Politics

By Mark Meyer Appel

On Monday, January 20, the national holiday celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte was elected chairperson of the King County Democratic Party. It was history in the making as she is the first woman of color to hold this prestigious role.

Assemblywoman Bichotte, as the counties new leader, will play a very important role on the selection of judicial candidates and borough-wide endorsements for all of Brooklyn political candidates

After first getting elected to the assembly, Bichottee quickly became a powerful advocate on so many important issues facing our communities. This includes her becoming chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), and serving on the following committees: Banks; Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce & Industry; Governmental Operations; Health; Higher Education; and Housing.

As the MWBE Subcommittee chair, Assemblymember Bichotte was instrumental in the law she co-authored for the re-authorization of Article 15-A, which extends and provides a more robust NYS MWBE Program (A8414 – 2019), as well as the law for the expansion of the NYC MWBE Program (A8407 – 201).

Assemblywoman Bichotte, with her strong and tenacious work, showed true leadership fighting for the New York State Child Victims Act. She quickly made a reputation as a true and unstoppable leader in the NY political scene. She shared with great courage her own personal story of abuse and garnered the assembly members to overwhelming support for this bill,

In 2019 Bichotte overwhelmingly supported and embraced the candidacy of Farah N Louis for the city council’s 45th district. Councilwoman Farah Louis won the race by a great voter majority despite being attacked by some of Brooklyn leading political leaders, and in a very short period already made major strides in uniting and bringing our community together.

“Brooklyn’s democratic party is made up of people of all backgrounds and all walks of life. It is more important than ever that our leadership reflects the diverse communities that have kept Brooklyn and our Democratic party going for decades. More women of color and descendants of immigrants, like myself, are running for public office to amplify the voices of their local communities and add to the public discourse. Moreover, community and grassroots engagement are necessary to increase civic engagement across the borough,” proclaimed Bichotte upon her assuming leadership of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.

On a personal note, I have gotten to know Assemblywoman Bichotte’s qualities as a true and fierce leader for all of Brooklyn’s diverse communities – Black, Jewish and Muslim. Her advocacy extends to all as she continues to fight for a unified Brooklyn.

Born in Haiti and overcoming the stigma as an immigrant, BIchotte has become a truly recognized leader in the New York Political arena, no easy task. As the newly elected leader she will become a new voice for the voiceless and change the direction of the city in the years to come and make us all proud.

Bichotte is a accomplished in a number of fields and holds many degrees. She earned and holds an MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, an MS in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, a BS in Electrical Engineering from SUNY Buffalo, a BS in Mathematics in Secondary Education and a B T in Electrical Engineering both from Buffalo State College.