BROOKLYN COLLEGE–All of New York City’s 51 city council seats, alongside several other borough-specific positions, were up for election on Nov. 7 due to a once-in-a-decade redistricting process. While some races had more drama than others, every race has now concluded, with few votes remaining to be counted.
Brooklyn’s District 47, which includes Bay Ridge and Coney Island, featured a hotly-contested race between two city council members who were drawn into the same area in last year’s redistricting. Democrat Justin Brannan ended up victorious over ex-Democrat, now-Republican Ari Kagan, who conceded an hour after polls ended, according to CBS News. Brannan’s victory came despite a seeming lack of support from the chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who refused to campaign for Brannan and boosted harassment allegations against him that Brannan had denied – decisions criticized by district leaders across the borough.
Brannan’s old district, District 43, was redrawn into an Asian-majority district, encompassing parts of Sunset Park, Bensonhurst and Gravesend. The new district had no incumbent after Brannan stepped aside, though Democrat Susan Zhang won the race handily.
