In 2020, former District 12 Councilmember Andy King seemed to be persona non grata in the city’s political circles. King, a Democrat, was the first sitting councilmember to be expelled from council by his colleagues — in a 48-2 vote — on the basis of four charges including harassment, discrimination and conflicts of interest.
However, a ruling from a New York State Supreme Court judge may grant King an opportunity to regain his seat in this year’s June 27 Democratic primary.
King, 61, raised eyebrows when he filed to run for his old northeast Bronx seat, currently held by 35-year-old Kevin Riley, as many were under the assumption that since King had already served two successive terms, he could not seek a third one. Members of the City Council are elected to four-year terms and face term limits after serving two consecutive terms.
The city’s Board of Elections (BOE) concurred and scratched King’s name off the ballot on Wednesday. In their estimation, the earliest King would have been allowed to run is 2025, but the judge’s decision on Thursday puts a 2023 run now in play.
Judge Lucy Billings says that King’s expulsion in 2020 prevented him from serving out all four years of his second term. Additionally, Billings notes the action taken by the City Council against King, in the form of an expulsion, doesn’t carry the same weight as a removal from office.
A removal of a councilmember from office must come, according to Billings and the city charter, by a “superior officer or body.” Those “superior” groups include the mayor, public advocate, borough president, comptroller and police commissioner, but not a city councilmember.
“Because he did not resign and was not removed from that office in 2020, but was expelled from that office, for the reasons explained above, the court grants the petition,” Billings stated in court documents.
While the judge’s ruling stipulates that the Board of Elections must put King’s name back on the…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply