Politics – New York Inquisitor https://newyorkinquisitor.com Latest New York News and Updates Fri, 13 Dec 2024 20:55:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://newyorkinquisitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cropped-ny-icon-32x32.png Politics – New York Inquisitor https://newyorkinquisitor.com 32 32 Reynoso opens community board member applications https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/reynoso-opens-community-board-member-applications/ https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/reynoso-opens-community-board-member-applications/#respond Wed, 11 Dec 2024 20:08:32 +0000 https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/reynoso-opens-community-board-member-applications/

BROOKLYN — Applications for city residents to join one of Brooklyn’s 18 community boards — the city’s most grassroots level of local government — are open until Feb. 14, 2025, at 11 p.m. The boards are local bodies that weigh in on topics such as local land use matters, liquor licenses, transportation projects, local businesses and more.  

“When community boards reflect the people they represent and are equipped with a full suite of information, expertise, and resources, they become a true venue for community power,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

Brooklyn has 18 community districts and the most community boards of all five boroughs. Each community board has up to 50 volunteer members who live, work or have significant interest (such as owning a business) in their community. Amel Afzal, a board member for CB7, explained the process of joining a community board in a guest submission to the Brooklyn Eagle in 2023. 

“As a member of the community board, I have had the privilege of working with fellow members to address issues and concerns brought forth by local residents,” said Afzal. “Community boards have a mix of experienced veterans as well as new members, ensuring continuity while also allowing fresh perspectives to be brought to the table.”

A resident can find their district and board here. Interested residents aged 16 and older can apply here. 



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Premium Content: GOP makes noteworthy strides at Brooklyn Republican Party’s election night watch event https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/premium-content-gop-makes-noteworthy-strides-at-brooklyn-republican-partys-election-night-watch-event/ https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/premium-content-gop-makes-noteworthy-strides-at-brooklyn-republican-partys-election-night-watch-event/#respond Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:34:19 +0000 https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/premium-content-gop-makes-noteworthy-strides-at-brooklyn-republican-partys-election-night-watch-event/

BAY RIDGE — There was revelry in the air at the Brooklyn Republican Party’s election night watch party on Tuesday, Nov. 5, as the GOP celebrated some significant wins. 

The event, which took place at the Bay Ridge Manor and hosted approximately 200 people, saw Republican Steven Chan, a former U.S. Marine and retired New York Police Department (NYPD) sergeant, win against first-term Democratic incumbent Iwen Chu in southern Brooklyn’s notoriously blue 17th District by a margin of 10 percentage points.  

“The easy stuff is over; now is when the hard work begins,” Chan told the Brooklyn Eagle. “It’s been a tough campaign, but I feel great — refreshed and revitalized. It’s time to go to Albany and fight for the community. We have to stop the nonsense and try to rebuild what we once had.”  

In addition, Democrat Chris McCreight conceded the race for the 46th Assembly District to incumbent Republican Alec Brook-Krasny, who was re-elected. At press time, Brook-Krasny had more than 52% of the vote.   

Nicole Malliotakis was re-elected in the 11th New York Congressional District. Photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman
Nicole Malliotakis was re-elected in the 11th New York Congressional District. Photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman

Republican Michael Novakhov, as of press time, led Democrat Joey Cohen-Saban in the race for the 45th Assembly District by a razor thin margin — approximately 270 votes and more than 98% of votes counted. The victor will be decided based on remaining absentee ballots, provisional ballots and any other outstanding votes, which the board of elections will count in the coming days.   

On the other side of the bridge, Republican incumbent Nicole Malliotakis was acknowledged for being re-elected against Democrat Andrea Morse in the 11th New York Congressional District. Malliotakis, whose constituency covers Staten Island and southern Brooklyn, snared nearly 65% of the vote.  

Ted Ghorra, former Kings County Republican Party chair, alongside his wife, Josephine. Photo by Wayne Daren Schneiderman
Ted Ghorra, former Kings…

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Democrats oust two House Republicans in New York, clawing back GOP gains https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/democrats-oust-two-house-republicans-in-new-york-clawing-back-gop-gains/ https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/democrats-oust-two-house-republicans-in-new-york-clawing-back-gop-gains/#respond Wed, 06 Nov 2024 22:00:58 +0000 https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/democrats-oust-two-house-republicans-in-new-york-clawing-back-gop-gains/ Voters cast their ballots at the P.S. 256 in Brooklyn on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

Democrats in New York unseated two first-term Republican incumbents in the U.S. House on Tuesday, one in the Hudson Valley and the other in a district that includes Syracuse, rolling back some recent GOP gains in the state.

New Yorkers were expected to play an outsized role Tuesday in helping determine control of the U.S. House as Republicans clung to suburban seats they won two years ago by seizing on fears of crime, and Democrats tried to claw them back by warning that a right-wing Congress might ban abortion.

