Bichotte Hermelyn Possibly Out as Brooklyn Democratic Leader + Samy Nemir Olivares Concedes

Jul 11, 2022

The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.

Local News:

After a string of controversies, Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn is rumored to be stepping down from her position as head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.
A conservative majority on the New York State Court of Appeals, which includes two judges appointed by ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo in his final weeks as Governor, have issued a series of rulings in favor of law enforcement, landlords, and employers.
The cuts made to City schools in Mayor Eric Adams’ budget are even bigger than initially presented.
Mayor Adams is continuing to close Covid-19 testing sites even as City hospitalizations cross 1,000 for the first time since the omicron wave subsided in February.
Two City housing agencies, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Unit and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, face serious worker shortages with the former having only one full time employee and the latter having 3 vacancies among their deputy commissioner positions. This comes to light as the recent city budget fails to provide the billions more needed to enact Mayor Adams’ vague housing plan.
So far this year, 30 New Yorkers have been killed on Bronx streets, up from a low of 13 people killed in 2019, and part of a citywide spike in pedestrian and cyclist deaths. Only 6% of the city’s protected bike lanes are in the Bronx.

Samy Nemir Olivares conceded in Assembly District 54 (Bushwick), falling just 266 votes short against incumbent Erik Dilan.
Gotham Gazette examined the overall performance of progressive challengers in last month’s primaries.
Rep. Jerry Nadler won the endorsement of 1199SEIU In New York’s 12th Congressional district, where he and another longtime incumbent, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, were both drawn into the same new district.

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