Feb 1, 2025 Story by: Editor
In New York City, 14 of the 51 council districts are represented by Black city council members, with several incumbent Black officials facing challenges from new candidates in this year’s city council elections. These elections are particularly notable due to the introduction of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in the June primary. RCV allows voters to rank up to five candidates, rather than selecting just one.
As of January 2025, the New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) has reported the following candidates and their fundraising efforts for the competitive races:
District 7 (Abreu’s district): Covering the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and other parts of Manhattan, incumbent Abreu, a former tenant rights attorney, has raised $174,562 in public funds. “New Yorkers don’t back down from a fight, and neither do I,” said Abreu. “In the last three years, I’ve led on affordable housing and tenant rights, gotten trash bags off our sidewalks, and passed worker protection laws that are a model for the nation. I secured unprecedented levels of funding for parks, fought for our libraries, and expanded access to mental health services. Now, I’m running for reelection to keep up the momentum and create lasting change.”
His platform includes permanent tax breaks for homeowners, waste management improvements, universal afterschool programs, and more. His main challenger is Okporo, a Nigerian immigrant and LGBTQ advocate, who has raised $117,055 in public funds. “New York must be a city that protects its people, not one that pushes them aside,” Okporo said. “Our campaign is about ensuring middle-class families can afford to stay in their homes, guaranteeing retirees the healthcare they deserve, and making our neighborhoods safer without criminalizing poverty.”
District 35 (Hudson’s district): Representing Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and nearby areas, incumbent Crystal Hudson has raised $129,694 in public funds. “I am honored to run for reelection to represent the residents of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, and Clinton Hill in the New York City Council,” Hudson said. “Four years ago, I first ran for the Council to give back to a community that has given so much to me.” Her platform includes affordable housing, gun violence prevention, and expanded childcare access.
District 28 (Hankerson’s district): This district in Queens is now open due to term limits for City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Hankerson, Adams’s Chief of Staff, has raised $82,445 in public funds. “This district isn’t new to me,” Hankerson said. “I have spent several years working on the issues that matter most to the people of this community.” His platform focuses on public safety, affordable housing, and improving education quality.
District 41 (Mealy’s district): Covering parts of Brooklyn such as Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, incumbent Darlene Mealy, who served from 2006 to 2017 and reclaimed her seat in 2021, has raised $11,500 in private funds. Her challengers include Jamell Henderson, who has raised $7,346, and Bianca Cunningham, who has raised $19,611. Cunningham said, “I am seeking to represent the 41st district and have a proven record of having political courage to stand with the many to fight for a New York that is clean, safe, and affordable for all.”
District 49 (Hanks’s district): Incumbent Kamillah M. Hanks, Staten Island’s only Black city council member, has raised $77,440 in private funds. Her main challenger is Abou S. Diakhate, a former Deputy Chief of the HIV/AIDS Unit at the United Nations. Diakhate’s platform includes support for education and economic development.
In all, this year’s city council races are set to be fiercely contested, with incumbents and challengers alike vying for the chance to represent their communities, with RCV adding a new layer of complexity to the elections. Source: Amsterdam News
