Two Democrats enter race for New Rochelle mayor to succeed Bramson after 17-year tenure
NEW ROCHELLE — The race to become this city's first new mayor in nearly two decades is taking shape with a City Council member and a Westchester County legislator declaring bids for the Democratic nomination.
Councilwoman Yadira Ramos-Herbert and Legislator Damon Maher are vying to succeed Noah Bramson, who has been mayor since 2006 and announced in November that he wouldn't seek reelection. They'll court their party's endorsement at a convention on Feb. 16 and then square off in a Democratic primary on June 27, if they both stay in the race.
Maher has held office for five years and Ramos-Herbert for three; both will forgo reelection to run for mayor. No Republican has entered the race yet. Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by more than 3 to 1 in the city of 80,000.
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Bramson, 53, passed up a fifth run after facing claims last year that he pressured the city manager to appoint him to a $210,000-a-year job as economic development commissioner. He also was accused of cajoling council members to stop the manager from appointing the city's top lawyer to be deputy city manager.
A city ethics panel investigated the claims and concluded in June that Bramson violated the city charter by seeking the commissioner job. City Manager Chuck Strome, who has since retired, referred the matter to Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah, who announced in December that her office found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
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Ramos-Herbert, 42, a New Rochelle resident for 16 years, was elected to represent Council District 3 in 2019 and is serving the last year of a four-term term. She is associate dean of student and registration services at Columbia University Law School, and worked as a lawyer for eight years before starting at Columbia in 2016.
Maher, 67, a city resident for 29 years, has won three two-year terms since 2017 in a legislative district that takes in half of New Rochelle and neighboring Eastchester and Tuckahoe. He is a partner in the law firm Levy Davis & Maher in lower Manhattan.
The mayor's salary is $103,000. Maher told the Journal News he would treat the position as a full-time job if elected by further reducing his legal workload, now about 10 hours a week. Ramos-Herbert said she would decide how to split her time after discussions with her Columbia supervisor and city administrators.
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Ramos-Herbert, who touted her council involvement in COVID-19 vaccine distributions, police accountability and summer jobs for youth, said she entered local politics after realizing her "predominantly and historically African American neighborhood ... did not look like parks in other neighborhoods."
"Ensuring that all parts of the community feel seen, heard and represented are my driving force," she told the Journal News by email. "I am proud of what using this lens as a city Councilmember has allowed me to accomplish and think I will be even more impactful as Mayor."
Maher highlighted his 30 years of civic involvement and said his legislator experience has given him "the knowledge and tools to get more done for the City."
"And, as all who know me will attest," he said, "I have the time and boundless energy to campaign hard for myself and fellow Democrats, and to do the work of Mayor of New Rochelle."
Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly stated the number of years Ramos-Herbert has held office and the year she was elected.
Chris McKenna covers government and politics for the Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New Rochelle mayor's race: two Democrats compete to succeed Bramson
