A look at NYC’s top 10 competitive City Council races as primary elections begin

All 51 New York City Council seats are up for a vote in this year’s primary and general elections — and while most will prove cakewalks for the incumbents involved, some are shaping up to be competitive.

Usually, Council elections fall every four years, and the last round was in 2021. However, 2023 is different thanks to the 2022 redrawing of the Council map, which by law required another round of voting this year, starting with primaries June 27.

For the most part, redistricting didn’t change much in terms of the basic makeup and Council district boundaries — many of them have similar contours compared to what they had before — but some districts have changed more significantly, which could make them more competitive than in previous years.

Early voting for all Council races began Saturday and will run through Sunday, June 25. After the primaries, voters will head back to the polls on Nov. 7 for the general election.

Here are the 10 races to watch out for as the votes start rolling in:

Central Harlem — District 9, Manhattan

Last month’s shock announcement that incumbent City Councilwoman Kristin Richardson Jordan would not seek reelection for this Central Harlem-based district created a vacuum that the three remaining Democratic candidates in the race have seized on.

The candidates squaring off in the Democratic primary are Inez Dickens and Al Taylor, both Assembly members who have been fixtures of Harlem politics for decades, as well as Yusef Salaam, a criminal justice advocate known for being wrongfully convicted as a teenager in the 1989 “Central Park Five” rape case.

Dickens has lined up plenty of support, including endorsements from the United Federation of Teachers as well as New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat and former New York Rep. Charlie Rangel, both considered king- and queen-makers of uptown politics.

Salaam, a political newcomer with lots of name recognition, has outraised and outspent both his opponents, though, raking in $75,787 and dishing out more than $200,000 on political spending once matching funds came into play, according to the latest campaign finance filings.

Giving each other a potential edge, Salaam and Taylor cross-endorsed each other earlier this month — meaning they are urging their respective supporters to rank the other in the No. 2 spots on their ballots.

Since this year’s elections are ranked choice, that could be important if no candidate wins an outright majority off the bat, at which point secondary choices will be added to the count until a single hopeful clinches 50% of the vote total.

Dickens netted perhaps an equally important endorsement this past Thursday, however, as Mayor Adams threw his weight behind her candidacy.

Bay Ridge, Coney Island, Bath Beach — District 47, Brooklyn

Thanks to redistricting, the general election for this Council district could result in a showdown between two candidates who are essentially incumbents — Councilman Justin Brannan, a Democrat, and Councilman Ari Kagan, who switched party affiliation from Democrat to Republican after redistricting.

Before that can happen, Kagan will have to get through the GOP primary, which features two other candidates — Anna Belfiore-Delfaus and Avery Pereira. So far, Belfiore-Delfaus has raised about $12,500 for her run and Pereira has roped in nearly $8,000, according to the city’s Campaign Finance Board, which lists both as participants in its matching funds program.

Kagan, though, is likely to prove a formidable opponent. He’s raised over $33,000, and, given his incumbency, is likely more familiar to voters in the area.

Kagan and Brannan have been sparring publicly in the months since Kagan’s political defection. Immediately after Kagan made that announcement, Brannan thumbed out a text to voters saying that “Ari Kagan just sold you out.” Later, in May, Kagan attacked Brannan for supporting a law that would create a new board to consider the release of Rikers Island inmates. Kagan, who vowed to focus on public safety, claimed the law could result in the release of 2,500 “dangerous criminals.”

Two years ago, Brannan squeaked out a victory against his Republican opponent, but he will likely prove a serious opponent for whoever it is he’s facing in this year’s run. So far, he’s raised more than $123,000 for his run — and since he doesn’t have a primary opponent, it’s money he can devote entirely to the general election.

Bensonhurst, Sunset Park — District 43, Brooklyn

The redistricting that’s now pitted Brannan and Kagan against one another in the 47th District also led to the creation of a district with a high proportion of Asian-Americans in Brooklyn.

There’s no incumbent running for the seat, and both Democrats and Republicans are running primary bids to win it.

On the Democratic side, there’s Susan Zhuang, chief of staff to Assemblyman William Colton; Wai Yee Chan, a former staffer to Brannan; and Stanley Ng, who has pushed to keep testing for specialized high schools as the sole measure for admitting students.

