Petitioning Kicks off Next Month for the Five Dems in District 4 Council Race

The streets from Stuyvesant Town to E. 93rd St. may soon be crowded with foot soldiers gathering the 450 signatures needed to get the five declared candidates for city council district 4 on the ballot for the June Democratic primary, Four of the candidates tell us they have already amassed a war chest and are ready to hit the ground running.

Virginia Maloney is the latest entry in the crowded race for the seat being vacated by Keith Powers, who is term limited in the Council, and is in a race for Manhattan BP against State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.

Maloney is vying against four other candidates - Vanessa Aronson, Faith Bondy, Lukas Florczak, Rachel Storch, and Ben Wetzler. In another era, former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who is Virginia’s mom, was a City Council Member in pretty much the same district. With some twists and street turns, the current CD 4 district mirrors the earlier Maloney years.

Virginia missed the first round of matching funds because of her late entry into the race, but she was able to qualify for the most recent round of funding. Her campaign announced that, “In just 57 days since she started her campaign, Virginia has hit the thresholds of New York City’s landmark campaign finance program and maxed out for the primary–with 108 donors within the 4th Council District and almost $30,000 in matchable claims from New York City residents. With $77, 725 raised in private funds and city matching funds delivering $184,000, Virginia is entitled to spend $261,000.”

At a campaign fundraiser at St. Pat’s Bar & Grill, located at 22 W 46th St., the upstairs party room was filled with friends, supporters, community leaders and contributors. In the crowd, I saw former Upper East Side Assembly Member Pete Grannis. Some configuration of his former seat is now represented by either Alex Bores or Rebecca Seawright. For the last 15 years or so, Grannis has been working with NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. I remember in my earlier Our Town days when insurgent Pete Grannis primaried Bob Postel and, in those days, if I recall correctly, Pete Grannis had to appear on the ballot as Alexander Grannis. Perhaps with “Pete” in the middle.

After the announcement of matching funds qualification, I reached out to the other candidates for comments that might be lightly edited. I didn’t hear back from Lukas Florczak, but according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board, he has raised only $4,452 in contributions thus far. Here’s what the others had to say.

From Vanessa Aronson: “As of this latest filing, we raised $54,105 from 320 donors. We have maxed out the matching funds program with donations from 260 NYC supporters, the majority of whom are from the community I am seeking to represent. I’m humbled by the outpouring of support for our campaign from District 4 and NYC residents. Our campaign received 83% of our donations from NYC residents. We’ll continue the momentum fundraising as we expect our spending limits to be increased, triggered by the candidate who refused to participate in the Matching Funds Program. We’re excited to move full speed ahead into voter outreach and having the robust conversations about the future that District 4 voters deserve.”

From Ben Wetzler, who raised $44,119 in private funds and $174,800 in public funds, “I’m very proud of the grassroots fundraising effort we’ve put together, with almost 90 percent of the campaign contributions coming from small donors. It shows the depth of my connection to the district and my commitment to representing the neighborhood, not special interests.”

From Rachel Storch, who is not participating in matching funds, “I’m incredibly proud of the broad base of support I’ve been able to build across the district -- and more than 650 donors who are ready for a City Council focused on our quality of life and making the city safer,” and “In total I have raised $267,049,” and In this period, I raised $103, 712.”

From Faith Bondy, “We are humbled by the grassroots support, which has propelled us to lead the field with the highest percentage from District 4 donations” She went on to thank donors and supporters “who have continued to recognize [her] decades-long commitment to and leadership in [the] community.” She continued that “Team Bondy has maxed out on public matching funds and raised $233,000.

From Virginia Maloney: “I’m so proud of all of the neighbors and supporters who have come together to power this grassroots campaign in such a short period of time. Our city and the East Side are at a crossroads, and I am ready to bring energetic, resilient representation to the community I have called home for my entire life. I will bring my deep public and private sector experience to the City Council to deliver safer, more affordable neighborhoods.”

Community input–For the past seven years, Judge Jim Clynes has sworn in the new officers of Community Board 8 at their January full board meeting. The tradition began seven years ago when he was elected to the judiciary. Before that, he was Chairman of CB 8. This year, Clynes is a candidate for one of the three open seats on the New York County Supreme Court. And he won’t be doing the swearing in if he’s nominated at the Democrat Judicial Convention. Perhaps Judge Adam Silvera will swear him in.