she does in giving back to her own community.
A staunch advocate for children’s education, every Saturday morning, the judge and her family, including Jovia Radix, tutor young people at the Barbados Ex-Police Association.
Radix, who received her Juris Doctorate from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island, is admitted to the New York State Bar.
In 2014, she received her master’s degree with distinction from Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus
Five years earlier, she earned her bachelor of arts from the University of Pittsburgh.
Radix has two younger sisters, Jenneate and Josyl. She’s also the owner of “a beloved dog,” Bentley.
A special election is expected to be called shortly to replace Williams in the 45th Council District.
On Feb. 26, in a very crowded field of 17 candidates, Williams emerged victorious in the special race for Public Advocate.
With 97 percent of precincts reporting and about 396,000 ballots cast, Democrat Williams, 42, secured 33 percent of the votes, according to preliminary estimates from New York City’s Board of Elections.
Eric A. Ulrich, the lone Republican candidate and New York City Councilman from Queens, placed second, with 19 percent of the ballots cast.
Former New York City Council speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, a Democrat, placed third, with 11 percent.
Williams had entered the Public Advocate race as a front-runner after his surprise showing in the campaign for lieutenant governor for New York State against the Democratic incumbent, Kathy Hochul.
In the losing cause, Williams had garnered 40,000 votes in New York City.
Williams will be in the Public Advocate office until at least November this year, when another election is scheduled to complete the final two years of his predecessor’s, Letitia James, term. James has been elected attorney general for New York State.
The Democratic Primary for Public Advocate, for the November general elections, takes place in June.
Some of Williams’s opponents in the Special Election for Public Advocate, such as Mark-Viverito, have already begun petitioning for the June primary.