All three candidates have positioned themselves as moderate Democrats and have vowed not to join the Council’s Progressive Caucus if elected because of the group’s mission statement calling for a reduction in the NYPD’s “size and scope.”

According to the CFB, Ng and Zhuang have so far raised nearly $40,000 apiece and Chan has raised nearly $60,000.

The two Republicans running in this year’s primary are Ying Tan and Vito LaBella. Tan, who has raised only $19,000, recently called out Councilman Chi Osse for a remark some Italian-American colleagues found disparaging, and described his words as “unacceptable.” She has also argued that the city’s right-to-shelter law and sanctuary city status should be rolled back.

LaBella, whose campaign site says he’s has been elected to the Community Education Council twice, has raised even less, just over $4,000. The ex-cop came under fire last year after a video surfaced of him slagging Brooklyn. In the clip, which shows off the front yard of his West Harwich, Mass., summer home, he can be heard saying: “I hate f---ing Brooklyn, I wish I never had to go back.”

College Point, Whitestone — District 19, Queens

The fight for this northern Queens district, which is currently held by Republican incumbent Vickie Paladino, is likely to prove close come this year’s general election.

But before that happens, the Democratic favorite in the race, former state senator and City Council member Tony Avella, will have to get through the primary, where he’s facing off against Christopher Bae, a prosecutor in the Queens DA’s office, and Paul Graziano, a land-use specialist.

Avella is favored for several reasons. He has the backing of the Queens Democratic Party, has landed endorsements from several elected officials who are well-known in the district and he’s raised more than $32,000 thus far. In the 2021 race for the seat, which was previously held by Councilman Paul Vallone, a Democrat, Avella lost to Paladino by only a few hundred votes.

And while Paladino, who’s raised almost $54,000 so far, isn’t facing her own primary challenge and now holds the power of incumbency in this year’s race, she’s also made a series of political missteps during her short Council tenure that may prove costly.

She’s served as an apologist for Rep. George Santos, a serial liar who’s now facing federal fraud charges, has weathered criticism from Avella over failing to disclose debt on required city filings, and was unseated from the Council’s Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction for making remarks about the transgender community that many colleagues found offensive.

Throgs Neck, Morris Park — District 13, Bronx

This south-eastern waterfront Bronx district is one of the few in this election cycle where both parties are preparing for competitive primaries — before also expecting a hotly-contested general election.

On the Democratic side, incumbent Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquez is facing the most potent threat from local Community Board chair Bernadette Ferrara, a more centrist Democrat than Velazquez.

Velazquez has dominated fundraising in the race, raking in more than $60,000, according to her latest campaign filing.

But Velazquez caught heat from constituents — including Ferrara — after she threw her weight last year behind a rezoning of Bruckner Blvd. that is expected to bring more housing to a district where many oppose such developments.

On the flip side, Velazquez’s backing of the Bruckner plan earned her an endorsement from Labor Strong, a coalition of the city’s five most influential public sector unions, known for their ability to drive voter turnout.

The GOP primary, which is viewed as more competitive, features a showdown between George Havranek, Kristy Marmorato and Hasime Samantha Zherka. The Republicans, who are also vying for the Conservative Party primary nod, have all centered their campaigns on opposing the Bruckner rezoning, and will likely continue to highlight that should they face Velazquez in November’s general election.

Sunnyside, Woodside — District 26, Queens

Democratic Councilwoman Julie Won has only one serious challenge in this year’s election cycle to concern herself with — a primary race against Hailie Kim, a democratic socialist who has so far raised $24,000 to Won’s $86,000.

A win from Kim, who has vowed to forego political contributions from police unions, corporations and real estate interests, would almost certainly move the district farther to the left and would significantly expand socialists’ footprint from its base in Astoria.

Won has made some enemies since winning the seat after termed-out former Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer stepped down. She took heat for at first opposing a new development, which she later backed, and came under scrutiny after the Daily News revealed her husband-campaign manager used the N-word and other insensitive language on social media years ago.

Still, Kim is facing an uphill battle in a district that isn’t as left-leaning as the neighboring one represented by Councilwoman Tiffany Caban, another democratic socialist.

But even if she loses, Kim could end up becoming a viable candidate in another race that’s just around the corner — the contest for state Sen. Juan Ardila’s district. Ardila, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, has not indicated he intends to step down, but will likely remain vulnerable to a primary challenge when he’s up for re-election next year.

