Senate Majority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer on Saturday swore in newly-elected Council Member Mercedes Narcisse at a community celebration at South Shore High School in Canarsie, Brooklyn.
Haitian-born Narcisse, who represents the 46th Council District, was joined at the ceremony by hundreds of constituents and Who’s Who of New York politics.
Frank Shea, Narcisse’s deputy chief of staff and director of communications, told Caribbean Life that the council woman was “joined in attendance by colleagues in government.”
They included Mayor Eric Adams; Congress Members Yvette Clarke and Hakeem Jeffries; Attorney General Letitia James; New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli; New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; New York City Comptroller Brad Lander; Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso; Assemblyman Nick Perry; State Sen. Roxanne Persaud; Assemblywoman Jamie Williams; “and a bevy of colleagues from the New York City Council.”
“One would have assumed the night would have belonged to Mercedes, but the new councilwoman made it clear this was a celebration that belonged to the entire 46th Council District,” Shea said.
“Tonight is our celebration; it is in fact more your victory than mine,” Mercedes said. “You were the foundation for our wins. You, the people, were the engine which powered me to victory. I can’t say thank you enough.
“I am here today on this stage to make it abundantly clear that I can only be successful during my tenure in the City Council with that same tenacious support which you offered me previously,” she added. “We are in this together. Together, we make up the great 46th Council District, and I stand here before you to declare that your cause is my cause.’
Shea said another theme of the night for Narcisse was unity and the celebration of the diversity of the 46th Council District.
“I love this district, not only because I grew up here but because it is truly the epitome of the gorgeous mosaic, which the late Mayor David Dinkins so eloquently described our city as,” Mercedes said.
“In the 46th District alone, over 25 languages are routinely spoken in this district,” she added. “We have Black, white, Latin, Asian. We have Democrats and Republicans. We have diversity, and that is what made me fall in love with this district.
“Always remember, what unites us is far greater than what divides us,” Mercedes continued. “We can all achieve together. Now let’s get to work.”
