The New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) tasked with those efforts by the recent city Charter change approved by voters in 2019 that is ushering ranked-choice voting into effect for party primary and special elections for city government positions, with the first implementation happening this year. There are several special elections happening in the months leading up to the June party primaries, which will feature a full slate of elections for citywide, borough-wide, and City Council seats.
Why are we using Ranked Choice Voting?
New Yorkers elected to use Ranked Choice Voting in a 2019 ballot measure. It passed with 73.5% support.
Meisha Ross Porter, who rose through the education department’s ranks as a teacher, principal, and executive superintendent, will become the first Black woman to lead the nation’s largest school system.
Her appointment comes after the surprise resignation of Chancellor Richard Carranza Friday morning and just 10 months before Mayor Bill de Blasio will leave office.
New York City Department of Education Chancellor Richard Carranza speaks at City Hall about the importance of mayoral control of the schools, March 7, 2019.
Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
But even if Porter’s tenure may be brief, as a new mayor is likely to pick a new chancellor, she will not simply be turning out the lights on the remaining months of the mayor’s term.
arrow Councilmembers Bill Perkins (left) of Harlem and Mark Gjonaj (right) of the Bronx are among legislators who ve decided not to run for re-election. John McCarten/New York City Council
Four months before the June primary, Bronx City Councilmember Mark Gjonaj has announced he won t be seeking re-election, citing the political climate that s been critical to his centrist Democratic positions. The decision now paves the way for his challenger to win the primary and ultimately become the Democratic nominee for the November election.
Gjonaj (pronounced jo-nigh) announced his decision Wednesday evening. A realtor who entered public life in 2012 after winning the 82nd Assembly District becoming the state s first Albanian-American legislator Gjonaj won the 13th Council District seat in 2017. He currently chairs the Council s Small Business Committee, where he pushed to restrict fees for third-party delivery apps while underscoring the lack of Paycheck Protection P
arrow Ersler Dmitry / Shutterstock
The New York City Campaign Finance Board released more than $37 million in matching funds to candidates in the races for mayor, comptroller, borough president, and New York City Council to date, representing the largest amount ever doled out in CFB history. Much of that was driven by the sheer number of candidates in these races, with more than 400 people opening campaigns, but also by the CFB’s 8-to-1 matching funds program that stretches funds from small-time donors, weakening the might of political action committees (a.k.a. dark money).
On Tuesday, the CFB met to announce its disbursement of funds at a public meeting after staffers audited financial records they obtained by campaign treasurers for the months of July 2020 to January 2021. While campaigns typically claim to have reached the threshold needed to qualify for the funds, they still must be vetted by CFB auditors to ensure candidates meet the criteria needed to qualify for
arrow Councilmember Fernando Cabrera is running for borough president. Gerardo Romo
As the NYPD and its ethos fall under greater scrutiny by lawmakers, Councilmember Fernando Cabrera distinguished himself from the rest of the Democratic candidates in the race for Bronx Borough President by recently accepting the endorsement of the Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA), one of the NYPD unions whose leaders have proven to be a thorn on the side of Democrats.
It s a rare endorsement of a Democrat from a police union that regularly leans Republican, most recently throwing their support to GOP Representatives Nicole Malliotakis of Staten Island/Brooklyn and Elise Stefanik in the North Country. The two went on to win the November election.