Early Monday morning, March 4, news leaked that Assembly Member Helene E. Weinstein had announced her retirement after nearly 44 years of service, Brooklyn’s longest serving member to date. “After I decided to retire, I reached out and encouraged Kalman to run for Assembly,” explained Weinstein, giving credence to a corroborating Politico announcement that fellow Democrat, New York City Council Member Kalman Yeger of Borough Park and Midwood’s District 44, was seeking the seat. “I can think of no better successor than Kalman, someone I have known for years, a dedicated public servant.” Since 2018, Yeger has also represented Bensonhurst, Gravesend, and Sunset Park, and served on his local Community Board for many years prior.
In 1980, Weinstein was first elected to District 41, comprising parts of East Flatbush, Sheepshead Bay, Flatlands, Midwood, and Canarsie. She is the current chair of the Assembly’s influential Ways and Means Committee, and is a member of the Rules Committee, the Task Force on Women’s Issues, and the Legislative Women’s Caucus.
In 2022, Weinstein earned more than 12,800 votes over Ramona Johnson, a Conservative Party challenger’s 5,164. Yeger would join many conservative Democrats members who highly regard the frum community, including Sam Berger, Edward Braunstein, Ari Brown, Simcha Eichenstein, Nily Rozic, Stacey Pheffer Amato, and David Weprin. Throughout his tenure, Yeger has always prioritized constituent services and finds it is his time to influence state legislature decisions broadly altering the entirety of New York that would help the Jewish people on a larger platform.
Yeger was in Queens for Deputy Chief Taylor’s promotion last month and held former Assembly Member Mike Simanowitz in high regard.
By Shabsie Saphirstein
