This Week in New York – New York Primary Election Results, City Council Approves Several Pieces of Legislation, Next Week's City Council Hearings
New York Primary Election Results
The New York primary election took place on Thursday and at the top of the ticket, Governor Andrew Cuomo soundly defeated his challenger Cynthia Nixon for the Democratic nomination for governor. He will face former New York State Senator, Republican Marcus Molinaro in November's General Election. Current New York City Public Advocate Letitia (Tish) James defeated a crowded field of formidable candidates for the Democratic nomination for NYS Attorney General and incumbent Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will move to the general election after defeating New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams. If James is elected to the role in November a special election will be called to fill the NYC Public Advocate role and Speaker Johnson will serve as the public advocate until a new candidate is elected. A notable outcome from Thursday's election was the defeat of six members of the NYS Senate of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), a group of lawmakers who often caucus with senate Republicans. In NYC, Sen. Jeffrey Klein from the Bronx, credited as a founding member of the IDC, lost his challenge to Alessandra Biaggi, a former aide to Governor Cuomo. Zellnor Myrie defeated Sen. Jesse Hamilton in Brooklyn and Julia Salazar beat Sen. Martin Dilan. Jessica Ramos defeated Sen. Jose Peralta in Queens and in Manhattan, Sen. Marisol Alcantara lost her bid to Robert Jackson. Sen. Diane Savino from Staten Island was the only IDC member from NYC to hold onto her position. The winner's of Thursday's primary will move forward to the General Election on Tuesday, November 6th.
City Council Approves Several Pieces of Legislation
At a stated meeting on Wednesday, the New York City Council approved legislation to allow residents to select a nonbinary gender option on their birth certificates beginning January 1, 2019. The Council also passed several pieces of legislation to address the impending closure of the L-Train, including the creation of an ombudsman within the Metropolitan Transit Authority specifically assigned to L-Train issues, and designating community information centers in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The bills will now go to Mayor de Blasio's desk for signature.
Next Week's City Council Hearings
Next Week, the New York City Council will hold oversight hearings on a wide variety of topics including: Age Discrimination in the Workplace, The State of the City's Jointly Operated Playgrounds, an update on NYC's Implementation of Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility, an update on the City's Organics Collection Program, Business Improvement Districts and Shelter Accommodations and Services for Those with Disabilities. The full calendar of scheduled committee hearings can be found here.
