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Jim Owles Picks Morales for Mayor, Corey for Comptroller
Candidates get key LGBTQ endorsement with less than two months to go
BY MATT TRACY
Nearly seven months after the Jim
Owles Liberal Democratic Club
hosted the fi rst mayoral forum of
the election cycle, the club endorsed
Dianne Morales for mayor and out gay Speaker
Corey Johnson for comptroller.
The club, which announced a batch of endorsements
on May 4, also endorsed Public
Advocate Jumaane Williams for re-election and
Tahanie Aboushi for Manhattan district attorney.
Jim Owles is the fi rst citywide LGBTQ political
club to back Morales, who has built a visible
base of queer support during her campaign.
She has welcomed endorsements from LGBTQ
leaders at different levels, from lawmakers such
as Brooklyn State Senator Jabari Brisport and
Queens Assemblymember Jessica González-
Rojas to district leaders like Jesse Pierce and
Samy Nemir-Olivares of Brooklyn, Émilia Decaudin
and Zachariah Boyer of Queens, and
John Blasco of Manhattan.
During the Jim Owles forum last year, Morales
voiced strong support for comprehensive
sex work decriminalization and blasted
supporters of the oft-criticized Nordic Model,
which would only remove criminal penalties for
sex workers but not others involved in the sex
trade.
“Morales clearly has the leadership qualities
and savvy needed to lead our city out of crisis
and into a vibrant future,” club president Allen
Roskoff said in a written statement. “She sees
eye to eye with our club on issues of concern to
us, and we are eager to help elect her so that
she can work on behalf of all of the city’s diverse
communities.”
In a tweet, Morales wrote, “From fi ghting for
LGBTQ+ equality to hosting the fi rst mayoral
forum for this race, @JimOwles members are
true trailblazers — I’m honored to receive their
endorsement and expand this coalition. I am
proud to stand with the @JimOwles Liberal
Democratic Club members and President @allenroskoff
for comprehensive sex work decriminalization,
restaurant and nightlife protections,
just decarceration, and for a care economy for
all New Yorkers.”
The club’s mayoral endorsement comes at a
TWITTER/@DIANNE4NYC
Mayoral candidate Dianne Morales (right) has built up a visible base
of queer support in the campaign with less than two months to go.
MATT TRACY
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson now has the support of a
citywide LGBTQ political club.
time when two other LGBTQ political clubs —
the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City
and Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn
(LID) — are reconsidering their support of
mayoral candidate Scott Stringer following allegations
of sexual misconduct. Stonewall will reconvene
on May 5 to determine a path forward
for the club’s endorsement, while LID will meet
on May 6 to do the same.
Johnson, meanwhile, received the club’s support
for comptroller after Stonewall and LID
opted to go with Brooklyn Councilmember Brad
Lander in the comptroller race. Johnson, a former
mayoral candidate, offi cially stepped into
the comptroller race in March.
“Speaker Johnson dazzled us with his acumen
and detailed knowledge about important
policy matters of concern to club members,”
Roskoff said. “He has done a spectacular job as
Council Speaker, and we could not be prouder
to embrace one of our own with this endorsement.”
In a tweet, Johnson said he is “so proud to
have earned their support in this campaign.”
In the crowded race for Manhattan DA, the
club acknowledged that multiple candidates in
the race were worthy of consideration.
“There were several other strong progressive
candidates who would be effective District Attorneys
for Manhattan, but Aboushi won our
support over her competitors,” Roskoff noted.
“She is an inspiring leader who would transform
the district attorney’s offi ce into a dynamic
force for systemic change. She would prioritize
alternatives to incarceration rather than pursue
a single-minded focus on prosecution.”
During the mayoral forum hosted by the Jim
Owles club last year, Roskoff asked candidates
whether they would support scrapping former
Mayor Ed Koch’s name from the 59th Street
Bridge. He again emphasized that point in a
press release announcing the latest endorsements.
“The club continues to encourage all candidates
we meet to support removing the name
of former Mayor Ed Koch from the 59th Street
Bridge,” Roskoff said. “Practically everyone we
have interviewed shared our view that this honor
is unmerited for a Mayor who stood idly by
while the AIDS holocaust devastated gay New
Yorkers and other marginalized communities,
and who routinely ignored and insulted the
city’s people of color.”
“Of those we interviewed or who responded to
our questionnaire for mayor, comptroller, public
advocate and district attorney, all supported
the removing Ed Koch’s name from the 59th St.
Bridge,” Roskoff said. “Andrew Yang is open to
removing his name and pledges to work with
advocates on the removal. Scott Stringer is the
sole candidate against it.”
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