The three candidates seeking to become the new voice of Manhattan City Council District 9 squared off in the first of Schneps Media’s debates for the 2023 primary season on Monday, June 5.
Assembly Members Inez Dickens and Al Taylor, along with Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam, took part in the debate as they seek to succeed outgoing City Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan in the 9th District covering much of upper Manhattan.
Among the hot issues debated included zoning, the upcoming city budget negotiations and the city’s efforts to crack down on illegal cannabis sales. There were also direct questions raised to Dickens about her ties to what her opponents have described as the Harlem “political machine,” Taylor about his recent pivoting on LGBTQ+ and abortion rights; and Salaam on his return to the area after living in Georgia for a number of years.
PoliticsNY Senior Political Reporter Ethan Stark-Miller moderated the debate, and amNewYork Metro Executive Editor Robert Pozarycki served as timekeeper.
Watch the full debate below:
