BY THE VILLAGE SUN | Not everyone might be aware of it, but there are primary elections upcoming on Tues., June 27. As a result of recent redistricting, for this election cycle, the normal City Council four-year term was cut to two years, necessitating primary elections.
To get on the ballot, candidates must collect a certain number of valid signatures of registered voters from their own party from within the district for which they are running.
Allie Ryan, a candidate in the Democratic primary for City Council District 2, was gathering signatures in front of the Morton Williams supermarket, at Bleecker Street and LaGuardia Place, on Sun., April 2, the last day of petitioning. She’s running against incumbent Carlina Rivera. Due to redistricting, the mostly East Side district now extends all the way over to Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village, meaning there is a whole new batch of voters for candidates to reach out to.
In Lower Manhattan’s District 1, incumbent Councilmember Christopher Marte is being challenged by Susan Lee, Ursila Jung and Pooi Stewart.
In District 3 on the West Side, Councilmember Erik Bottcher does not have a Democratic opponent in June.
Other competitive races include Democratic district leader in the East Village, where incumbent Aura Olavarria and Marquis Jenkins, backed by the Coalition for a District Alternative (CoDA), are running against Bridget Tuck and Francisco Gonzalez, the 74A Alliance slate. District leader elections are always held every two years.
Human vs. Machine