UPPER EAST SIDE – City council candidate Ben Kallos capped a busy week with the endorsement of DC 1707 AFSCME, a 25,000-member strong social service worker local.
“Ben Kallos knows that every child needs early education to lay the groundwork for a life of equal opportunity,” said DC 1707’s executive director Raglan George, Jr. in a statement.
“In my district, there are not enough seats at the free Pre-K programs for the families that need them – and I will work tirelessly to change that,” Kallos said in a statement. “The confidence of this city’s daycare workers in our fight to expand education is invaluable to my campaign.”
Earlier this week, Kallos received the backing of former congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman and the tenants’ rights organization Tenants PAC.
The new support comes in the wake of reports last week that Kallos’ opponent, Assemblyman Micah Kellner, was accused of sexually harassing a female staffer four years ago. Since then, Kellner has seen a number of high-profile backers rescind their endorsements, including Manhattan Borough President and comptroller candidate Scott Stringer, and Councilwoman Jessica Lappin, who Kallos and Kellner are running to replace.
The news led the women’s rights group NOW-NYC to endorsement Kallos last week.
NOW-NYC is committed to fighting our culture of sexual harassment and promoting gender equality in politics by championing feminist candidates like Ben Kallos,” NOW-NYC’s president Sonia Ossorio said in a statement.
