Category Archives: Photos

Photo Gallery: Ben Franklin Candidate Forum



The Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club brought the rapidly building race for public advocate to the American mainland Wednesday, drawing 12 advocate aspirants to Riverdale for a candidate forum.  Candidates participating were Assembly Members Michael Blake, Latrice Walker and Danny O’Donnell, Dawn Smalls, Theo Chino, Council Members Ydanis Rodriguez Jumaane Williams and Rafael Espinal, Nomiki Konst, former Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Ify Ike and Tony Herbert.

Continue reading Photo Gallery: Ben Franklin Candidate Forum

Photo Gallery: Blake Endorsement Press Conference



Assembly Member Michael Blake held a City Hall Park press conference Wednesday to announce his endorsement by three fellow Assembly members and other political activists.  Assembly Members Rebecca Seawright and Tremaine Wright joined Blake at the press conference to declare their endorsement of Blake.  Blake announced the endorsement of Assembly Member Jeff Aubry, but Aubry did not attend.  Maya Wiley, former counsel to Mayor de Blasio, attended and endorsed Blake.

Continue reading Photo Gallery: Blake Endorsement Press Conference

Photo Gallery: Mark-Viverito Campaign Kickoff



Former City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito kicked off her campaign for public advocate with a rally Tuesday night.  About 150 people joined Mark-Viverito at Borough of Manhattan Community College, including Council members Margaret Chin and Diana Ayala, Assembly Member-elect Carmen Cruz and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz.

Current public advocate Letitia James is expected to resign on or before December 31st so that she can take office as the New York State Attorney General on January 1st, with a special election to fill the vacancy in mid-February.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Reform Party Candidate Forum



The New York State Reform Party held a candidate forum Monday night, drawing ten public advocate hopefuls to Dyker Heights.  Moderated by Reform Party secretary Frank Morano the forum was well-executed, with candidates given several minutes to pitch their candidacy followed by a variety of substantive questions from Morano.  They likely did not sway many voters, however, as the audience (excluding press and campaign staff) barely outnumbered the candidates.

Current public advocate Letitia James is expected to resign on or before December 31st so that she can take office as the New York State Attorney General on January 1st, with a special election to fill the vacancy in mid -February.  Candidates participating were Mike Zumbluskas, David Eisenbach, Tony Herbert, Ify Ike, Nancy Sliwa, Peter Gleason, Diane Signorile, John Tabacco, Nomiki Konst and Daniel Christmann.

The special election will be nonpartisan, with no party designation for candidates.  Parties are nonetheless able to endorse or support a candidate.  Reform Party Chairman Curtis Sliwa, speaking just before the forum, said that the Reform Party will not make any endorsement.  (Note: Sliwa’s wife Nancy Sliwa was among the candidates appearing at the forum.)

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Public Advocate Candidate Debate



Seven of the many prospective candidates for New York City public advocate gathered for the first debate of the expected campaign.  Current Public Advocate Tish James was elected New York State attorney general on November 6th and she will need to resign before assuming that office on January 1st.  That anticipated vacancy will be filled by a special election.

The debate was sponsored by Citizens Union and AARP NY and hosted by New York Law School.  It was moderated by Ben Max, executive editor of Gotham Gazette, and featured expected candidates Rafael Espinal, Eric Ulrich, Jumaane Williams, Dawn Smalls, Michael Blake, Danny O’Donnell and Nomiki Konst.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Flight #587 Memorial



Mayor Bill de Blasio joined mourners in Rockaway for the 17th anniversary of the crash of American Airlines flight #587.  The crash killed all 260 people on board and five people on the ground.  The flight was headed from JFK to the Dominican Republic and the deceased include many Dominicans and Dominican Americans.

