Annual brunch of Kings County Conservative Party brings together South Brooklyn Republican allies

Special guest: NY State Conservative Party leader Jerry Kassar

There was no shortage of political power players in attendance at the Kings County Conservative Party’s (KCCP) annual brunch, recently held at Bay Ridge Manor.

More than 100 spectators made their presence felt, including Jerry Kassar, chairman, New York State Conservative Party; Richie Barsamian, chairman, Kings County Republican Party; Fran Vella-Marrone, chair, Kings County Conservative Party; former State Sen. Marty Golden; Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, D-46; Assemblymember Jaime Williams, D-59; Lester Chang, assemblyman, D-49; Councilman Kalman Yeger, D-44; and Councilmember Susan Zhuang, D-43. 

Also at the event was keynote speaker Mike Sapraicone — a retired NYPD detective, and the Conservative Party’s candidate for United States senator — who is endorsed by Donald Trump. 

Sapraicone spoke a bit about his background as a police officer, and his spearheading of a New York-based global security company.

“I am a staunch believer in common sense,” Sapraicone said, adding that “It’s not about Republican or Conservative issues with me — it’s about American issues.” 

But the primary objective of the afternoon was to honor local community leader and Chairman of the American New York Chinese Association Ray Huang by presenting him with the Ronald Reagan Americanism award. 

“This is a very important award — especially today,” explained Fran Vella-Marrone, chair, Kings County Conservative Party. “It represents liberty, freedom, and entrepreneurship — and that’s what we have to keep promoting.”

Vella-Marrone pointed out that Huang, who came to this country in the 1980s, worked his way from the ground up, and eventually earned enough money to open up his own business.

“He’s now a real estate developer in Sunset Park, in addition to a NYPD auxiliary police officer in the 72nd Precinct, and has done so much over the years to give back to his community,” she said.

“Residences and small businesses come to Ray with all kinds of problems and he never turns them down; he helps in any way he can. Ray came to America for a better life, and accumulated his wealth through hard work. His actions embody the ideals of our founding fathers, and he is without a doubt a true American.” 

Huang was rather humble in his relatively brief acceptance speech.

“I’m so very happy to be nominated,” he said. “I work hard for the community every day, and I love Brooklyn. Today is such a special day, and I thank you all for this award. This is for our next generation — our children and grandchildren.” 

Throughout the event, several speakers also came to the podium, mostly voicing their appreciation for the KCCP’s hard work, dedication, and existence — although some used it as a political platform to express their thoughts on current issues. 

Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, D46 (representing Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Georgetown, and parts of Marine Park), spoke about the current immigration issue, pointing out that entering the country in a legal fashion should be the only way.

“I also noticed that what is happening to the Asian-American community now is similar to what happened to the Russian-American community some decades ago,” Brook-Krasny said, adding that, “People are starting to lean more and more towards Conservative ideas and common sense.”

Assemblymember Jaime Williams, D-59 (representing Canarsie, Georgetown, Mill Basin, Marine Park, Bergen Beach, and Gerritsen Beach), also spoke to the issue of immigration — noting that “Migrants are a waste of taxpayers’ money.”

“We’re giving billions to migrants,” Williams said. “But we have veterans that are homeless — seniors on the waiting list for apartments — we are not looking into solving that. Clearly the powers that be have taken a national crisis and put it in our very own backyard. We did not sign up for this.” 

However, Jerry Kassar, chairman, New York State Conservative Party, did not allude to any one issue in particular, instead using his words to praise the KCCP, calling it “a great organization,” and stating that he is “very happy to participate in anything that Fran [Vella-Marrone] does.” 

“She’s done wonders with it to make it even stronger, and I’m really glad to be here today,” Kassar said. 

Richie Barsamian, chairman,Kings County Republican Party, had similar sentiments for Vella-Marrone.

“It is an absolute honor to work side by side with her,” he said. “We both believe in responsibility, strong community ties, activism, the support of law enforcement, and public safety,” Barsamian explained. “Today we have a room filled with people that understand the greatness of New York City and New York State.”