As the Congressional primary races hit the back stretch towards the June 26 election, Brooklyn candidates for Democratic Assembly District leader spots are already jockeying for position. While these are unpaid positions, they carry a lot of clout in judicial races and election day patronage jobs as well as often being stepping-stones to elected legislative positions. Each assembly district has two Democratic district leaders – one male and one female.
There are also a few state races that early on could be competitive.
So with no further adieu, here are some of these races worth watching.
The 43rd Assembly District
Several political and legislative sources are saying that Assemblywoman Diana Richardson (D-Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens) is looking to consolidate her power in the district by challenging 43rd Assembly District Democratic female leader Shirley Patterson. These sources are also saying she is looking to find a man to challenge male district leader Geoffrey Davis, and the scuttlebutt is that Brian Cunningham, who lost to City Councilman Mathieu Eugene is looking at challenging Davis.
If this comes to pass, Richardson, could be walking into a hornet’s nest. Patterson is well liked in the Crown Heights end of the district and is close to State Sen. Jesse Hamilton (D-Central Brooklyn), Assemblymember Walter Mosley (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights) and City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights). If she decides to take on Patterson, there is also a good chance some of these electeds will put up somebody to face Richardson for her assembly seat. Ditto for Cunningham, who might not need to make any unnecessary political enemies, especially if he is looking ahead to Eugene’s open city council seat in 2021.
This isn’t to say that Richardson and/or Cunningham couldn’t win these races, but it would be a dogfight, and perhaps not a risk worth taking.
The 57th Assembly District
There are several things currently at play here starting with the rumored retirement of longtime State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Boerum Hill, Sunset Park, Gowanus, Park Slope). Several sources say Montgomery has told people she is retiring, but a few months back, she told KCP, “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
Regardless, Mosley is said to be eyeing the seat, and he is young, hard-working and has a strong political future ahead of him. If Montgomery retires, look for him to run for the seat, but he would do so with utmost respect for the veteran lawmaker.
“I have no intention of challenging Senator Montgomery for her seat. She has been a great Senator for her district, and I admire the work she has accomplished. If the option presents itself should she step down, that is something I would have to consider down the line. Right now I am hard at work passing our state budget and continuing to represent my constituents in the Assembly,” said Mosley.
Regardless of the state senate race, look for a hard-fought rematch for the 57th Assembly District Democratic female leadership seat between incumbant Alanike (Ola) Alabi and former district Leader Renee Collymore. Collymore, who has been making the political rounds, could well have the support of Mosley, Cumbo and U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, but Alabi has a strong base and unseating her will not be an easy task.
The wild card here is if Mosley runs for the senate seat, it is likely that Collymore and Alabi will square off not only for the district leadership, but for Mosley’s assembly seat as well. And both Alabi and Collymore may also have an eye on Cumbo’s term-limited city council seat in 2021.
Additional wild cards in this district are some of the new young independent lions and lionesses in politics such as Michael Cox, who ran a spirited campaign in challenging Montgomery two years ago. Cox currently works on infrastructure issues in the de Blaiso Administration, and could mount a credible challenge to elected office in the district.
The 55th Assembly District
Female Democratic District Leader and former City Council Member Darlene Mealy (D-Brownsville) is vulnerable, and the thinking here is that Assemblywoman Latrice Walker and City Councilwoman Alicka Ampry-Samuel will look to consolidate their base and try to end Mealy’s political career. While Walker might consider the challenge herself, it would put her name on the ballot twice, which could confuse voters. Ampry-Samuel might be a better choice to challenge Mealy as her star is on the rise, and she herself isn’t up for re-election making it an open run.
Speaking of Walker and Ampry-Samuel, both have added a renewed political vigor to Brownsville, and exemplify the new age of women lawmakers – professionals (both are attorneys), hard-working and passionate about their district.
Also running for the female district leadership seat is Shemene Monique Minter, a popular Brownsville activist, which will make the race all the more interesting.
The 48th Assembly District
Both Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Boro Park) and his young male district leader protege David Schwartz could very well see an opponents in the state assembly Sept. 13 primary care of the City Councilman Kalman Yeger (D-Boro Park, Midwood, Bensonhurst) camp.
In these races, much depends on Yeger as the new power broker. He can be Lincolnesque, who famously once said, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” or he can continue his “scorched earth” policy whereupon his perceived political enemies remain that way forever.
Hikind, on the other hand, although power diminished after Yeger’s landslide victory over his son, Yoni, in the city council race, remains popular with a good many rank-and-file religious Jews and a number of institutions in the community.
And his support of Schwartz is unwavering.
“Dovie [Schwartz] is a star. He is dedicated and devoted. He truly cares about everybody and treats everybody with utmost respect. I one thousand percent support Dovie for district leader,” Hikind said.
