New York city is holding a special election for city council, 31st district, on February 19. In New York city, even though elections are partisan, special city council elections are conducted without party nominees. All candidates appear on the ballot with their party label, if they obtain at least 450 valid signatures. Nine candidates filed, but one candidate, Jacques Leandre, then challenged the petitions of six of his opponents. See this story. The story does not explain the basis for the challenge. Leandre, in defense of his action, reminds people that President Obama challenged his opponents’ petitions in 1996 when he first ran for public office. Obama challenged all his opponents off the primary ballot when he was running for State Senate.
Only one of the candidates has been knocked off the ballot. See this story.
In 2010, Prop. 2 lowered the signatures to 450 from 2,700. Osina might win because the black vote will spit. Remember special election when Turner the Rep. won?
The conversation took a strange turn when the Rev. Charles Norris said the black candidates should decide which one among them is the best to run and then the others should drop out in order to make it tougher for the caucasian, Jewish candidate, Osina, to win.
“None of you will be elected because you haven’t done the math,” Norris said. “You have one white person from Far Rockaway that’s in the race. Jews vote in a block. They will knock everyone of you out. Which one of you thinks you are best to run to beat the Jew that’s running in Far Rockaway?”
None of the candidates offered a direct response to Norris’ question.