A meeting of the South Brooklyn branch of the Democratic Socialists of America was held on August 25th at a Park Slope bar, where co-chairs Grace Mausser and Gustavo Gordillo proposed salaries of $95,000. The proposal sparked debate among members, with some questioning accountability and others expressing concerns about top-down leadership. A resolution to approve the salaries passed two days later, but the meeting revealed tensions within the organization as it looks to expand its influence in American politics. The DSA is poised to gain a bloc of socialist Congress members, potentially giving it leverage to reshape the Democratic Party.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In a meeting of the South Brooklyn branch of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in August, members gathered to discuss proposed salaries of $95,000 for co-chairs Grace Mausser and Gustavo Gordillo**. One member expressed doubts about continuing with the DSA if local leaders continued to "defend things that I don't agree with," including police-related issues. Others criticized the proposal on procedural grounds or questioned accountability mechanisms for salaried leadership, highlighting concerns about top-down leadership within the organization.
Written for “Democratic Socialists of America Dispute” on 2026-09-09,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 7232 (medium confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-09
At around 8:40 p.m. on a late August evening, a meeting of the South Brooklyn branch of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) was drawing to a close.
asserted
meeting → draw → close
Grace Mausser had just made the case for why she and Gustavo Gordillo, her fellow New York City DSA co-chair, deserve $95,000 salaries, and it was now time for the few dozen of her comrades gathered inside a dimly lit Park Slope bar to weigh in.
asserted
dozen → make → bar
Not everyone was convinced.
asserted
everyone → convince → ?
One woman kicked off the venting session by saying she wasn’t sure she could continue as a member after watching local party leaders “defend things that I don’t agree with,” including on police-related issues.
uncertain
I → kick → issues
A 10-year member of the DSA objected to the proposal on procedural grounds, noting that neither co-chair is working class to begin with.
asserted
chair → object → grounds
Another member, Alex Rivera, said he didn’t oppose paying leadership in principle but questioned how salaried co-chairs would be held accountable, considering the chapter has no real budget process and no member vote on meeting agendas, and relies on borrowed bar space for monthly meetings, according to a recording of the meeting reviewed by The Free Press.
uncertain
chapter → say → Press
“This feels very much top-down leadership instead of like, bottom-up,” Rivera said.
asserted
Rivera → feel → ?
Two days later, the resolution to approve the co-chair salaries passed overwhelmingly anyway.
asserted
resolution → approve → salaries
The scene inside this Brooklyn bar late last month revealed the fault line
asserted
scene → reveal → line
running through DSA nationally as the coalition looks to expand its growing foothold in American politics
asserted
coalition → run → politics
Riding its best-ever electoral stretch, the organization now has real hope that the soon-to-be-elected bloc of socialist Congress members might finally start extracting major concessions from establishment Democrats and reshape the party in the DSA’s image.
uncertain
bloc → rid → image
