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3 Possible Candidates Come Forward for Vacant Brooklyn Assembly Seat

 Assemblyman Karim Camara (right) of the 43rd District in Brooklyn (left) is vacating the seat to join the Cuomo administration, the governor announced last week. Two Brooklyn men have come forward as possible candidates to fill the vacancy.
Assemblyman Karim Camara (right) of the 43rd District in Brooklyn (left) is vacating the seat to join the Cuomo administration, the governor announced last week. Two Brooklyn men have come forward as possible candidates to fill the vacancy.
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Composite: NYS Legislative Task Force; DNAinfo/Rachel Holliday Smith

CROWN HEIGHTS  Three Brooklynites are considering running for the New York State Assembly seat vacated last week by Karim Camara.

District leader Geoffrey Davis, Rubain Dorancy and Diana Richardson all confirmed to DNAinfo New York that they’re thinking about making a run for the seat in the 43rd Assembly District, which covers south Crown Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and parts of East Flatbush.

Camara will vacate the Assembly seat to join the Cuomo administration as executive director of the newly-created state Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services, the governor announced last week.

Davis, who just began his duties as 43rd District leader after winning an election this fall, said he’s “putting a team together” to consider his candidacy.

“[I’m] seriously considering it and exploring the possibility and the idea,” he said. “I’m praying on it.”

If Davis chooses to run, it will be his second attempt. He lost to Camara in 2005 running as an independent. Davis’ brother, the late Councilman James E. Davis, ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 1998 and 2000 before he was killed by a gunman inside City Hall in 2003.

Dorancy, an attorney and former Department of Education administrator, confirmed his interest in the seat through a spokeswoman.

“He is seriously considering it,” said Ronnie Sykes by email.

Dorancy unsuccessfully ran for the nearby 20th Senate District seat vacated by Borough President Eric Adams last year, losing to now-state Sen. Jesse Hamilton.

Community Board 9 member Diana C. Richardson — who lost the 43rd District leader spot by 400 votes this fall  may run for the seat as well.

“What I’m really doing at this point is looking at the lay of the land and what makes sense," she said. "Because this is the exact same district I just ran in  not one block is different."

It’s unclear when voters will decide who fills the vacancy. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is responsible for calling a special election for the district, but his office said there are no plans yet for an election.

Last year, leaders in central Brooklyn criticized the governor for failing to call a special election to fill five state-level seats in the borough.