Harvey Epstein is the Democratic nominee in the upcoming special election to fill Brian Kavanagh’s seat in the state assembly.
Kavanagh shifted to the senate after the resignation of State Sen. Daniel Squadron last year. On Monday, the Democratic County Committee unanimously chose Epstein for the 74th Assembly District. As the Town & Village blog noted, Sandro Sherrod and Mike Corbett, the other candidates seeking the nomination, withdrew before the vote.
The special election will take place April 24. Epstein is set to face Republican Bryan Cooper. “As we shift our focus to the special election,” Epstein told supporters in an email this morning, “I look forward to facing my Republican challenger on the issues that affect our communities the most.”
Epstein, a public interest attorney, lives in the East Village and serves on the Rent Guidelines Board. He was previously head of the Community Development Project of the Urban Justice Center. Epstein is also a former chairperson of Community Board 3. During the first stage of the campaign, he secured endorsements from a wide range of elected officials and community activists.
In the past week, Epstein expressed concerns about the date of the special election. “While I am disappointed that the special election will be held so late that the residents of our district will not be represented in time for the state budget,” said Epstein in a statement, “once elected I will work to reform how special elections are conducted so that vacancies are filled through a transparent and speedy process.”
The 74th Assembly District covers the East Village and other East Side neighborhoods up to Midtown. A few sections of the Lower East Side (below East Houston Street) are included in the district.
