24 CityAndStateNY.com
June 20, 2022
Manhattan: Assemble!
By Jeff Coltin Map by Alex Law
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Assembly Member Eddie Gibbs
Wilfredo López
Eddie Gibbs was just elected in a January special election. He’s gotten attention as the first formerly incarcerated legislator, after serving four years for manslaughter 30 years ago, and received an endorsement from Mayor Eric Adams. But the Working Families Party-backed lawyer Wilfredo López and two other local leaders – Tamika Mapp and John Ruiz Miranda – hope to make him a oneyear lawmaker.
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Assembly Member Inez Dickens
Delsenia Glover
Could Inez Dickens – whose father and uncle held the seat before her – be the latest member of the Harlem establishment to lose? At 69 years old, housing activist Delsenia Glover isn’t your typical young insurgent, but her progressive politics fit the bill. Also in the race is Shawanna Vaughn.
EDDIE GIBBS; TIRSO TAVAREZ; INEZ DICKENS; TANZIE JOHNSON; RUSSELL SQUIRE FOR NEW YORK; ANTHONY RANDAZZO; JAN ERTING; MICHAEL PAULSON; GRACE LEE; TONY SIMONE FOR ASSEMBLY; KELSEY CAMPBELL; MARIO MESSINA; ASSEMBLY; JEFF ZORABEDIA
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EW YORK CITY’S seen countless competitive Democratic primaries in the past few election cycles – and more than few incumbents have lost. But Manhattan has largely been left out of the fun. Politicians there tend to stick around for a long time. But a wave of retirements, and some energetic challenges, could shake up Manhattan’s Assembly delegation. And that’s just the June primary. Redistricting will lead to Manhattan voters deciding two of the country’s most closely watched congressional primaries, at a time when the political center of gravity in the city has shifted toward Brooklyn. “Why should the boroughs have all the fun?” asked Rose Christ, a Manhattan-based lobbyist and former president of the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City. “I think it’s only right that we see new people emerge in these races and really hold incumbents to the fire and also make their way in when there are open seats. It’s political dynamics at its best.” Though not everyone agrees this is new. “Manhattan politics has always been exciting,” said Keith Wright, the leader of the Manhattan Democratic Party. “These things come in cycles. They come in different waves. Believe me: It ain’t nothing we can’t handle.”
Retirements, challenges, drama. Manhattan’s Assembly delegation is in for a shake-up.
