Municipal elections in New York, New York (2016)
The city of New York, New York, held a special election for District 17 of the city council on February 23, 2016. Maria del Carmen Arroyo, who previously held the position, resigned from the council on December 31, 2015. The winner of the 2016 special election served a term that expired on December 31, 2016.[1] Candidates who wished to run for this election had a filing deadline of January 19, 2016.[2] Rafael Salamanca Jr. won the election with about 39 percent of the vote.
Elections
Special election
Candidate list
District 17
- Rafael Salamanca Jr. — Community First
- Julio Pabon — Bronx Not for Sale
- George Alvarez — Bronx for All
- Joann Otero — Strong Together
- Marlon Molina — Bronx Renewal
- J. Loren Russell — Rebuilding Our BX
Campaign finance
The chart below shows the total funds, expenditures and each candidates estimated balance. The second campaign finance reports for candidates of the special election were filed on January 22, 2016, and third reports were due on February 12. Rafael Salamanca Jr. raised and spent much more money than any other candidate during the first three filing periods. He raised $70,107 and spent $52,415. The highest expenditures of any of the other candidates was George Alvarez's $18,440. J. Loren Russell had a total of $50,536 in funds, but $34,741 were public funds. He privately raised $15,795.[3]
| Campaign finance amounts as of February 12, 2016[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Funds | Expenditures | Estimated balance |
| Rafael Salamanca Jr. | $70,107 | $52,415 | $17,692 |
| Julio Pabon | $15,813 | $15,695 | $118 |
| George Alvarez | $29,570 | $18,440 | $11,130 |
| Joann Otero | $14,442 | $9,287 | $5,155 |
| Marlon Molina | $9,679 | $5,876 | $3,803 |
| J. Loren Russell | $50,536[4] | $15,173 | $35,363 |
Results
| New York City Council District 17, Special Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Rafael Salamanca Jr. |
39.12% | 1,455 |
| George Alvarez | 24.25% | 902 |
| Julio Pabon | 15.11% | 562 |
| J. Loren Russell | 10.84% | 403 |
| Joann Otero | 7.13% | 265 |
| Marlon Molina | 3.09% | 115 |
| Write-in votes | 0.46% | 17 |
| Total Votes | 3,719 | |
| Source: New York City Board of Elections, "Certified Results Special Election 17th Council," March 8, 2016 | ||
District map
Below is a map of District 17 of the New York City Council.
Issues
Bronx County Democratic Committee
The Bronx County Democratic Committee conducted interviews of prospective candidates for the vacant seat prior to the filing deadline. Julio Pabon told the Gotham Gazette that he believed the committee had already decided to endorse Rafael Salamanca Jr. before interviewing the other candidates. The committee, according to Pabon, "want[s] a candidate they can easily mold, rather than one who thinks independently." Salamanca was officially endorsed by the committee on January 6. He denied that he was given preferential treatment. He said that he went through the interview process just like everyone else.[5]
At the candidate forum on January 27, Elliot Quinones accused the Bronx County Democratic Committee of trying to remove opponents of Rafael Salamanca Jr. from the ballot. When asked whether he would go after corruption within his own party if elected, Quinones said, "That should have been the first question we should have been asked. By next week, most of us will be off the ballot."[6]
According the Gotham Gazette, "county-backed candidates rarely lose local elections—and institutional support can prove even more critical in expedited special elections, which are typically marked by low voter turnout."[5] Angelo Falcón, founder of the Institute for Puerto Rican Policy, told the newspaper:
| “ | Generally, the machine has the control in a special election, because there's very low voter turnout. When you have control of the basic machinery, the petitioning process; when you have control even of the judges that rule on the petitions and all that stuff—that's a lot to go up against.[7] | ” |
| —Angelo Falcón[5] | ||
Five candidates kicked off ballot
Eleven people initially filed to run in the special election for District 17. The Bronx County Democratic Committee challenged the legitimacy of several of the candidates' petitions. The Board of Elections commissioners heard petition challenges on February 8, which resulted in five candidates getting kicked out of the race. John Perez and Elliot Quinones' petitions did not meet the minimum requirement of 450 valid signatures. Helen Hines and Carlton Curry were removed from the candidate list because they turned in their paperwork late. Amanda Septimo's candidacy was ended because she initially marked Democratic Values as her party. Since the race was technically nonpartisan, candidates were not suppose to align themselves with an existing political party.[8]
Affordable housing
An issue often mentioned on campaign websites and at candidate forums was affordable housing.
| Comments from New York City's 2016 special elections candidates on affordable housing. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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About the city
- See also: New York, New York
New York City is a city in New York and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. As of 2010, its population was 8,175,133.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of New York uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive. The mayor and city council each serve four-year terms.
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for New York, New York | ||
|---|---|---|
| New York | New York | |
| Population | 8,175,133 | 19,378,102 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 300 | 47,123 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 42.7% | 63.7% |
| Black/African American | 24.3% | 15.7% |
| Asian | 14.1% | 8.4% |
| Native American | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0% |
| Two or more | 3.6% | 3.1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 29.1% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 82.2% | 86.8% |
| College graduation rate | 38.1% | 36.6% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $63,998 | $68,486 |
| Persons below poverty level | 17.9% | 14.1% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms New York City city council election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| New York, New York | New York | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ City of New York Office of the Mayor, "Proclamation of Election," January 4, 2016
- ↑ New York City Board of Elections, "Filing Calendar for City Council Special Election," accessed January 19, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 NYC Campaign Finance Board, "Campaign Finance Summary 2016A Council District 17," accessed February 3, 2016
- ↑ Including $34,741 in public funds
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Gotham Gazette, "Special Election Spotlights Machine Politics in The Bronx," January 15, 2016
- ↑ Mott Haven Herald, "Council candidates face off at public forum," January 28, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Mott Haven Herald, "Council candidates dwindle to six," February 8, 2016
- ↑ Rafael Salamanca official campaign website, "Issues," accessed February 9, 2016
- ↑ Julio Pabon campaign website, "Why I'm Running?" accessed February 9, 2016
- ↑ Joann Otero campaign website, "Platforms," accessed February 9, 2016
- ↑ Marlon Molina campaign website, "Campaign Vision," accessed February 19, 2016
- ↑ George Alvarez campaign website, "Issues," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ Mott Haven Herald, "Candidates go head to head," February 16, 2016
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