After two rounds of nail-biting wheeling and dealing, Coney Island activist and retired former correctional officer Pam Harris narrowly beat Bay Ridge Democrat Kate Cucco to receive the Democratic Party line in the upcoming Nov. 3 special election for the open 46th Assembly District seat.
In a weighted vote, Harris narrowly received the 2,400 points to win – just 200 more than what was need to secure the nomination – and it came after attorney Cody McCone, the nominee in third place, dropped out and supported Harris.
“I’m extremely excited for the community and our districts getting married now. I’m excited about the changes that are going to take place now, and everybody’s going to see that this is not just about Coney Island. It’s about Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Third Avenue, Brighton, Warbasse (towers). It’s about the whole district.”
Despite Harris’ enthusiasm, she will have her work cut out for her winning over Bay Ridge Democrats, most of whom supported Cucco, and several left the meeting with emotions ranging from very concerned to angry.
“My concern from a political standpoint is that almost all the elected people who backed Pam are very conservative and have not been good for Bay Ridge Democrats,” said one source.
The source noted that Sen. Diane Savino, for example, caucuses as part of the Independent Democratic Caucus (IDC) in the senate which is often aligned with the majority senate GOP, and hardly lifted a finger to defeat GOP Bay Ridge Sen. Marty Golden in his last re-election.
Ditto for Assemblyman Bill Colton, and City Council Member Mark Treyger – both of whom supported Harris – and sat on their hands when Republican Michael Grimm beat Democrat Domenic Recchia in their Congressional race, the source said.
But Treyger said that the process in picking the Democratic nominee wasn’t one they asked for and they would have preferred a primary, but when former Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny resigned to take a job in the private sector in early July instead of June, it forced the Kings County Democratic Party to make the decision.
“This was a process we had to embrace and I believe tonight the county committee made their voice heard and now Pamela Williams-Harris is the Democratic nominee. Tonight is pretty historic, but there’s no rest. Tonight begins the race for the general election so there’s a lot more work to do. We have to unite this community, from Dyker Heights to Seagate, Brighton Beach and the high rises to Bay Ridge,” said Treyger.
Among those who has already pledged their support is Cucco, who was very gracious in losing, and said she would not take the Independence Party endorsement even though she has their line on the ballot for the asking.
“I plan on speaking with her (Harris) in the next week, and if there’s anything I can do to help her, I’ll be available,” said Cucco, adding she is a Democrat and will work to elect another Democrat.
Harris will face the Republican and Conservative Party candidate Lucretia Regina-Potter, who said she wants an election process that is above-board.
“I am looking forward to a spirited campaign focusing on the issues that affect our district,” she said.
