Nine Candidates So Far On The Ballot For Public Advocate
BROOKLYN — Six days after Mayor Bill de Blasio gave the go-ahead for the special election, only nine of the nearly three dozen hopefuls are on the ballot for the Public Advocate’s seat.
The mayor gave candidates a little under two weeks to get at least 3,750 signatures of support. The process could shrink the pool of more than 30 people. Candidates are placed on the Feb. 26 ballot based on the order in which they submit those signatures. Here’s the rundown on who’s on the ballot so far and in what order:
Melissa Mark-Viverito, who’s running under the “Fix The MTA,” submitted the required 3,750 signatures within 24 hours of the mayor’s announcement. The former City Council speaker will appear first on the Feb. 26 ballot.
Assemblyman Michael Blake, who represents parts of the Bronx was the second candidate to submit his signatures on the afternoon of Jan. 3. He submitted an additional 1,700 on Jan. 4. Blake is running under the “For The People” Party line and will appear second on the ballot.
Dawn Smalls, a former Clinton and Obama aide has the third spot on the ballot. Her “No More Delays” Party garnered more than 4,000 signatures during their first submission and since then has collected an additional 4,000.
City Councilman Eric A. Ulrich, the Queens Republican, who is running on the “Common Sense” line was the first candidate to submit Monday morning which earned him the fourth-place spot on the ballot.
Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who also filed the required petitions on Monday, Jan. 7, is running on the “United For Immigrants” line, he’s fifth on the ballot.
Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell secured the sixth spot on the ballot. He chose “Equality For All” as his Party and filed more than 4,200 signatures early Jan. 7.
With 5,000 signatures, Brooklyn Councilman Rafael Espinal will appear seventh on the ballot. He complained about the unusual ballot placement process on Monday and called for random selection in future special elections.
Assemblywoman Latrice Walker brought in 4,700 signatures. She’s running on the “People For Walker” and placed eighth on the ballot.
Brooklyn Councilman Jumaane Williams is ninth on the list. According to William Girlich, his campaign manager, he filed more than 5,000 signatures on the morning of Jan. 7. He chose the “The Peoples Choice” as his Party name.
Assemblyman Ron Kim, who sat in on an interview with Solidarity Space on Monday said he is continuing to collect signatures and will likely file closer to the deadline. He dubbed his Part, “People Over Corporations”
Candidates have six more days to file the required 3,750 signatures. The deadline to file objections is Jan. 17 at which time candidates can challenge the validity of their opponents’ signatures.
In collaboration with Solidarity Space, we are hosting a series of conversations with the candidates for Public Advocate leading up to the election, please join us:
