COUNCIL
jority needed to forego RCV.
Restler, a district leader,
former mayoral aide and cofounder
of New Kings Democrats,
has more than double
the votes of his closest competitor,
Elizabeth Adams, a
former aide to current CD33
Councilmember Steve Levin.
In District 38, including Sunset
Park, Red Hook, and parts
of Windsor Terrace, Borough
Park, and Dyker Heights, DSAendorsed
Alexa Avilés has 43.46
percent of votes with 96.08 percent
of precincts reporting, 25
points ahead of her closest competitor,
businessman Yu Lin.
In an unexpected turn of
events, former Council contender
and nurse Mercedes
Narcisse is running well
ahead of her opponents in District
46, which includes Canarsie,
Marine Park, Bergen
Beach, Mill Basin, Gerritsen
Beach, and parts of Flatlands
and Sheepshead Bay. Narcisse
has 35.78 percent with over 98
percent reporting, about 20
points ahead of competitors
Shirley Paul, a former aide to
CUomo and to Frank Seddio,
and former Community Board
18 chair Gardy Brazela.
Sizable, but not
insurmountable, leads
In the 36th District, including
Bed-Stuy and northern
Crown Heights, 23-year-old Chi
Ossé has a 15 point lead over
his nearest competitors in the
race to replace term-limited
Robert Cornegy. Ossé has 37.23
percent with 94.85 percent of
precincts reporting. District
Leader Henry Butler and ex-de
Blasio aide Tahirah Moore are
running neck-and-neck for second
place, with 22.86 and 22.85
percent, respectively.
In District 39, which was
expected to be a neck-andneck
For the Treatment of Varicose Vein,
Leg Swelling and Leg Wounds
COURIER L 12 IFE, JUNE 25-JULY 1, 2021
race, Shahana Hanif, a
former aide to current Councilmember
Brad Lander, is doing
better than expected, leading
DSA-backed Brandon West
by 10 points, 33.42 to 22.52 percent,
with 99 percent of scanners
counted. The district includes
Park Slope, Gowanus,
Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill,
Windsor Terrace, and parts of
Borough Park and Kensington.
Trailing behind are Justin
Krebs at 16.03 percent and
Doug Schneider at 13.6.
“While we won’t know the
fi nal numbers for a week or
so, we are deeply proud of the
NYC’s #1 Source for Political & Election News
multiracial, multilingual, intergenerational,
and joyful
coalition we built that embodies
our beautiful and diverse
district,” said Hanif, who,
if elected, would be the fi rst
South Asian and fi rst Muslim
woman on the Council.
The Barron dynasty will
most likely continue to rule
East New York’s District 42,
with former Councilmember
Charles Barron leading the
pack to replace his wife, Inez,
at 47.38 percent with 99 percent
reporting. Challenger Nikki
Lucas has 36.77 percent. The
Barrons have taken turns representing
the area in both the
City Council and the Assembly,
with at least one of them
representing the area since
2001, though some forecasters
pondered whether the dynasty
was vulnerable this year.
Ari Kagan is leading the pack
to replace his boss Mark Treyger,
who has supported him enthusiastically
in District 47, which
includes Coney Island, Bensonhurst,
Gravesend, and Sea Gate.
He has 42.65 percent of the vote
with 96.06 percent reporting,
trailed by activist Steven Patzer
at 33.9 percent. The winner will
take on Republican nominee
Mark Szuszkiewicz, who nearly
unexpectedly won the area’s Assembly
seat last year.
“While we must wait for additional
ballots to be counted,
we are optimistic about the
outcome,” Kagan said in a
statement. “In the meantime
we have a lot of work to do to
improve the quality of life for
southern Brooklyn’s families.”
Still up in the air
One of the most competitive
and watched Council
races this year was District
35, currently held by Laurie
Cumbo, which encompasses
Fort Greene, Clinton Hill,
Prospect Heights, and parts of
Crown Heights and Bed Stuy.
After Election Night, former
Cumbo aide Crystal
Hudson narrowly leads DSAbacked
Michael Hollingsworth,
38.49 to 34.45 percent,
respectively, with 98.8 percent
reporting. Cumbo has garnered
a reputation as a foe of
the activist left, but the area
is now represented in Albany
by two Democratic Socialists,
state Sen. Jabari Brisport and
Assemblymember Phara Souffrant
Forrest, making the district
a top target for DSA and
other leftist organizations.
“The initial votes are in, and
while we wait for the full ranked
choice voting process to be carried
out, we feel good about our
victory in this race,” said Hudson,
who, if elected, would make
history as the fi rst openly gay
Black woman on the Council.
The race to replace Mathieu
Eugene, the Council’s longestserving
member, in District 40
is also very tight. With 99 percent
reporting, educator Rita
Joseph has the edge with 25.23
percent of the vote, but is followed
closely by District Leader
Josh Pierre, at 20.31 percent,
and Kenya Handy-Hilliard, a
political staffer who has worked
at the local, state, and federal
level, at 19.19 percent. How the
race in the district, which includes
Prospect Lefferts Gardens,
Flatbush, Ditmas Park,
and Kensington, will pan out in
RCV rounds is anyone’s guess.
And fi nally, in the currently
memberless District 48,
which includes Sheepshead
Bay, Brighton Beach, Manhattan
Beach, and part of Midwood,
local activist and former
Republican candidate Steven
Saperstein is narrowly leading
the race at 31.15 percent, just
ahead of former de Blasio aide
Mariya Markh at 28.46 percent,
with 96.72 percent reporting.
“It is an honor to be in the
lead after the fi rst round of ballot
counting,” Saperstein said.
Continued from page 6
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