Over the weekend, local Council member Margaret Chin joined six City Council colleagues in endorsing Mayor de Blasio’ for re-election. Today. Politico New York has more on the endorsements of a mayor who’s been dogged by controversy and low opinion polls.
The article notes that Chin represents a “Lower East Side district that has been the epicenter of one of the administration’s most headline-grabbing, real-estate focused scandals.” The Council member has been critical of the city’s handling of Rivington House, where the city lifted deed restrictions and allowed the former nursing home to slip into the hands of luxury condo developers. According to the story, Chin praised the mayor’s ability to “take on powerful real estate interests.”
Chin is expected to face her own re-election battle next year. Christopher Marte, a Lower East Side activist, and Aaron Foldenauer, an attorney, have already filed to run for the District 1 seat.
The Council member has been a reliable backer of Mayor de Blasio’s housing policies. She came out in support of his controversial push to change zoning laws. She has also sided with the city administration in the development of the Elizabeth Street Garden, a project many of her constituents oppose. On the Lower East Side, however, she was unable to persuade the city to launch a full-scale land use evaluation in the Two Bridges area, the site of unprecedented large-scale development. Chin settled for an “enhanced environmental review,” a process which does not require City Council approval.
