Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Brooklyn City Council Candidate: Terry Hinds


Running for: City Council, 45th Council District, Brooklyn

Year Running: September 2009 (Democratic Primary)

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Website: http://hindsin09.com/

Candidate Bio:

Mr. Hinds is a product of our public school system, a lifelong member of the East Flatbush community, a small business owner and an advocate fighting for our rights.

The child of two educators from Barbados, Terry Hinds is a proud graduate of P.S. 244, Meyer Levin Junior High School and Samuel J. Tilden High School.

After graduating from college, Mr. Hinds worked in the public school system as a substance abuse prevention and intervention specialist. As a substance abuse counselor, Mr. Hinds worked to prevent drug use by students who had not yet tried drugs and intervened with those who had. The privilege of working with our children had such a profound effect on him that he decided that he wanted to do more to help.

Remembering the lessons that his parents taught him about education, Terry Hinds left the Board of Education in order to attend law school. While attending law school, Mr. Hinds served as a legal intern in the Harrisburg Civil Law Clinic, where he represented clients in matters involving wrongful termination hearings, illegal eviction proceedings and actions to obtain medical benefits. After he graduated from law school, Mr. Hinds again returned to our community and immediately began to make good on his promise to help the residents.

Locally, Terry Hinds has created a free landlord/tenant consultation program that worked with the landlords and tenants, helping them resolve their legal disputes through mediation, without having to take these matters to court. Through this program, Terry Hinds had the opportunity to assist tenants fighting to hold on to their apartments and senior citizens on the verge of losing their homes.

Additionally, he served as the President of Erasmus Neighborhood Federation, a not-for-profit organization based in East Flatbush. This organization helps the elderly to apply for senior citizen rent exemptions, provides free immigration assistance to residents, offers home improvement grants and educates homeowners and potential home buyers on the dangers of foreclosure.

Terry Hinds has also been appointed to serve as a member on Community Board 17. As Chairperson of the Transportation Committee, Mr. Hinds worked to bring attention to the illegal truck traffic problem affecting on our local streets and worked tirelessly with members of the community to draw attention to the horrible road conditions along Church Avenue. As a result of these efforts the Department of Transportation has made a commitment to the community to perform a total reconstruction of Church Avenue. Terry Hinds has also worked with the members of the community on the co-naming of Snyder Avenue from Utica to Nostrand in honor of two of our communities fallen detectives.

Terry Hinds is also an entrepreneur within our community. As the owner of Sterling Real Estate Group LLC, Mr. Hinds holds free seminars in the community on the purchase, protection and investment of real estate. Mr. Hinds also serves as an attorney for The Hinds Firm LLC.

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