Brooklyn Democratic Party
Acting Justice Rachel Freier won the party’s nod in a nominating process for judges that also saw accusations of misogyny, racism, bullying and antisemitism.
The office of county prosecutor Eric Gonzalez has interviewed people whose allegations of forgeries and favoritism first surfaced in THE CITY.
A former party leader in the borough says ‘ghost appointees’ are not a new phenomenon.
The party’s executive director suggested that elected officials in Southern Brooklyn lacked “commitment” after those politicians ripped the party for failing to support vulnerable incumbents.
As Republicans look poised to oust veteran Democratic lawmakers, some officials are publicly sounding the alarm about the state and county party organizations.
Monday’s chaotic meetings ended with the party leader winning with just 23 of 44 executive committee votes.
After a scandal-filled first term and a big botched meeting earlier this month, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn expects to retain her hold on power in a vote on Monday, party insiders tell THE CITY.
The chaotic county confab started nearly three hours late, and ended not long after that with almost none of its business accomplished, and as party leaders relied on legal experts with criminal histories.
A handful of leaders voted behind closed doors ahead of the party’s big meeting in September, where newly elected members are expected to push for reforms.
Bypassing primaries, Democratic Party officials ‘backfill’ Civil Court candidates who have no chance of losing.
At the Kings County party convention last week, a dozen nominees got named by acclamation. Behind the scenes, conflicts almost came to blows.
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Judicial candidates, who could make almost $3 million over a term, collectively gave more than $100,000 in political donations to party leaders and clubs. That’s legal, thanks to New York’s “stupid law.”
Under the leadership of Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the borough’s party machine has been dogged by allegations of forgery and other fraudulent tactics aimed at undermining progressive adversaries.
The borough’s political players hoped the Assemblymember would unite the party. Instead, as Democrats head into a vulnerable midterm election, New York’s biggest local political organization is in free fall.
Insurgents won enough seats to threaten the leadership of Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and the machine that helped elect Mayor Eric Adams. Among those defeated Tuesday: her husband, who resigned a $190,000 city job to run for district leader.
Weeks-long gigs worth as much as $8,250 are getting reserved for campaign supporters and leadership allies — others need not apply.
Six leading watchdog organizations urge investigation into forgeries and potential fraud tied to ballot petitions.
One married couple running separately in Manhattan and Brooklyn represent half of all competitive races for Civil Court in New York City this primary election.
An unusually high number of contested races for an unpaid post reflects an organized effort aiming to remove county Democratic chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and her allies from power.
A 92-year-old Holocaust survivor, an immigration advocate and a financial tech worker all learned of their candidacies when contacted by THE CITY. Party reformers charge they were caught up in a scheme for power brokers to retain control.
Reform Assemblymember Robert Carroll calls decision to keep judicial delegates on ballot despite dubious petition signatures “politically influenced” — while party leader Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn says he’s “xenophobic” for trying to block Pakistani representation.
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