When New York City voters go to the polls for the June 22 primary election, they won’t be casting their vote for one candidate per position, but instead multiple candidates. Ranked Choice Voting, which was approved by voters in 2019, took effect this year and will be used to elect the Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough Presidents, and City Council members. In the District Attorney primaries in Brooklyn and Manhattan, Ranked Choice Voting will not be used. Instead of just choosing their favorite candidate, voters will have the option of ranking up to five in order of preference. The candidates for each office will appear in rows on the left side of the ballot, and each column will be labeled first through fifth choice. Voters will indicate a preference next to their top five candidates and have the option of leaving some blank. This process will not be used in November’s General Election. After the polls close, all first-choice votes are counted. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, that candidate wins. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice votes, the vote moves to round two with the candidate receiving the least number of [...]— Jun 18
Eric Adams, raised in South Jamaica, Queens, is a lifelong New Yorker and the son of a DC 37 member. At age 15, he was beaten by police in the basement of a precinct house. Instead of giving into anger, Adams steeled himself to reform the NYPD from the inside. In 1984, after graduating second in his class from the Police Academy Adams served in the New York Transit Police and the NYPD from 1984 until 2006, rising to Captain. He remains an outspoken activist against police brutality and for criminal justice reform. He also was president of the Grand Council of Guardians and co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care. In 2006, Adams was elected to the New York State Senate representing the 20th District in Brooklyn, and then elected Brooklyn Borough President in 2013, where he has served the people of Brooklyn ever since. With his decades of experience as a progressive activist and his extensive legislative and executive experience, Adams has proven to be the leader who can guide New York City’s recovery from the pandemic and move the city to a stronger, more equitable and dynamic future. “This is a city made up of workers,” [...]— Jun 15
Eddie Rodriguez, President, Local 1549 A friend of mine was very concerned about my health, so she made an appointment for me to get the COVID-19 vaccine. On Feb. 28, I got my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine and I took my second dose in March. I have hypertension and I am pre-diabetic. Due to these health concerns, I decided to get the vaccine. I did it because of my age and because I love my family. Now that I have my COVID-19 vaccine card, I carry it as proudly as I do my union card. I had no reaction to the vaccine. I know people are afraid. We cannot control how our bodies will react to the vaccine, but the fact is that the coronavirus kills. Whatever reaction we have is certainly not as serious as the potential of being infected and becoming very sick and dying. If you love yourself and you love your family, you have to get the COVID vaccine. Don’t think because you’re young that you don’t need to be vaccinated. Young people get COVID-19, too. We are living with so many restrictions brought on by this pandemic. It has not been easy. We [...]— Jun 15
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is an effective leader, a frontline fighter against injustice and inequality, and a guiding force for change. From Brooklyn of Grenadian heritage, Williams began his career as a community organizer and advocate for tenants’ rights after graduating with a master’s degree from Brooklyn College. In 2009, he was elected to the New York City Council representing Brooklyn’s 45th District. While a member of the City Council, Williams became a leader in the fight against then-Mayor Bloomberg’s abuse of the odious “stop, question and frisk” policy that targeted young men of color, and other important reforms of the NYPD. He sponsored the Community Safety Act, legislation that established major changes to city policing, including creating the Office of the Inspector General that oversees unlawful and unethical behavior by officers within the City’s police department. In his three terms at the City Council, Williams led efforts to combat gun violence by helping to create Cure Violence Groups that reduced shootings. He also challenged the de Blasio administration’s affordable housing plan. Williams prioritized efforts to keep at-risk communities from being priced out of their homes and passed legislation to curb landlord abuses of low- and middle-income [...]— Jun 15
Corey Johnson has always been a fighter and a leader, entering public service as an activist advocating for equal rights and tenant protections. First elected to the City Council in 2013, Johnson became Speaker in 2018. As Speaker, he led efforts to protect tenants from eviction, and fought for criminal justice reform. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson was key in passing legislation to provide legal protections for tenants and small businesses, and later helped stage-manage the reopening from the citywide lockdown, including the Open Streets program. Under his leadership as Speaker, the City Council delivered on-time balanced budgets three years in a row. While under intense pressure during the COVID-19 crisis, Johnson shepherded through a budget that preserved funding for critical City services and for communities suffering from the pandemic. From his time serving as the leader of the City Council, Johnson is an experienced manager, overseeing a staff of nearly 900 workers, including a team of financial analysts and economists. Johnson conducted hundreds of oversight hearings into the City’s fiscal practices. Under his watch, the City Council discovered NYCHA’s failure to provide 80% of residents heat and hot water, and in another investigation uncovered disparities in remote learning that [...]— Jun 14
