CROWN HEIGHTS — It’s time to choose your new representative, Crown Heights.
If you live within the borders of State Assembly District 43, Tuesday’s the day to do your civic duty and vote for a replacement for Assemblyman Karim Camara — who joined the Cuomo administration this spring — in a special election.
But who deserves your support?
It might be a little tough to tell for Democrats, because this time around, there is no candidate running on the Democratic party line due to a bizarre snafu during the nominating process.
To help you make sense of it all, here's a last-minute election guide from DNAinfo New York outlining the four candidates running for the seat.
There are three Democrats running on third-party lines:
Geoffrey Davis, the brother of Councilman James E. Davis who was shot at City Hall in 2003, is running on the self-created “Love Yourself” line, named after his anti-violence initiative, Love Yourself Stop the Violence.
Davis was voted in as a district leader in the 43rd this fall, his first elected position. Throughout the race, past allegations of domestic violence have cropped up from his opponents, including in mailers and during a televised debate. Notable endorsements of Davis include Assemblyman Dov Hikind and Movement to Protect the People, the activist group vocal in the debate over rezoning in Crown Heights.
Read more about Davis and his policy positions here.
Shirley Patterson, a longtime district leader in the 43rd, was the presumed Democratic nominee before the party line debacle in March, insiders said. She is now running on the Independence Party line, but is backed by many big-name Brooklyn Democrats, including Borough President Eric Adams, state Sen. Jesse Hamilton and former Borough President Marty Markowitz.
A longtime Crown Heights resident, Patterson has served on the local school board and as a union delegate at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Questions about donations to Patterson’s campaign from developers and real estate figures have caused some controversy in the race.
Read more about Patterson and her policy positions here.
Diana Richardson is running on the Working Families Party line for the assembly seat after trying unsuccessfully for the district leader spot against Patterson this fall. Richardson has worked in the nonprofit world, in constituent affairs for the 21st Senate District and also served as treasurer for Community Board 9, a position she resigned from in recent weeks because it conflicted with her campaign schedule, she told a candidate’s forum in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens last week. Richardson has been endorsed by Comptroller Scott Stringer and several large unions, including 32BJ, 1199 SEIU and TWU Local 100.
Read more about Richardson and her policy positions here.
Right-leaning voters have one choice in the race:
Menachem “Mendy” Raitport is running on the Republican and Conservative Party lines, something he’s done unsuccessfully twice before for state-level seats in the area, but not cracking more than 7 percent of the vote either time. But supporters of the kosher butcher, Shomrim patrol volunteer and father of eight feel good this time around, leading get-out-the-vote events and rallies to take advantage of the vacuum left by a fractured pool of Democratic candidates.
Read more about Raitport and his policy positions here.
Still undecided? Watch the debate between Davis, Richardson and Raitport on New York 1, read The New York Times' coverage of the campaign or, if you're a betting sort, check out the odds on the race from Kings County Politics.
