CHELSEA — Longtime Community Board 4 Chair Corey Johnson coasted to an easy victory on election night, winning the District 3 City Council seat currently held by Speaker Christine Quinn.
Johnson essentially ran unopposed after handily defeating Village lawyer and activist Yetta Kurland in the September Democratic primary to represent the heavily left-leaning district that includes Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, Midtown and the West Village.
Johnson had 86.6 percent of the vote, with 100 percent of polling stations reporting.
His Republican opponent in the general election, Richard Stewart, described himself as a "placeholder" to The Villager and said that he planned to support Johnson. He won 13.4 percent of the vote.
As an openly gay man, Johnson's victory will maintain District 3's reputation for having a so-called "gay seat." After the primary, Johnson threw his weight behind Bill de Blasio in the mayor's race.
Johnson campaigned as a progressive reformer, stressing the need for more affordable housing in the neighborhood and a bigger social safety net. He also took up the causes of local activists. On Saturday, he was arrested while protesting a new natural gas pipeline.
Johnson could not immediately be reached for comment.
