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Brooks-Powers cruises to primary victory
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
After winning a special
election earlier this year to
represent Council District 24,
Democratic incumbent James
Gennaro has taken the lead in
the June 22 primary race, having
secured nearly 60 percent
of the vote, according to unofficial
results from the New
York City Board of Elections
(BOE).
Gennaro collected 59.69
percent of the vote (6,319
votes), with 99 percent of scanners
reported, according to
the BOE’s unofficial reults.
Other Democratic candidates
in the race include Moumita
Ahmed (22.73 percent of
the vote), Mohammed Uddin
(8.27 percent of the vote) and
Saifur Khan (8.42 percent of
the vote). Because Gennaro secured
more than 50 percent of
the vote, a ranked-choice voting
recount was not triggered
in this race.
There are also two Republican
candidates in the race
— Timothy Rosen, who has
secured 59.35 percent (435
votes), and Angelo King, who
has received 36.29 percent (266
votes).
Gennaro took office in February
after winning about 60
percent of the vote in the city’s
first election to use rankedchoice
voting. He currently
represents Kew Gardens Hills,
Pomonok, Electchester, Fresh
Meadows, Hillcrest, Jamaica
Estates, Briarwood, Parkway
Village, Jamaica Hills and Jamaica.
In a statement to QNS,
Gennaro said he is looking
forward to the final certified
results of the primary election
and is hoping for a victory in
the November general election
. “I am very thankful for
the tremendous support I received
in the Democratic primary
election in which our
campaign garnered almost
60 percent of the vote on election
night and early voting
results,” Gennaro said. “To
receive such support is overwhelming
and most gratifying.
TIMESLEDGER | Q 14 NS.COM | JULY 2-JULY 8, 2021
It is a great honor and
privilege to serve this community,
and very humbling
to have earned the trust of so
many.”
Gennaro, a resident of
Jamaica Estates, cited his
depth of experience and legislative
achievement with
the City Council when he
represented District 24 from
2002 to 2013.He has also previously
served as deputy
commissioner for the New
York State Department of Environmental
Conservation
and an adjunct professor at
Queens College.
Ahmed, a community organizer
who ran a grassroots
campaign, announced her
concession from the race on
Twitter.
“We’re proud of the progress
we made to engage
working-class people in our
communities to stand up
to billionaire developers,”
Ahmed said. “We concede, for
this moment, for this race. But
the movement for housing justice
continues, and we’ll be at
the front lines to fight for us.”
Uddin and Khan did not respond
to QNS’s request for comment
before publication.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or
by phone at (718) 260–4526.
BY BILL PARRY
Councilwoman Selvena
Brooks-Powers breezed to a
primary victory in District 31
in the Rockaways, a seat she
first captured during a special
election in February to replace
Donovan Richards.
Brooks-Powers received
more than 68 percent of the
vote, with 92 percent of the precincts
reported, according unofficial
results from the city’s
Board of Elections.
While the official results of
the June 22 primary will not
be revealed until the anticipated
date of July 12 as thousands
of absentee ballots still need to
be counted, ranked-choice voting
will not be implemented
in this case, as Brooks-Powers
received more than the 50 percent
requirement to win the
seat outright.
“It has been a tremendous
honor to represent my community
in the City Council
for the past three months, and
I am thrilled to have overwhelmingly
won the Democratic
primary on my way to
being re-elected to a full term,”
Brooks-Powers said.
Brooks-Powers, who resides
in the Rockaways with
her husband and their daughter,
cruised past her two challengers,
Nicole Lee and Nancy
Martinez, in the race to represent
the neighborhoods of
Arverne, Brookville, Edgemere,
Far Rockaway, Laurelton,
Rosedale and Springfield
Gardens.
“I am humbled by the support
of my community, and
your support and faith in me
inspire me every day to make
a difference and deliver,”
Brooks-Powers said. “I especially
want to thank my family,
friends and supporters including
Congress member Gregory
Meeks, Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards, Senator
James Sanders, Assembly
Member Alicia Hyndman and
all the labor unions and organizations
who worked with me
to achieve this victory.”
Her path to victory was
cleared in May when Pesach
Osina dropped out of the race
and endorsed Brooks-Powers,
calling her “the proactive
leader we need fighting for us
in the City Council.”
She was also endorsed by
other key leaders on the Rockaway
Peninsula including Assemblywoman
Stacey Pheffer
Amato and Assemblyman
Khaleel Anderson.
The daughter of Jamaican
immigrants, Brooks-Powers
formed her reputation as an
effective leader and credible
community organizer after
years of high-impact initiatives
on critical issues, including
education, voter empowerment,
racial and economic
justice, domestic violence and
workers’ rights.
Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers votes with her husband in
what she called a “mandate for her re-election” in District 31.
Photo courtesy of Brooks-Powers campaign
James Gennaro Courtesy of Gennaro’s campaign
Gennaro ahead in District 24 race
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