Most interesting 2023 New York City Council primary races to watch
DISTRICT 9
Central Harlem
There’s an open seat in Harlem, and that doesn’t happen too often. New York City Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan’s name will still be on the ballot, but the choice to end her reelection campaign because she “couldn’t handle” negative media coverage means the race is between criminal justice activist Yusef Salaam and Assembly Members Inez Dickens and Al Taylor. And insiders said Taylor doesn’t look like a contender. So it’s Dickens, who has held elected office since 2006, and whose father and uncle served before her, versus the upstart Salaam, who gained fame as a member of the Central Park Five, wrongly imprisoned for a violent crime before getting exonerated. They’re not too far apart on issues, but Salaam is presenting more progressive, hoping to pick up would-be KRJ voters, while Dickens is highlighting her legacy as a proven winner.
DISTRICT 43
Southern Brooklyn, including the neighborhoods of Sunset Park, Bensonhurst and Gravesend
New York City’s redistricting process created a new majority-Asian American district – the first in Brooklyn – making it the rare seat with no incumbent this year. A boost to the city’s Asian American population reflected in the 2020 census prompted a groundswell of advocacy for this new district, which stretches through southern Brooklyn in a narrow staircase shape – up from Gravesend and Bensonhurst and ending in Sunset Park. And while the seat is likely to see a competitive general election in November, there are two contested primaries to get through first.
DISTRICT 41
Central Brooklyn, including the neighborhoods of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville and Crown Heights
Don’t count out New York City Council Member Darlene Mealy, who has won this council district four times before, and many more times as Democratic district leader. But critics like Isis McIntosh Green have said Mealy doesn’t have much to show for those years in office, and she often doesn’t even show up for council meetings. McIntosh Green is allied with Assembly Member Latrice Walker and former Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, so this primary is just the latest battle in a longer power struggle. Also running are public housing advocate Reginald Bowman and author Joyce Shearin, but McIntosh Green – and not Mealy – is the only one who seems to be running an organized campaign.
DISTRICT 47
Southern Brooklyn, including the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Coney Island and Sea Gate
A newly carved up District 47 has caused quite a dustup in the City Council. Redistricting has forced Democratic Council Member Justin Brannan and (newly) Republican Council Member Ari Kagan to compete for this seat as incumbents, with Brannan representing the Bay Ridge section and Kagan representing the Bath Beach and Coney Island section under the current district lines. But with the neighborhoods combined into one district, only one of these incumbents will remain in the council after this year.
DISTRICT 13
East Bronx, including the neighborhoods of Throggs Neck, Pelham Bay and Morris Park
The City Council’s 13th District in the East Bronx has the highest share of Republican voters of any district in the (still solidly blue) borough. GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa narrowly outperformed Eric Adams in 2021, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin won 47% of the vote in November. So it’s no surprise to see a competitive Republican primary in the Bronx district, where Democratic incumbent Marjorie Velázquez is fighting for reelection.
DISTRICT 19
Northeast Queens, including the neighborhoods of College Point, Whitestone and Bayside
Tony Avella served in the City Council for eight years, the state Senate for eight years, ran for mayor twice and apparently just can’t quit politics. So the 71-year-old is hoping to unseat the 68-year-old Vickie Paladino after falling just short in 2021. But first, he has to get past Christopher Bae, a first-time candidate and former assistant district attorney in Queens who has received support from folks who haven’t forgiven Avella for joining the Independent Democratic Conference, like state Sens. John Liu and Jessica Ramos. Bae, who’s Korean American, is hoping to appeal to the district’s growing Asian population. Also running is Paul Graziano, who is running on a pro-downzoning NIMBY platform – even more so than Avella, whom he used to work for.
DISTRICT 42
East New York
Socialist New York City Council Member Charles Barron is facing two Democratic challengers in this heavily blue district, with no Republicans in the race. Barron brings more than a decade of experience in the council – and a dynastic-like control of the seat for even longer – but perennial Barron challenger Chris Banks has picked up several major labor endorsements and, as of late May, had spent nearly three times as much money on the race as Barron. Banks is an antipoverty advocate who is running on a message of change – an unsurprising tactic for a challenge to Barron, who has represented the area in either the council or the Assembly for more than 20 years. Democrat Jamilah Rose, described on her Facebook page as a social justice advocate and a grant writer, is also running in the primary.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2023/06/most-interesting-2023-new-york-city-council-primary-races-watch/387237/
