Carlos Menchaca sworn in as Sunset Park councilmember
Sunset Park and Red Hook residents greeted their new councilmember, Carlos Menchaca, at a symbolic inauguration ceremony at Sunset Park High School on Sunday, January 12. Chants of “Si Se Puede!”—“Yes, we can!”—punctuated the air after Menchaca, 33, promised to uphold the U.S. Constitution and represent his Brooklyn communities as New York City’s first Mexican-American councilmember and first openly gay elected official from Brooklyn.
“It doesn’t matter where we come from. You’ve proved that,” Menchaca told the packed auditorium. “We’ve opened the door to our government [and] all of you deserve a seat at the table. . . Come to our meetings. Make sure we get this right.”
The idea that his victory is a shared victory with residents of the 38th Council District and New Yorkers in general was a common theme throughout the ceremony, which saw dozens of Menchaca’s new colleagues in city, state and national government echo the sentiment in their congratulatory remarks.