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2023 NYC elections: The Bronx may elect its first Republican councilmember in decades
By
Jon Campbell
,
Catalina Gonella
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Nov 8, 2023
Modified Nov 8, 2023
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Catalina Gonella
By
Jon Campbell
,
Catalina Gonella
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Nov 8, 2023
Modified Nov 8, 2023
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Election Day didn’t bring too many surprises in 2023 — with a notable exception in the East Bronx.
New York City voters headed to the polls on Tuesday to select their city councilmembers for the next two years. And in the end — despite newly drawn districts based on the latest U.S. Census figures — the Council will look much the same as it did the past two years.
Here’s what we know so far about the results of the 2023 elections:
Council incumbents win – for the most part
In general, it was a good day for incumbent members of the New York City Council.
Sitting councilmembers won or had a lead in 48 of the 51 districts across the city, according to unofficial results from the city Board of Elections.
For the remaining three districts, two Democratic newcomers — Yusef Salaam of Harlem and Chris Banks of Brooklyn — won primaries in June and ran unopposed on Tuesday.
Yusef Salaam, exonerated "Central Park Five" member, speaks to supporters and the media after winning a New York City Council seat during a watch party at "Just Lorraine's Place 2" bar in Harlem, New York on Nov. 7, 2023.
CECILIA SANCHEZ/AFP via Getty Images
The third newcomer on her way to victory is a Republican who appeared poised to pull a major upset on Tuesday: Kristy Marmorato, the political newcomer who declared victory. She held a 700-vote lead over incumbent Democrat Marjorie Velazquez on Tuesday night in the 13th Council District in the East Bronx, which includes Throgs Neck, City Island and Pelham Bay.
The only other incumbent to lose was Republican Ari Kagan of Brooklyn, but his race was a special case. Because of redistricting, he squared off against another incumbent, Democrat Justin Brannan, who cruised to victory.
Speaking with Gothamist, Kagan partially attributed his loss to his district's new boundaries.
“Don’t forget, it’s new lines of the district, completely redrawn — some of the neighborhoods did not even know me,” Kagan said. “Definitely new to Bay Ridge and parts of Dyker.”
A Republican in the Bronx? It’s been a while.
If Marmorato hangs on in the Bronx, she’ll be the first Republican to represent the borough in the City Council in decades.
In January, Bronx GOP Chair Mike Rendino, Marmorato’s brother, told Politico the last time it happened was 1983 — when Joseph Savino Jr. held an “at large” seat, a structure that doesn’t even exist anymore.
As for other elective offices in the borough, Republican Guy Velella did hold a Bronx-based state Senate seat more recently — though he resigned from office amid a bribery scandal way back in 2004.
At her Election Day party, Marmorato got choked up as she thanked her team on stage with her family.
“We did it,” she told the cheering crowd. “I’m going to make the people of District 13 so proud.”
No surprise in Queens district attorney race
There were technically three New York City races for district attorney on Tuesday — in Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island.
But Bronx DA Darcel Clark and Staten Island DA Michael McMahon, both Democrats, ran unopposed.
In Queens, incumbent Democrat Melinda Katz didn’t have to break much of a sweat. She took home about 67% of the vote, far outpacing Republican Michael Mossa and third-party candidate George Grasso.
Turnout was low. But just how low?
It was a strange year for City Council elections in New York City.
Usually, Council elections are held every four years. But once every two decades — thanks to the way the calendar falls during the redistricting process — there’s an off-cycle election for a two-year term. Such was the case this year.
As of 11 p.m., New York City had counted about 557,000 ballots, according to unofficial results listed on the state Board of Elections’ website. That works out to about 11% of the 5.1 million total registered voters in the city.
It’s tough to compare that to recent years. Last year, for example, about 35% of registered voters turned out in the city. But that was for an election headlined by the New York governor’s race. There was no comparable citywide or statewide race on the ballot this year.
For a more apples-to-apples comparison, you have to go back to 2003 — the last year there was an off-cycle, two-year election for City Council.
That year, about 620,000 New York City voters cast a ballot – or 15% of the total registered voters at that time, according to state Board of Elections data.
Both ballot initiatives pass easily
There were two statewide ballot proposals this year, and both passed with little fuss.
Both were state constitutional amendments that had to do with borrowing money.
The first will eliminate a cap on borrowing for school districts in cities with less than 125,000 residents, like White Plains and New Rochelle. Now, under state law, those cities will have a cap on debt equal to 10% of the taxable property within their district; before, it was 5%.
The second amendment will ensure sewage-treatment infrastructure upgrades won’t cost against municipal debt caps. State voters are asked to approve that one every 10 years, meaning the latest extension will last to 2034.
The headline of this story has been updated.
Tagged
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new york city
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brooklyn
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Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
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Catalina Gonella
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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