Mealy wins, Barron loses in NY Primary

City Council Democratic incumbent Darlene Mealy has won the Democratic Primary in Tuesday’s vote, while another Democratic incumbent Charles Barron has lost in the election.

With 98.4 percent of the precincts reporting, Mealy – whose District 41 includes Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush and Ocean Hill – garnered over 60 percent of the votes in a four-way race.

Mealy, who has won the council district four times more than any Democratic district leader, received 61.63 percent of the ballots.

Isis McIntosh Green received 29.53 percent of the vote; Reginald Bowman 4.93 percent; and Joyce Shearin 3.46 percent.

Mealy said she has been “a proven voice of the community”, stating that, for more than a decade, she has worked for “the well-being of working families, women, seniors and the youth of New York City Council District 41.”

She said her passion for the people of her district is displayed through her focus on “legislation that reflects core community values which include equality, fairness and non-discrimination in the workplace.”

Local Law 33 of 2015, authored by Council Member Mealy, entrusted the NYC Commission on Human Rights with pursuing employment discrimination investigations.

“This law ensured that constituents seeking jobs across the city truly have a fair shot during the job application process,” Mealy said.

In conjunction with Local Law 33, Mealy also authored Local Law 29 of 2015, which ensures that the Commission on Human Rights regularly reports its work combating unlawful discriminatory practices.

As the former chair of the Committee on Contracts, Mealy said she used her power over the city’s annual multi-billion dollar contracting budget to “lift up Minority and Women-owned Businesses (MWBEs).”

She contributed to the passing of Local Law 1 of 2013, a pivotal MWBE legislation that helped underpin the MWBE program that the city still offers today.

In District 42, veteran legislator Charles Barron was heavily upset by anti-poverty candidate Chris Banks in District 42, which includes parts of East Flatbush, East New York and Starrett City.

With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Barron received 43.20 percent of the votes to Banks’ 50.54 percent. Jamiliah Rose received 5.39 percent.

Banks reportedly received the strong endorsement of labor unions, who invested heavily on his candidacy.

In the Democratic Primary in District 43, which includes Sunset Park, Bensonhurst and Gravesend, Susan Zhuang, the chief of staff to Assemblyman William Colton, received 58.57 percent of the ballots, with 97.89 percent of the precincts reporting.

Wai Yee Chan received 31.02 percent of the ballots, and Stanley Ng’s received 9.51 percent.

For the Republican Primary in District 43, Ying Tan received 50.67 percent of the votes to Vito LaBella’s 47.25 percent.

There was no Primary in the following Brooklyn City Council Districts: 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 44, 45, 46, 47 and 48.

Early voting in New York started on Saturday, June 17, and ended on Sunday, June 25, 2023.

Assemblymember Bichotte Hermelyn, chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, had urged the public to vote.

“Every single vote makes a difference,” said the Haitian-American representative for the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn, stating that not every district or race had a contested election. Some districts only had one Republican or Democrat candidate.

Bichotte Hermelyn said Kings Country Democratic Party also endorsed the following judicial candidates for Civil Court: Turquoise Haskin, Esq.; Marva Brown, Esq.; Monique Holaman, Esq.; and Betsey Jean-Jacques, Esq.

For Surrogate Court, the Country endorsed Hon. Bernard J. Graham, Acting Surrogate Court Judge.