Category Archives: Michael Blake

Photo Gallery: Jackson Heights PA Forum



Nine candidates attended a public advocate candidate forum at the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights sponsored by the New Visions Democratic Club, the Lesbian & Gay Democratic Club of Queens and the  John F. Kennedy Democratic Club.  Participating candidates included David Eisenbach, Michael Blake, Jared Rich, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Rafael Espinal, Tony Herbert, Jumaane Williams, Ben Yee and Dawn Smalls.  Council Member Danny Dromm was the sole elected official to attend.  Dromm said that he has not endorsed a candidate in the special election and is uncertain whether he’ll do so.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.

Public Advocate Candidate Photo Gallery: Ballot Edition



Who are they?  Here’s a photo gallery of the public advocate candidates to help you get to know them.  We published an early photo gallery featuring 21 prospective candidates, and the group later rose to 31. We’ve ended up with a reduced, though still quite large, field of 17.

The Board of Elections set the final ballot at a hearing Tuesday, ruling on the validity of several candidates contested petitions.  17 candidates were approved and will be on the ballot, although not all willingly.   Assembly Member Latrice Walker’s campaign attorney said that despite having submitted sufficient petitions and qualifying for the ballot Walker does not intend to campaign and unsuccessfully sought to have her removed from the ballot.  We’ve included Walker in our photo gallery.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.

Continue reading Public Advocate Candidate Photo Gallery: Ballot Edition

Stonewall Endorses O’Donnell



The Stonewall Democratic Club endorsed Assembly Member Danny O’Donnell for public advocate Wednesday night, choosing to support the first openly gay man elected to the New York State Assembly.  Former Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Assembly Member Michael Blake also energetically sought the endorsement, with Mark-Viverito speaking at the endorsement meeting and Blake addressing the club via face time as he rode the train from Albany to New York City after an Assembly session.

Council Member Jumaane Williams also appeared in person at the endorsement meeting but conceded in his opening remarks that he was unlikely to win the endorsement.  He faced questions on both having contributed money to candidates seen as anti-LGBTQ and on past positions on several issues, including bans on “conversion therapy” and not supporting GENDA.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: King Day at the House of Justice



The Rev. Al Sharpton drew  a large contingent of elected officials to his annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at National Action Network’s House of Justice.  Headliners included U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Mayor Bill de Blasio and U.S. Reps. Jerry Nadler, Hakeem Jeffries, Yvette Clarke and Carolyn Maloney.  NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, Council Speaker and Acting Public Advocate Corey Johnson, NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and NYS Senate Temporary President and Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also spoke.

Several of the public advocate candidates participated, including Assembly Members Latrice Walker, Michael Blake and Danny O’Donnell, Council Members Jumaane Williams and Rafael Espinal, former Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Dawn Smalls.  Walker, Blake, O’Donnell and Smalls were given speaking slots.  Former mayor David Dinkins and former congressman Charles Rangel appeared, sitting onstage in the front row for the full program.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Fresh Meadows Forum



The Saul Weprin Democratic Club and 13 of its fellow Queens Democratic clubs hosted a public advocate candidate forum in Fresh Meadows, drawing nine candidates.  Moderated by Saul Weprin Club President Anthony Lemma, the forum featured appearances by Dawn Smalls, Ben Yee, Danny O’Donnell, David Eisenbach, Latrice Walker, Michael Blake, Rafael Espinal, Ron Kim and Ydanis Rodriguez.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Sustainability Public Advocate Candidate Forum



Fourteen public advocate candidates participated in a forum at Brooklyn Law School focused on sustainability and the environment.  Moderated by Politico reporter Gloria Pazmino and sponsored by the New York League of Conservation Voters, the forum was the first to focus on sustainability.  Candidates participating included Ben Yee, David Eisenbach, Dawn Smalls, Eric Ulrich, Ify Ike, Jared Rich, Jumaane Williams, Latrice Walker, Michael Blake, Mike Zumbluskas, Nomiki Konst, Rafael Espinal, Walter Iwachiw and Ydanis Rodriguez.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: East Side Dem Club PA Forum



A large group of East Side Democratic clubs hosted a public advocate candidate forum Thursday night, drawing 13 aspiring advocates and an audience of 150-200 people to the New York New Church on East 35th Street.

