Ditmas Park Election Guide

As we look ahead to November’s elections and learn the results of June's elections, Ditmas Park Patch is devoted to bring you the information you need about every race in the area.

Here's our start on the candidates and issues we'll be covering June comes to a close and November draws near. Bookmark this page for updates.

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke: the incumbent , and most recently spoke to us about Obama's stance on gay marriage. She also attended of the first clinic dedicated to treating non-FDNY 9/11 responders living in Brooklyn who suffer from ailments related to exposures at Ground Zero, saying "When I found out there wasn't a place in Brooklyn for first responders and those volunteers…I just thought we had to do something about that." 

Sylvia Kinard: the Flatbush-born attorney and minister is challenging Clarke for the chance to represent the 9th Congressional District. about her platform and the reasons she thinks she would be the best person for the job. Kinard previously served as the Senior Legislative Attorney for the New York City Counsel, during which time she drafted legislation for the Immigration Sub-Committee as well as the Sub-Committee’s on Mental Health and the Committee on Education.

Update: June 27: Incumbent Yvette Clarke, D-Ditmas Park, . Clarke won with 88 percent of the vote, besting Kinard who claimed only 12 percent.

Stop-and-Frisk: The controversial procedure will likely be a much-discussed issue for those on the ballot. Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently waded into the stop-and-frisk debate by during such stops. Clarke and Kinard have also weighed in on the issue, with Clarke tweeting that "too many young men have been incarcerated unnecessarily as a result of #StopandFrisk" and Kinard telling Patch that the practice is unconstitutional. 

President Barack Obama: Times Magazine reported that during his down-time, the president likes to read novels such as Joseph O'Neill's Netherland, set in part at a house on Rugby Road just off Cortelyou. The president also frequently visits New York and is likely to make many more trips to the city as he campaigns for November.

Mitt Romney: the presidential hopeful has had luck in the area before, for his previous campaigns in the 11230 zip code. But his luck might stop there as polls show Obama has a huge lead over Republican Romney among New York voters.