All eyes have been on the Presidential Contest, but with a handful of New York City Council Members Winning Higher Office, Special Elections to fill their Vacant Seats will take place:
- Councilman Andy Cohen (D-11th District) is becoming a Judge.
- Andy King (D-12th District) was Kicked Out of the Council for Misconduct.
- Rory Lancman (D-24th District) Stepped Down at the End of last month.
- Donovan Richards (D-31st District) Won the Queens Borough President Election.
- Ritchie Torres (D-15th District) Won his Congressional 15th District Race.
So Special Elections for their Successors will be Scheduled in the coming weeks.
Term-Limited Mayor de Blasio (D) set Special Elections for King’s Bronx Seat on Dec. 22nd and for Lancman’s Queens Seat on Feb. 2nd, 2021.
Ballots to fill Torres' and Cohen’s Seats in the Bronx and Richards’ Queens Seat will come within 80 Days of when they Leave their Current Offices, which is expected around the End of the Year.
Candidates have little time to Campaign, though Several of them are hoping to set the tone for Next year’s Regular Primaries while Advocating Progressive Causes.
With the Special Election to Replace King just Weeks away, Candidate Pamela Hamilton-Johnson has been Racing to raise Awareness and gain Support. “I was surprised about how quickly the mayor called the special election,” she said. “My expectation is that it’s going to be a low-turnout race. I don’t know who in their right mind would make an election three days before Christmas.” “It’s kind of hard to get the vote out,” Hamilton-Johnson said. “You have to constantly remind people, don’t forget there’s a special election in December.”
She was Endorsed by the “21 in ’21” Campaign to get more Women into the City Council, and hopes to be the First of many Candidates from that Movement to succeed. “I’m here advocating for health care in our community, education and the climate,” she said. Hamilton-Johnson is the Head of the Eastchester Heights Community Center. “I’m going to be that grassroots candidate.”
Her Rivals for the 12th District Seat, which covers Bronx including Co-Op City, Eastchester and Wakefield, include: Kevin Riley, who’s Backed by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Attorney Neville Mitchell.
The Race to Replace Lancman in the 24th District covering Kew Gardens Hills, Fresh Meadows, and other Neighborhoods, has already attracted a Small Army of Candidates. They include Former Councilman, James Gennaro, and Community Organizer Moumita Ahmed.
Ahmed, a Democratic Socialist, said she’s “absolutely” trying to Set the Tone for the June Primaries, in which the NYC Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) plans to Run a Slate of Candidates. “We need to shift the police budget,” she said. “I support investing some of that money into our schools and our housing and social services instead of prisons. And I don’t want more new jails … I also think that we need to address the housing crisis.”
Ahmed, who said she Supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) before he First Ran for President in 2016, said like him, she won’t Run through the DSA. Instead, she’ll try to engage Voters on Issues as she goes Door to Door. “I believe I’m the only renter running right now and to me, it’s important to uplift tenants who are facing harassment, especially during the pandemic where we’re dealing with harassment, eviction,” she said.
Cohen previously said he would Step-Down at the End of the year after Winning a State Supreme Court Judgeship, a move long anticipated by Candidates in his 11th District covering the Northwest Bronx. They include: Local Political Scion Eric Dinowitz; Entrepreneur Jessica Haller; and Former Community Board Chairman. Dan Padernacht. “For now, it’s essentially ramping up to get my volunteers coordinated and ready to go for a special election, which will probably be called the first week of January,” said Padernacht, an Attorney.
Like Hamilton-Johnson, he’s Expecting a Low Voter Turnout. “What I’ll do is have a campaign strategy that will safely get me into voters' homes, whether it’s digitally or through literature delivery and following up with phone calls,” he said. “I also will use my network of volunteers to reach out to their friends and family in the district.”
Candidates eyeing Torres’ Seat in the Central Bronx include: Community Board 7 District Manager Ischia Bravo; Elisa Crespo, an Aide to the Bronx Borough President; and Julian Sepúlveda, an Education Department Worker and Son of State Sen. Luis Sepúlveda (D-32nd District, Bronx).
In the Race to succeed Richards’ 31st District Seat, which Covers Far Rockaway and Neighboring Areas, 10 Candidates have Registered with the City’s Campaign Finance Board.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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