Democrat Josh Riley beat Rep. Marc Molinaro, a freshman incumbent in a district that stretches from the Massachusetts border to the Finger Lakes region.

Riley, an lawyer from Ithaca, campaigned on his support for abortion rights as well as calling for stronger border controls to counter Republican criticisms of federal immigration policy. Before he ran for office, Riley had once been a policy analyst at U.S. Department of Labor and previously served as general counsel to former U.S. Sen. Al Franken.

In central New York, Democratic state Sen. John Mannion defeated Republican Rep. Brandon Williams. Williams was considered one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents this year because state Democratic leaders redrew his district to make it more favorable to their party.

Other closely watched congressional races that involved first-term Republicans unfolded on Long Island and in the Hudson River Valley.

The slew of competitive elections underscore the hidden political complexity of New York, which is associated with Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez but has also given rise to Republican stars like U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the chair of the House Republican Conference. Jeffries, Ocasio-Cortez and Stefanik all kept their seats Tuesday.

On Long Island, Republican U.S. Rep….

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Brooklyn Dems: ‘Ignore the misinformation’ and vote ‘Yes’ on Proposition One https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/brooklyn-dems-ignore-the-misinformation-and-vote-yes-on-proposition-one/ https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/brooklyn-dems-ignore-the-misinformation-and-vote-yes-on-proposition-one/#respond Mon, 28 Oct 2024 19:30:32 +0000 https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/brooklyn-dems-ignore-the-misinformation-and-vote-yes-on-proposition-one/ Brooklyn officials and advocates gathered on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall Saturday to urge voters to “flip the ballot” and vote for Proposition One. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Ignore the misinformation and vote “Yes” on Proposition One to pass New York’s Equal Rights Amendment, a host of Brooklyn officials and advocates urged from the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall on Saturday.

Proposition One, listed on the flip side of the General Election ballot, would protect basic human rights that future extremist state officials could strip away, officials said. The measure would update the state constitution to prohibit discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability and sex, including sexual orientation. It would also protect against government intrusion into reproductive health care, including abortion.

Many New Yorkers think these rights are already protected — but they’re not in the state constitution and could be lost at the whim of a Republican governor or legislature, said rally organizer state Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Western Brooklyn).

“We all believe in equal rights for all,” Gounardes told the crowd. “It sounds so simple and so obvious that it should go without saying. But unfortunately, we are living in the moment where we do have to say it loudly, clearly and repeatedly. Because across the country we’ve seen Republicans launching grievous attacks on fundamental freedoms, including in particular the right to choose what people do with their own bodies. Fourteen states now ban abortion entirely, and eight more have restrictions that violate the standard set by Roe v. Wade.

Councilmember Rita Joseph said she has been passing the Proposition One message along to the Haitian community. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle

Gounardes recounted horror stories from states including Mississippi and Texas — children becoming…

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In New York, a constitutional amendment provides election fodder for the left and the right https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/in-new-york-a-constitutional-amendment-provides-election-fodder-for-the-left-and-the-right/ https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/in-new-york-a-constitutional-amendment-provides-election-fodder-for-the-left-and-the-right/#respond Fri, 25 Oct 2024 19:30:03 +0000 https://newyorkinquisitor.com/politics/in-new-york-a-constitutional-amendment-provides-election-fodder-for-the-left-and-the-right/ Abortion rights activists gather for a protest following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, at Washington Square Park, June 24, 2022, in New York. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File

Democrats pushed to get a constitutional amendment on New York’s ballot because they believed it could energize liberals eager to protect abortion rights. Republicans are now hoping the same amendment will ignite a fire under people upset about transgender athletes participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

Voters will decide Nov. 5 whether to approve the state’s proposed “Equal Rights Amendment,” which has already been the subject of a court fight over its broad language. The amendment, called “Proposition 1” on the ballot, has emerged as one of the more unusual ideological battles of the 2024 election season, partly because of disagreements about what it will do if passed.

On paper, the proposed amendment would expand a section of the state constitution that now says a person can’t be denied civil rights because of their race, creed or religion. The new language will also ban discrimination based on national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes or “reproductive healthcare and autonomy.”

While much of the news coverage of the amendment has focused on how it might protect abortion rights, Republicans have been running a messaging campaign warning that barring discrimination based on someone’s “gender expression” would create a constitutional right for transgender athletes to play on girls’ sports teams.

“The consequences of the state constitution being amended is drastic,” said Lee Zeldin, a Republican former congressman and gubernatorial candidate who is a leading critic of the amendment.

The leading group opposing the amendment, the Coalition to Protect Kids-NY, has held rallies across the state and put out advertisements against the proposal saying…

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