It’s tough to walk around the Lower East Side this month without bumping into a political candidate. That’s because the citywide Democratic Primary Election is coming up Sept. 12. Downtown politicos are also getting frothed up over a looming election in November to fill former State Sen. Daniel Squadron’s State Senate seat. Here’s a quick look at some key events in the next few days.
–Tomorrow night (Wednesday) from 6-8 p.m., there will be a chance to hear from three candidates hoping to take Squadron’s place in the 26th Senate District. A special election will be called by the governor on the same day as the general election in November. Local county committees will likely select a Democratic nominee sometime next month. Candidates include: Brian Kavanagh, state assemblyman; Paul Newell, local district leader; and Alan Gerson, former City Councilman. The event is sponsored by Downtown Independent Democrats, a political club. It will be held in the community room at Independence Plaza, 310 Greenwich St. Most voters, of course, won’t have a voice in deciding who the party selects, unless they’re members of the county committees. So this forum will be one of the few chances to take part in the political process.
–Tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 10 p.m., Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) will air a District 1 City Council debate. It will be replayed Thursday at 4 p.m., Sunday at 9 p.m. and next Monday at 4. MNN is available on Time Warner Cable Channel 34, RCN Channel 82 or Verizon FIOS Channel 33. Candidates Dashia Imperiale, Aaron Foldenauer and Christopher Marte participated. The incumbent, City Council member Margaret Chin, did not take part in the taped forum, as Foldenauer noted in a scathing press release the other day. A spokesperson for Chin said she could not attend because she was at an event highlighting the need for repairs and funding for NYCHA developments. The Council member did tape a candidate statement for MNN.
–The candidates competing in City Council District 2 will appear at a forum Thursday evening La MaMa Theatre, 66 East Fourth St., 6:30 p.m. Five contenders are vying to replace term limited Council member Rosie Mendez. The event is sponsored by the Cooper Square Committee, Community Access, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), Historic Districts Council, East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) and the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (LESPI). RSVP required. Here’s the Facebook invite.
–On Friday from 6-8 p.m., there’s a District 1 candidate forum from 6-8 p.m. at Seward Park High School. 350 Grand St. You can expect Council member Chin to sit this one out. The forum is sponsored by the Coalition to Protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side. Many of its members have been longtime foes of Margaret Chin. The Council member’s campaign confirmed that she will not be attending.
Finally, we want to mention that The Lo-Down will be publishing an election guide on Sept. 5. We have reached out to all of the candidates for statements. Any candidate who did not receive our query can email us at: tips@thelodownny.com.
