Donovan Officially Throws Hat in The Ring
Staten Island District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. officially announced Friday afternoon that he is running as the GOP candidate for the 11th Congressional District straddling Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn.
“Last week I announced that I would seriously consider running for the vacant Congressional seat in the 11th Congressional District of New York. I made that announcement after a 24 hour period in which my phone never stopped ringing with expressions of enthusiastic support from elected officials, party leaders, and residents of Staten Island and Brooklyn. I said then that after due deliberation I would
make my decision,” said Donovan in a statement.
“In the week since my last announcement the enthusiasm for my candidacy has only broadened and intensified, with expressions of support also from beyond the two boroughs. Accordingly, please consider this my formal announcement that I will be seeking the endorsements of the Republican, Conservative, and Independence Parties in the upcoming Special Election for the 11th Congressional District of New York.
“I expect the selection processes of those parties to commence sometime in the near future and will only comment further in due course after those party processes have taken place.”
New York City election attorney Jerry Goldfeder noted Governor Cuomo is required to call a special election when there is a vacancy in the House. He does, however, have discretion as to when to call it. So he can call it now, and it will be held within 70-80 days from his proclamation.
“Or he can time his announcement so the special election falls on September primary day or the November general election. In any case, it is a special election– so there are no primaries for political party nominations.”
Adams Bridges Gap Between Police & Community
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams announced Sunday a series of town halls and digital youth dialogues around the issue of police-community relations, in response to recent citywide tension following widespread protests of policing practices and the assassinations of two NYPD officers.
Joining Adams in the announcement was leadership from City Hall as well as Roy Richter, union president of the Captains Endowment Association, signifying broad support on this important initiative.
Also in attendance were young people participating in the digital dialogues, which will take place between students in schools from different neighborhoods conversing over Google Hangout, while moderators remotely pose questions to them to drive discourse.
Adams, along with Norman Siegel, former director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, outlined the effort to bridge the divide between police and the communities they serve. The conversations will inform a report of recommendations with the goal of advancing public safety citywide, as well as police and criminal justice reforms.
