New Council Members, All Democrats, Have Range of Allegiances, Backgrounds

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

While most of the attention on Election Day was paid to the mayoral candidates at the top of the ticket, eight new City Council members also were selected to fill seats in the 51-member body.


The newly elected members, all Democrats, will be inaugurated in January. Unlike in 2001, when term limits forced out more than half of the council and ushered in a new generation of local politicians, these members represent a smaller bloc of the body.


Their presence will, however, change the dynamic of the institution. Some have strong ties to labor unions; others have been entrenched in the city’s political infrastructure or have been working in the private sector.


Political observers are already talking about how the newly elected members will affect the race to replace the council speaker, Gifford Miller, who is being forced out by term limits. Seven candidates are eyeing the post, many of whom have already been wooing the new members with cash donations and campaign help.


Of the new members, five are from Manhattan, one is from Brooklyn, one is from the Bronx, and one is from Queens. They are:


Daniel Garodnick: District 4


Mr. Garodnick resigned from his job at the Manhattan law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP yesterday, hours after his general election victory. A member of Community Board 6, Mr. Garodnick has been a vocal advocate for tenants. He raised more money than any other nonincumbent and has touted his past work in civil rights and as an attorney for the Partnership for New York City, which filed legal briefs backing the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. When asked whether he was ready to start serving in the council, he said: “After a day or two of sleep I will be.” He will replace Council Member Eva Moskowitz, who gave up her seat to run for president of Manhattan. Mr. Garodnick has received campaign contributions from several of the candidates running for speaker.


Inez Dickens: District 9


Ms. Dickens, 55, for years has been part of the political fabric in Harlem as the district leader and as chairwoman of the New York State Democratic Committee. This race was her first run for public office. A real estate broker, Ms. Dickens is the daughter of a former assemblyman of Harlem, the late Lloyd Dickens. In her race to replace Council Member Bill Perkins, support came from some of the biggest names in the Harlem political establishment: Rep. Charles Rangel, Mayor Dinkins, and a former president of Manhattan, Percy Sutton. Ms. Dickens has worked closely with Mr. Rangel at the Martin Luther King Jr. Democratic Club; he has referred to her as his “political wife.” Observers don’t doubt that he will have input on whom she backs for speaker. She said she has not started thinking about that race.


Jessica Lappin: District 5


As a former chief of staff for Gifford Miller’s district office, Ms. Lappin painted herself as the candidate with City Hall experience. She has worked for Mr. Miller in Manhattan since graduating from college in 1998. Now she hopes to emerge from his shadow and make her own mark on the district, which stretches between 49th and 92nd streets on the far East Side and includes Roosevelt Island. “People in this district know me as Jessica Lappin, not just as the former staff person to the City Council speaker,” she said. Ms. Lappin, 30, said she has not committed to any of the candidates running for speaker. She has a close relationship with Council Member Christine Quinn, one of the candidates.


Melissa Mark-Viverito: District 8


Ms. Mark-Viverito is an organizer for Local 1199. Her victory, following a primary that required a recount, represents a big win for labor. She graduated from Columbia College and received a master’s degree from Baruch College. She was born in Puerto Rico, and has a long list of community involvements. Ms. Mark-Viverito could not be reached for comment yesterday, but she told The New York Sun last month that she had been approached by “a couple” of the candidates for speaker. Some think her win bodes well for Council Member Bill de Blasio, who is closely aligned with several of the city’s big unions.


Darlene Mealy: District 41


A New York City Transit employee and rank-and-file union member, Ms. Mealy was backed by the Working Families Party. Her win is another victory for labor. Ms. Mealy, 41, founded her local community association and is on the executive board of the Neighborhood Housing Service. She will replace Council Member Tracy Boyland. Her primary win ended the Boyland family dynasty, as she defeated Ms. Boyland’s father, William Boyland Sr.


Rosie Mendez: District 2


Ms. Mendez will succeed her former boss, Council Member Margarita Lopez, for whom she served as chief of staff. She has also served as a district leader and worked as a tenant organizer. Ms. Mendez was out of town yesterday, but her campaign manager said she would focus on the perpetual East Side problem of affordable housing and work to get better resources into city schools.


James Vacca: District 13


His opponent had backing from Mayor Bloomberg and Mayor Giuliani, but Mr.Vacca pulled off the victory. Mr. Vacca serves as district manager for Community Board 10 and teaches urban studies at Queens College. He is one of the only newcomers on the record as a backer of term limits. He plans to focus much of his attention on overdevelopment in his Bronx district, where he says he has “lived and breathed” since he was 13. It was then that he took on his first municipal bat tle: to improve service on the no. 5 Bruckner Boulevard bus. Mr. Vacca is 50 and is married to an elementary school teacher.


Thomas White: District 28


Mr. White was the only candidate for City Council this year to knock out an incumbent. He had the backing of the Queens Democratic Party and will replace Council Member Allan Jennings, who was accused of sexual harassment by several of his female employees. Mr. White held the council seat during the 1990s, but was forced out by term limits in 2001. According to published reports, he was investigated for spending improprieties. Attempts to reach him yesterday were unsuccessful.


The New York Sun

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