Candidates for City Council Push To Attract Voters in Special Election

Candidates in two City Council special elections are planning a five-day campaign push in an effort to attract as many voters as possible to the polls Tuesday.

Seven qualified candidates received more than $165,000 in public financing yesterday, the final injection of matching funds for the contenders as they race from senior centers to radio shows in the final stretch of the mid-February Brooklyn and Staten Island races.

With temperatures hovering around freezing and only one race on the ballot, the elections to fill the vacant City Council seats typically see a low turnout and a large field of candidates because of the lack of a primary.

In the 40th Council District in Brooklyn, where 10 hopefuls are running to fill the spot of Yvette Clarke, who was elected to Congress in November, candidates say efforts will focus on voter turnout.

"It's all about GOTV, get out the vote. At the end of the day, it's gonna come down to who has the best operation," a spokesman for a candidate for the Brooklyn seat, Mathieu Eugene, Joe Placide, said.

Dr. Eugene has received the support of a number of local politicians, including Ms. Clarke and Council Member Letitia James.

The election for the seat vacated by new state Senator Andrew Lanza in Staten Island's 51st Council District has just two participants, Democrat Emanuel Innamorato and Republican Vincent Ignizio.