The
wait is finally over. Despite his refusal to sign a second
affidavit attesting that he has met all requirements to hold
public office, Dr. Mathieu Eugene was sworn in at the beginning
of the May 9th City Council meeting, becoming the
first Haitian-born member of the Council.
Under the direction of City Clerk Victor Robles, Eugene
solemnly swore that he will "faithfully discharge the duties of
the office of Council Member for the 40th District in
the Borough of Brooklyn of the City of New York according to the
best of my ability, so help me God."
After congratulations from Speaker Christine Quinn, the newly
minted Council Member took the microphone. "Today is a wonderful
day and I am very delighted and honored to be sworn in as a
member of this prestigious body," Eugene began. He went on to
thank those who supported him, most notably former Council
Member Una Clarke and his family. He mentioned particularly his
beautiful wife Sylotte Eugene, who he said "is a wife, a sister,
and a friend to me during the good time and the bad." He also
thanked his son Mathieu and daughter Sophia as well as his
sister Jacqueline, who came all the way from Montreal, Canada
for the ceremony.
"I
am very pleased to be here," Eugene continued, "and I'm ready to
work very hard with my colleagues in the City Council for the
benefit of the people of the 40th District and for all the
people of New York City."
To bring home his declaration that he intends to serve all
the people, Eugene repeated first in Spanish and then in French,
"To all my friends, I want to say many thanks to all of you for
your support, for voting for me, and for your belief in me. With
all my heart, I thank you."
But
along with all the cheers and congratulations, both before and
after the meeting Eugene was forced to field questions from
reporters regarding his refusal to sign a sworn affidavit
declaring that he meets the district residency and citizenship
requirements of state law. Instead, he questioned the legality
of the affidavit, a document the Council had never requested
until he became a candidate. Eugene stated that signing the
affidavit, which he was requested to do under a procedure
instituted by Speaker Quinn, would have constituted a violation
of the federal voting rights law, which bars imposition of
discriminatory requirements on voters. Eugene’s lawyer, Atty.
Paul Wooten, said the charter states that apart from the oath of
office, "no other oath, declaration or test shall be required as
a qualification for any office of public trust."
As for her part, Quinn noted that while Eugene had provided
the Council with adequate documentation that he was a resident
of the district prior to the second special election, he
provided inadequate proof of his citizenship. The Council then
conducted an independent investigation that confirmed he is
indeed a citizen, so they agreed to swear him in without the
affidavit, which was only voluntary.
Due to this controversy, Council officials states that in the
future, they intend to ask everyone elected to the Council to
sign affidavits affirming that they meet residency requirements.
So one can only hope that this concludes what turned out to
be an unexpectedly arduous and expensive process, and that
everyone can now get down to business. This is certainly the
wish of Council Member Mathieu Eugene, joined by fellow
Caribbean Kendall Stewart, who hails from St. Vincent and
represents an adjoining district. "I welcome Mathieu Eugene to
the City Council," said Stewart. "I know it's going to be hectic
for him, but I pledge to work with him and show him the ropes as
he now begins to navigate the difficult position of being a City
Councilmember. There are great things for us to do together –
and let's get started!"
