Last night, City Council District 35’s contentious, vitriolic race finally came to a conclusion, with incumbent City Council Member Laurie Cumbo coming out with a decisive victory over the challenger Ede Fox.
“I am just so excited right now,” Cumbo said to her supporters last night. “This is an incredible victory, and this is your victory. You all ran this race. You won this race. You covered for me in a way I’ve never been covered for before.”
According to the preliminary numbers, Cumbo received 10,116 votes, or 58 percent of the electorate, while Fox received 7,304 votes, or 42 percent of the electorate.
“The race wasn’t even close,” boasted Cumbo. “Despite what all the reporters wanted to say so that they’d have something to fill up their blogs. The race was not even close.”
The race was centered around affordable housing, particularly in regards to the controversial Bedford-Union Armory deal. In a press release sent out after the results were announced, Jonathan Westin, Executive Director of New York Communities for Change, called the race “a referendum on [Mayor] de Blasio’s failed housing policies.”
From the beginning of her campaign, Ede Fox promoted herself as the “true advocate” of affordable housing, claiming that Cumbo’s positive stance on the deal belied her professed devotion to fighting gentrification and keeping rent at stabilized levels. Ultimately, though, Fox’s campaign proved to be unsuccessful.
During her victory speech, Cumbo prided herself on not resorting to the same inflammatory tactics that her opponent used.
“Like Michelle Obama said, when they go low, we go high,” said Cumbo. “We demonstrated tonight that when we put our minds together, when we overcome obstacles, when we stay positive, when we stay above the fray, when we continue to stay on message, we continue to run on our record, and we continue to run on our accomplishments, we succeed.”
The election marks the second time Cumbo has emerged victorious over her rival Fox. The incumbent beat out Fox for the council seat in the 2013 primary election, earning 36.25 percent of the votes compared to Fox’s 25.6 percent.
Entering her second four-year term on the New York City Council, Cumbo has pledged to, in her words, “expand on the success of the last four years.”
“I want to create even more affordable housing,” said Cumbo. “I want to make sure we create more jobs in the district, and I’ll continue to prevent existing residents from being displaced.”
The district includes Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights and part of Crown Heights.
