Newly elected Council Speaker Corey Johnson visited the Rev. Al Sharpton Saturday, joining Sharpton for his weekly rally and radio broadcast at the National Action Network. Council Members Jumaane Williams and Robert Cornegy also appeared.
Sharpton expressed disappointment that none of the African-American candidates for speaker succeeded, but nonetheless gave Johnson a warm welcome. Underpinning that welcome was Johnson’s active support and campaigning for Sharpton in his 2004 presidential campaign.
Mayoral candidates fighting and occasionally smiling, a governor working his fellow electeds and the cameras, a hometown president passing through. Those are among the images in our 2017 photo retrospective.
Shot entirely in the five boroughs, our photo retrospective reflects our 2017 focus on the mayoral election and particularly on challengers looking to defeat Mayor de Blasio. There’s more, however, with a mix of light moments, conflict and loss.
It was an arresting start to the Trump presidency for three New York City elected officials. Council Members Jumaane Williams and Carlos Menchaca and NYS Senator Marisol Alcantara sat down in the middle of Fifth Avenue just as Donald Trump took office, staging a protest that promptly produced arrests by the NYPD. They were joined by several others, including Kirsten John Foy, Gillman Rose, Margalit Ewart and Council Member Williams’ mother.
Today Melissa Mark-Viverito was elected speaker of the New York City Council, prevailing over Council Member Dan Garodnick in what was initially a seven person contest.
Immediately after the council meeting, Speaker Mark-Viverito held her first press conference as speaker. Here is the full video of that press conference.
Update:
Six council members were defeated by Melissa Mark-Viverito in the quest to be speaker. We look at what those six said at the council meeting.
Three of those six members made extended remarks. Here are full statements by:
At a City Hall press conference this afternoon, Capital New York reporter Sally Goldenberg asked outgoing Council Speaker Christine Quinn for her thoughts on the prospect of the council selecting a speaker who does not support marriage equality. Here is Speaker Quinn’s response.
Update – Williams:
Earlier, we asked Council Member and speaker contender Jumaane Williams about the weight that his fellow council members should give to his positions on marriage equality and abortion rights in selecting the next speaker. Williams is alone among the announced speaker contenders in opposing both.
Wednesday evening, Professor Doug Muzzio moderated a council speaker forum at Baruch College. Seven contenders participated; Jumaane Williams, Dan Garodnick, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Annabel Palma, James Vacca, Mark Weprin and Inez Dickens.
Karen Koslowitz:
Following the forum, we spoke with Council Member Karen Koslowitz about the race, how it’s shaping up with her fellow council members and when she expects the winner to be identified. Koslowitz, a Queens Democrat, was elected to office in 2009 and re-elected this year. She previously served on the Council from 1991-2001.
In our Mayoral Mashup, we talk with political and policy leaders about what they see as the most important issue facing New York City’s next mayor.
On January 24th, the New York Daily News and Metro IAF hosted a mayoral candidate forum, with Errol Louis moderating the six-candidate discussion. We conducted our own Mayoral Mashup with audience members after the forum, in which we asked one simple question: What do you see as the most important issue that our next mayor will face upon taking office? Watch to find out what they had to say.
Insight, analysis and reporting on New York and national politics