Hollis, Douglaston — District 23, Queens

Incumbent City Councilwoman Linda Lee was not up until recently viewed as facing a serious threat to her reelection — but some recent polling of her Democratic primary race may have changed that calculus.

Jeff Leb, a veteran New York lobbyist who runs several super PACs supporting mostly centrist Democrats, spoke with the Daily News earlier this month about independent polling one of his groups did in Lee’s eastern Queens district showing that her race is likely to be “one of the closer ones in this Council primary cycle.”

The most formidable challenger, Leb said, is Steve Behar, a former Council staffer who ran unsuccessfully for the same seat in 2021, losing to Lee.

To slow down Behar’s momentum, Leb’s Future NYC PAC plans to spend $100,000 to promote Lee’s candidacy with mailers, robocalls, phone banking and radio and digital ads. Some of the cash will also go toward pumping out campaign material attacking Behar, who faced accusations of sexism and inappropriate language during his last campaign.

Community activist Rubaiya Rahman is also in the mix for the Democratic nomination in this district.

Lower East Side, Chinatown — District 1, Manhattan

Councilman Christopher Marte is facing primary challenges from three opponents — Susan Lee, Ursila Jung and Pooi Stewart — and in the battle for Chinatown and the Lower East Side, the incumbent is viewed as vulnerable.

Marte landed in hot water earlier this year after a staffer allegedly called a journalist a “c—t,” as first reported by the Daily News. The staffer eventually resigned, but that controversy isn’t the only weakness Marte has to worry about in the Dem primary.

Lee, a non-profit executive, is viewed as his top contender and has racked up several key endorsements, including nods from the city’s biggest municipal workers’ union, DC 37, the Uniformed Fire Officers Association and the government watchdog, Citizens Union.

But she has so far taken in just over $40,000 — less than half of the $88,000 raised by Marte, who’s been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers and Tenants PAC. Jung, who was active in her kids’ PTAs, has also raised slightly more than Lee, about $46,000. Stewart has raised roughly $21,000.

Helen Qiu, a Republican, is running on a public safety platform and is not facing any primary opposition.

Ocean Hill-Brownsville, East Flatbush — District 41, Brooklyn

Incumbent Councilwoman Darlene Mealy has represented this eastern-central Brooklyn neighborhood for the better part of the 21st century, first from 2006 to 2017, and then again since 2021, when she ousted freshman Alicka Ampry-Samuel in a major upset.

This time around, though, it might be Mealy looking at an upset.

Mealy, a Democrat, was initially not expected to face a primary challenger — but that changed recently when Isis McIntosh Green threw her hat in the ring for the Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, East Flatbush and Crown Heights-spanning district.

McIntosh Green is running to Mealy’s left, and that quickly earned her accolades from the Democratic Party’s progressive wing. Shortly after announcing her run, the Working Families Party endorsed McIntosh Green, as did DC 37, the city’s largest municipal union.

Mealy, meantime, has come under scrutiny from fellow Council members and constituents for having been absent for nearly half of the body’s legislative meetings this term as of mid-May, according to an analysis by City & State. McIntosh Green’s campaign has also distributed a dossier to reporters highlighting that over the course of her more than 13 years in the Council, Mealy has only written six bills that became law.

East New York, Starrett City — District 42, Brooklyn

Like Mealy, incumbent Democratic Councilman Charles Barron has been a familiar face in this district for decades, holding the seat between 2002 and 2013 before being elected to it again in 2021 after a stint in the state Assembly.

Chris Banks, an East New York community leader, is hoping to topple Barron’s reign in the 42nd District this year. He unsuccessfully challenged Barron in the 2014 election for a local state Assembly seat, but fell short.

In explaining why he’s trying again, Banks told NY1 in a recent interview that Barron, a self-described radical socialist, isn’t doing enough to foster productive partnerships with police and secure new affordable housing for local residents.

“I think the longevity has hurt,” he told the news channel of Barron. “And in our situation, it has been an impediment to the progress of our district. And people get comfortable, they get complacent. They build political machines.”

In addition to Banks, Jamilah Rose, a public relations writer, is running in this month’s primary for the 42nd District.