Judge Lets Brooklyn Democrats Hold Tuesday Vote on 24-Plus New Committee Seats
Updated
Updated · thecityreporter.nyc · Aug 24
Judge Lets Brooklyn Democrats Hold Tuesday Vote on 24-Plus New Committee Seats
2 articles · Updated · thecityreporter.nyc · Aug 24
Summary
A second judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order, allowing Brooklyn Democrats to proceed with a closed-door Tuesday executive committee vote on rule changes opposed by reformers.
The proposals would add more than two dozen executive committee members, then an extra representative from each Assembly district, changes critics say could let Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn stack the body with loyalists.
Reformers sued Monday after winning a majority in June’s primary for the first time in nearly two decades, arguing the rules are being changed midstream to preserve establishment control.
Chuck Schumer joined Letitia James, Hakeem Jeffries and state party chair Jay Jacobs in urging Bichotte Hermelyn to reconsider, while former chair Frank Seddio defended the plan and backed a lifetime vote for ex-chairs.
The fight matters beyond party governance because Brooklyn’s Democratic organization plays an outsized role in nominating and selecting judges, and reformers say they will refile after the vote if it goes ahead.