Mayor de Blasio was late to the ceremony in 2014, drawing heated criticism for missing the bell tolling the exact moment of the crash.  This year, as in each year since 2014, he arrived early and greeted mourners ahead of the ceremony.  de Blasio, who did not take press questions, was the only elected official to attend.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Staten Island GOP Election Night



Staten Island Republicans celebration of several election victories was tempered by the loss of their congressional seat, as Rep. Dan Donovan was defeated by Max Rose.  Donovan appeared onstage ahead of the other candidates, accompanied only by his family, to offer a concession to Rose.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Gounardes At City Hall



State senate candidate Andrew Gounardes came to City Hall for a press conference Friday, drawing a substantial group of elected Democrats as he condemned Republican state Senator Marty Golden for paying his female staffers significantly less than his male staffers.  Gounardes is running against Golden in the general election.

Elected officials joining Gounardes included Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, Council Member Margaret Chin, Senator Liz Krueger, Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Council Member Carlina Rivera, Council Member Justin Brannan, fellow senate candidate Jessica Ramos and Council Member Mark Treyger.  There was limited press attendance, possibly due to the discovery that morning of a mail bomb in a West Side post office and a mayoral press conference in Queens.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Johnson at the Met Club



New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson held a press conference calling for police action against members of the alt-right group “Proud Boys” for their actions following an appearance by Gavin McInnes, founder and leader of the “Proud Boys,” at the Metropolitan Republican Club.  After McInnes’ appearance fighting broke out on nearby streets, with video showing “Proud Boys” members beating protesters.  The Met Club’s clubhouse had been vandalized ahead of McInnes’ appearance, with a broken window and spray painted doors visible behind Johnson.  Johnson was joined by fellow Council members Ben Kallos, Keith Powers, Donovan Richards and Rory Lancman and Assembly members Rebecca Seawright and Dan Quart.

Republican state senate candidate Pete Holmberg was at the press conference, although not invited to join it.  Holmberg, a Met Club member who was present at McInnes’s appearance, had a seemingly conciliatory conversation with Johnson ahead of the press conference but the press conference ended with Holmberg, Johnson and Paxton Hart (also a member of the Met Club) shouting at each other as Johnson departed.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Cuomo Post Primary Rally



Governor Andrew Cuomo marked his primary victory over Cynthia Nixon and the start of the general election campaign with a Midtown rally featuring a large group of Democratic elected officials and candidates.  Headlined by Cuomo and running mate Kathy Hochul, attendees included New York City’s three citywide elected officials, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate and attorney general candidate Tish James and Comptroller Scott Stringer,  as well as Council Speaker Corey Johnson.  House members attending included Jerry Nadler, Carolyn Maloney, Hakeem Jeffries, Joe Crowley, Jose Serrano, Gregory Meeks, Grace Meng, Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat and Tom Suozzi.

Some of the successful challengers to state senate IDC members attended, including Alessandra Biaggi who defeated IDC leader Jeff Klein and Robert Jackson.  Notable candidates not spotted included Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who defeated Rep. Joe Crowley in the June primary, and incumbent NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.  Additionally, Cuomo’s and Hochul’s primary challengers Cynthia Nixon and Jumaane Williams did not attend.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: Primary Night



Cynthia Nixon, Jumaane Williams and Zephyr Teachout brought their 2018 campaigns to a close with a shared primary night party in Flatbush.  They each lost their race by a wide margin but there was nonetheless a sense of celebration driven by their own belief in their campaigns and by the defeat that night of six of the eight state senate IDC Democrats, including IDC leader Jeff Klein.  Nixon, Williams and Teachout had endorsed and supported the IDC challengers and their statewide campaigns provided connective tissue for the separate and scattered IDC challengers.

Photo Gallery:

Our full photo gallery is available here.

Photo Gallery: McCray & Ramos



Chirlane McCray, wife of Mayor Bill de Blasio, joined state senate candidate Jessica Ramos at a Jackson Heights senior center.  McCray, who told me two days earlier that she intended to only endorse attorney general candidate Zephyr Teachout in the 2018 primaries, joined her husband in supporting Ramos.  McCray said that while she had not “formally endorsed” Ramos she is “100% with her.”

Our full photo gallery is available here.