Donovan Richards and Elizabeth Crowley Battle It out in Race to Be Borough President
Donovan Richards and Elizabeth Crowley (Campaign)
June 23, 2021 By Ryan Songalia and Christian Murray
Donovan Richards and Elizabeth Crowley are in a tight race to determine who will win the Democratic primary for Queens Borough President.
Richards, the incumbent, generated 64,814 of first-choice votes, or 40.53 percent of the vote, ahead of Elizabeth Crowley who brought in 62,738 votes, or 40.20 percent. The margin that separates the pair is 2,076 votes.
Jimmy Van Bramer, the third candidate in the race, brought in 27,813 of first-choice votes, representing 17.82 percent of the vote.
The winner will come down to ranked-choice voting as neither Richards or Crowley earned more than 50 percent of first-choice votes. The victor will be determined by Van Bramer voters — who they selected as their second choice will ultimately determine the race.
Richards was viewed as the favorite going into the race, having taken office in December after winning a special election in November. His current term ends Dec. 31, since he is completing what would have been Melinda Katz’s term.
Katz vacated the seat to become Queens District Attorney.
Richards went into the race with a number of endorsements from high-profile elected officials, including Congressmembers Gregory Meeks, Grace Meng, Carolyn Maloney and Tom Suozzi. He also had major unions backing his campaign, including from the New York City Central Labor Council, United Federation of Teachers and SEIU Local 32BJ.
Crowley’s was not endorsed by any high-profile elected officials, although she cross-endorsed with mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. She did receive the support of unions like the Transport Workers Union Local 100, Uniformed Firefighters Association and the New York State Iron Workers District Council.
But what she lacked in endorsements she made up for in campaign spending.
She outspent both Richards and Van Bramer on the race.
She spent $1,185,447 on the campaign, while Van Bramer spent $792,601, according to the latest campaign finance filing on June 11. Richards spent $480,581 on the race.
Queens residents will likely not know the official winner of the borough president race for weeks.
The Board of Elections (BOE) will release the results of the ranked-choice tabulation in one week — on Tuesday, June 29 — based on in-person votes. The board will continue to update the results each week as absentee ballots come in.
The BOE is not expected to certify the results of the election until the week of July 12 or later to allow time for absentee ballots to come in.
Delighted they will be dismantling Van Bramers votes. It’s a satisfying metaphors for how his constituents feel about him. We’ve wanted to see his office dismantled for a long time.
Hey, football fans! Game time is fast approaching, and across the city and here in Queens, you can feel the excitement brewing as the two teams prepare to take the field on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 12. So, kick back and watch the big game, and don’t miss Rihanna’s exciting performance during halftime.
With less than five months to go until the Democratic primary, the gloves have come off in the Queens district attorney race.
Challenger George Grasso is calling on Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz to rescind her endorsement from the New York State Court Officers Association (NYSCOA) and repudiate its president Dennis Quirk.
During a two-day public hearing on the mayor’s 2024 preliminary budget, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. listened to testimonies from 14 community board representatives, community stakeholders and members of the public on where the money should be spent in Queens.
The public hearings were held both in-person and via Zoom on Monday, Jan. 30, and Tuesday, Jan. 31, at Queens Borough Hall. The testimonials will be used to develop the Queens Borough Board’s FY24 preliminary budget priorities in the coming weeks.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards held a candlelight vigil for Tyre Nichols outside Queens Borough Hall Monday, Jan. 30 after Nichols’ death at the hands of police officers in Memphis, Tenn., made national headlines for the brutality in which the officers beat him.
Almost immediately after news broke about Nichols’ death, the Memphis police officers who beat him to death were fired and charged with murder. The police department released the body cam footage of the fatal beating on Jan. 27, but many people, including some at the vigil, have refused to watch it due to its extremely graphic nature.
Op-Ed, Jan. 30, By Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas
In a time of rampant economic inequality and environmental injustice, it is easy to feel defeated. Here in Queens and across New York State, however, communities are organizing for a better future. New Yorkers from different backgrounds and with different lived experiences are proving that we can build community, organize, and create a future that reflects our shared values.
A small candlelight vigil was held in Sunnyside Thursday to mourn the Asian American and Hispanic American victims of two mass shootings in California earlier this week.
LaGuardia Community College recently received more than $400,000 in federal funding to enhance and expand vocational training for underemployed New Yorkers in a city that is still working to recover from COVID-19 pandemic-induced job loss. The support was secured by U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and former Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney.
Delighted they will be dismantling Van Bramers votes. It’s a satisfying metaphors for how his constituents feel about him. We’ve wanted to see his office dismantled for a long time.
Library awaits!
JVB placed third, as I predicted. I’ll wait for the final tally, but not making it out of the teens should be his signal to rethink career plans.