Mathieu Eugene Begins First Full Day On City Council

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Mathieu Eugene Begins First Full Day On City Council
05/10/2007 09:29 AM
By: NY1 News

After weeks of controversy, Mathieu Eugene was finally sworn in yesterday as a City Council member, but not without some last minute fireworks.

Eugene was sworn in as the representative for Brooklyn's 40th council district. He won an election in February, but never took office because he couldn't meet residency requirements. He then won a second election last month.

Yesterday, Eugene had a copy of a lease to prove he lives in the district, but he refused to sign an affidavit about his residency, calling it a violation of his rights.

"I believe that signing the affidavit was a clear violation of number 615 of the Voting Rights Act of New York City,” said Eugene. “And I respectfully refused to sign it, because I didn't want to be in violation of these rules."

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said the affidavit was voluntary and that her office independently verified that Eugene was eligible for office.

He becomes the first Haitian born member of the City Council.