By Rachel Holliday Smith – DNAinfo.com
It’s time to choose your new representative, Crown Heights.
If you live within the borders of State Assembly District 43, Tuesday’s the day to do your civic duty and vote for a replacement for Assemblyman Karim Camara — who joined the Cuomo administration this spring — in a special election.
But who deserves your support?
It might be a little tough to tell for Democrats, because this time around, there is no candidate running on the Democratic party line due to a bizarre snafu during the nominating process.
To help you make sense of it all, here’s a last-minute election guide from DNAinfo New York outlining the four candidates running for the seat.
There are three Democrats running on third-party lines:
Geoffrey Davis, the brother of Councilman James E. Davis who was shot at City Hall in 2003, is running on the self-created “Love Yourself” line, named after his anti-violence initiative, Love Yourself Stop the Violence.
Davis was voted in as a district leader in the 43rd this fall, his first elected position. Throughout the race, past allegations of domestic violence have cropped up from his opponents, including in mailers and during a televised debate. Notable endorsements of Davis include Assemblyman Dov Hikind and Movement to Protect the People, the activist group vocal in the debate over rezoning in Crown Heights.
Read more about Davis and his policy positions here.
Shirley Patterson, a longtime district leader in the 43rd, was the presumed Democratic nominee before the party line debacle in March, insiders said. She is now running on the Independence Party line, but is backed by many big-name Brooklyn Democrats, including Borough President Eric Adams, state Sen. Jesse Hamilton and former Borough President Marty Markowitz.
A longtime Crown Heights resident, Patterson has served on the local school board and as a union delegate at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Questions about donations to Patterson’s campaign from developers and real estate figures have caused some controversy in the race.
Read more about Patterson and her policy positions here.
Diana Richardson is running on the Working Families Party line for the assembly seat after trying unsuccessfully for the district leader spot against Patterson this fall. Richardson has worked in the nonprofit world, in constituent affairs for the 21st Senate District and also served as treasurer for Community Board 9, a position she resigned from in recent weeks because it conflicted with her campaign schedule, she told a candidate’s forum in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens last week. Richardson has been endorsed by Comptroller Scott Stringer and several large unions, including 32BJ, 1199 SEIU and TWU Local 100.
Read more about Richardson and her policy positions here.
Right-leaning voters have one choice in the race:
Menachem “Mendy” Raitport is running on the Republican and Conservative Party lines, something he’s done unsuccessfully twice before for state-level seats in the area, but not cracking more than 7 percent of the vote either time. But supporters of the kosher butcher, Shomrim patrol volunteer and father of eight feel good this time around, leading get-out-the-vote events and rallies to take advantage of the vacuum left by a fractured pool of Democratic candidates.
Read more about Raitport and his policy positions here.
Still undecided? Watch the debate between Davis, Richardson and Raitport on New York 1:
Every vote realy counts
Teshuvos V’hanhugos 2:410 (if you can’t convince them to change it) permits voting in such a place and Chaiyei Ha’Levi 4:63 permits it without qualification.
Both of those are dealing with a Church proper in a basement room. This case is even less than that.
When will we hear the results
P.S. Very surprised at Dov Hikind?
its over, the frum backers of Patterson ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Having all the poling stations manned at least by one Lubavitcher. I went to the PS next to Beth Rivka and I saw the Information person send to different tables until she got it wright and some she sent to different schools. there were three people in front of me and it took me twenty five minutes to vote. Who is checking for out right fraud????
If Reitport wins with all the shenanigans it will be a miracle.
Nachman S.
Teshuvos V’hanhugos 2:410 (if you can’t convince them to change it) permits voting in such a place and Chaiyei Ha’Levi 4:63 permits it without qualification.
Both of those are dealing with a Church proper in a basement room. This case is even less than that.
It’s mind boggling that we have an elected council who’s endorsement we should follow (whether we like it or not, cause achdus supersedes all) & yet we have individuals from with in and from outside our neighborhood who have their own agenda and are only hurting our elected voices. Please remove yourselves from creating a Hefker atmosphere in the Rebbes shchuna.
I have voted for mendy! I hope he wins!
till 9;00
Hikind, stay in your community and do some good for them there instead of mixing into ours.
I am begging you, please stop with the calls! We voted!
regarding the cross,
1 many rabbis and most people do not know there is a cross in the room
2 some say its better not to go into a room with a cross but if you need to for example in a hospital or to vote you may go in it does not mean that its a good thing
3 its not a big deal for the school to cover it but they refused many times, and this is a violation of the voting rights
“Mendy is the lone Republican in the race and will benefit from the other three candidates – all of who lean Democratic and are black – into taking from each other’s vote. He is a member of the Chabad Jewish community of Crown Heights and could win if he gets this base out. He also comes across as an honorable man, who is a local business owner with a wife and eight children.”
Every vote realy counts
We might never get such a an golden oppurtunity to show that we really want to be heard
BS”D# 13 good idea
Even if you didn’t register in advance to vote you can walk-in and vote by signing an affidavit. Vote Mendy!
We should all go to his district and endorse the other guy. Whom ever it may be.
Mendy is the only candidate who truly cares for the well-being of the jewish community
It’s about time we have one our very own representing the schuna, this is what the rebbe wants and this is what every TRUE chossid should want as well
I think it’s open till9 tonight
So no excuse …we can go till late!
Vote Mendy raitport!
If knowledgeable Rabbi’s like Rabbi Bogomilskyand Rabbi Mangel voted here, then there’s absolutely no problem whatsoevr, please do your research before commenting
I heard that when they asked Rabbi Mangel this morning who’s he voting for he replied “vos iz der shaileh, der yid”!
post your source that going in to a school like that is against halacha
BS”D
i heard he is winning so go out and let your vote count
please, stop being so sensitive, they’re not going to recurring the building for a one day election, beacuse folks like you love to take issue and complain about everything.
BS”D just for the record,if you are talking about president street I looked and did not notice anything, in the past it was there but covered over, further more this has been addressed ad nauseum with the Rabbonim who it seems have allowed it or it would have been changed-don’t use this as an excuse to sit on your tuchases at home, where I may dare say there might be plenty of avodah zura tucked away (tv etc), get Menachem elected let him win or lose with our support but lets not be fractured- and sign the unity duch they… Read more »
Until what time can we go to vote?
A polling place should be government or municipal owned and completely neutral. Or is that a stupid question in a place like Crown Heights where everything wrong seems to be above the law?
this polling place is against halaha and against law.
the school has a cross in the room and at the entrance, its a pitty that they make all the frum people walk in a building with a huge cross in the room, the polling stations are supposed to be held in public schools not private schools that are privately runand can fix the election