Council Countdown is a partnership among City Limits, City & State, Gotham Gazette and The Queens Daily Eagle offering coverage of the 2021 New York City Council races.
The speaker’s race—the Council’s own internal contest for electing its leadership—comes at a turbulent time, as the city attempts to rebound from the impact of the still-mutating COVID-19 virus. Each speaker sets the legislative agenda for the incoming Council and liaises between the lawmaking body and the administration.
“Albanese might have the support of the law enforcement union, but I think more law enforcement officers would rather lick the floor of the Ferry Terminal than vote for him,” said Republican Councilmember Joe Borelli. “He’s had more positions than the Kama Sutra.”
New York City will choose its next mayor on Tuesday. Check here throughout the day for developments in the 2021 election.
Felicia Singh, a teacher who triumphed in the Democratic Party’s crowded primary in June, will square off with Queens Republican Party Chairwoman Joann Ariola on Nov. 2. The district includes parts of the Rockaway peninsula, Howard Beach, Belle Harbor, Woodhaven, and South Ozone Park.
‘The cost is too high not to fund safety modifications to our housing stock. Older adults who can’t afford modifications, such as grab bars or no step entrances, must choose between living in an unsafe home or moving to an institutional setting.’
The outcomes of two competitive primary races that concluded with recounts are expected to be certified on Tuesday, the city Board of Elections said.
While the majority of primary winners are Democrats who will not have challengers in the fall, Republican and third-party candidates are running in a handful of races, including the Staten Island borough president’s election and Council contests in Districts 15,19, 23, 24, 32 and 50.
In three primary races, all for City Council seats, the likely winner will be someone other than the candidate who led on election night, according to a City Limits analysis of the city.
Of the three primaries in which current Manhattan Council members faced challengers, the 9th Council District race is the only one in which the incumbent appears to have been defeated.
The winner of the primary will go on to compete on the ballot in November’s general election—which in a city that leans as heavily Democratic as New York means most seats will be filled by whoever wins in June.