Protesters’ demonstrate at City Hall with sign that read “Stop Diana Reyna Now!” and “We Need Affordable Housing!” — Photo by Aaron Short

Fort Sumter it wasn’t.

Nevertheless, a mild skirmish broke out this week on the steps of City Hall as the first shots in the battle for the 34th District Council Seat (Bushwick, East Williamsburg) were fired Wednesday afternoon when about 80 members of the Jefferson Street Block Association, Northern Bushwick Residents Association (NBRA), and the Ridgewood-Bushwick Senior Citizens Council (RBSCC), led by Bushwick resident Maritza Davila, demonstrated for more affordable housing in the neighborhood. Or rather, the Bushwick residents demonstrated against City Councilmember Diana Reyna, demanding she “Stop Blocking Affordable Housing in Our Community.”

The issue is a city-owned vacant lot at 295 Jefferson Street [pdf] planned for development by RBSCC, a local social service nonprofit run by allies of State Assemblyman and Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Vito Lopez. They’ve received grants from the state and the city to build an eight-unit building on the lot that will house Section 8 tenants. The project had been fast-tracked in its development, but has been stymied by a City Council committee nine times since this past July.

RBSCC and the block association are blaming Councilmember Reyna for stopping the project. But she claims that two other low-income projects, totaling 72 units, have been in the queue since long before the Jefferson Street development and should be considered first. The protest at City Hall, asserts Reyna, was merely a propaganda “stunt” by opponent Davila, backed by patron Lopez.

“Housing privileges should not only be afforded to the few who have power and access. It is my duty to represent my community,” said Reyna, “and I will continue to push for all stakeholders to receive equal treatment.”

At a Community Board 4 meeting this month, Davila announced her candidacy for city council, effectively challenging Reyna for her seat. Davila is the Coordinator of the NBRA, an organizer with RBSCC, and a Democratic District Leader in Bushwick, as picked by Lopez.

While there were some indications that Reyna and Lopez had been working together in recent years to repair their relationship (Reyna was Lopez’s former chief of staff before a falling-out), Davila’s candidacy publicly confirms that relations between the two officials have indeed become strained. It appears that the skirmish over the Jefferson Street lot was an attempt to draw wider attention to Reyna’s handling of affordable housing issues in the district. Few City Hall reporters took much notice of the story, but Reyna’s staff is taking the issue seriously and this Council race, which also includes Community Board 1 District Manager Gerald Esposito, could get uglier.