Candidates participating included Ify Ike, Nomiki Konst, Dawn Smalls, Rafael Espinal, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Danny O’Donnell, Latrice Walker, Jumaane Williams, Michael Blake, Ben Yee, Ron Kim, David Eisenbach and Theo Chino.  Gwen Goodwin attended part of the forum and was introduced by the moderators, but did not participate or address the audience.  Sponsoring clubs included the Eleanor Roosevelt Club, Four Freedoms Club, Tilden Democrats, GSID, East River Democrats, Village Independent Democrats, Chelsea Democrats and Manhattan Young Democrats.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.

Blake Adds Endorsements



Assembly Member Michael Blake rolled out additional endorsements Thursday, announcing support from fellow Bronx elected officials.  NYS Senator Luis Sepulveda, Assembly Member Nathalie Fernandez and Council Member Rafael Salamanca appeared with Blake on the steps of the Bronx County Civil Courthouse.  Campaign co-chair Nathalie Molina Nino also joined them, with Molina Nino MC’g the press conference.

Continue reading Blake Adds Endorsements

2018 Year In Photos



New terms, lots of candidates, fiercely fought elections, victories and defeats both surprising and not.  Lots happened in 2018 New York politics and we’ve distilled the year into our 2018 Year in Photos.

NYS senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Jeff Klein join hands following a press conference with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 4/4/18

Our full 2018 Year in Photos gallery is available here.

Mayor Bill de Blasio wrapping his family in a hug after taking the oath of office. 1/1/18

Photo Gallery: Brooklyn Heights Public Advocate Candidate Forum



16 candidates attended a public advocate candidate forum hosted by the New Kings Democrats in Brooklyn Heights.  Moderated by Gotham Gazette executive editor Ben Max and Daily News editorial board member Alyssa Katz, the forum featured the following candidates in four separate panels:  panel #1 – Gwen Goodwin, Rafael Espinal, Dawn Smalls and Theo Chino, panel #2 – Melissa Mark-Viverito, Mike Zumbluskas, Tony Herbert and David Eisenbach, panel #3 – Daniel Christmann, Jumaane Williams, Ron Kim and Michael Blake and panel #4 – Nomiki Konst, Latrice Walker, Ify Ike and Ben Yee.

Held in Brooklyn Heights’ First Unitarian Congregational Society the forum drew an audience of approximately 200.  Several Brooklyn Democratic organizations held endorsement meetings immediately afterward, with the New Kings Democrats and Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats announcing endorsements of Council Member Jumaane Williams.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Sojourner Truth Public Advocate Forum



The Sojourner Truth Democratic Club and the NYC Black and Latino LGBTQ Coalition co-hosted a public advocate candidate forum, drawing 13 candidates to the Fifth Avenue Social Adult Day Center at 112th Street and Fifth Avenue.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Bay Ridge Dems Public Advocate Forum



The Bay Ridge Democrats hosted a public advocate candidate forum, drawing a steady stream of aspiring advocates eager to pitch the vibrant club for its support.  The Bay Ridge Democrats were part of two significant electoral victories in November, with Democrat Andrew Gounardes unseating incumbent Republican NYS Senator Marty Golden and Democrat Max Rose defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Dan Donovan.

Public advocate candidates appearing included Rafael Espinal, Danny O’Donnell, Michael Blake and David Eisenbach.  (Other candidates appeared before I arrived.)  Many of the candidates had participated in an earlier forum at Wagner College.

Bay Ridge Democrats President Chris McCreight said that the Club plans to endorse a candidate at its January 10th meeting.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Public Advocate Forum at Wagner College



The Arena and Staten Island Women Who March hosted the first Staten Island public advocate candidate forum, drawing 10 candidates to Wagner College.  The candidates appeared in two separate panels, with Melissa Mark-Viverito, Theo Chino, Dawn Smalls and Mike Zumbluskas on the first and Danny O’Donnell, Rafael Espinal, Ify Ike, Michael Blake and Ben Yee on the second.  Jumaane Williams, scheduled to be on the first panel, arrived during the second panel and was given a few minutes at the end of the forum to speak.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.