Here Are 5 Key City Council Races to Watch in the N.Y.C. Primary

New York Times

a day ago

The mayoral race is getting most of the attention, but on Primary Day, there are battles in many of New York City's 51 City Council districts. Most — but not all — are Democratic candidates squaring off against one another.
Some of these contests feature crowded fields. A number of them have attracted outside moneyed interests. And there are some recognizable figures hoping to make comebacks or chart a new path forward.
With just hours to go before the polls close, here is a look at some of the most noteworthy among the 32 primary contests for Council seats.
Since becoming the first Muslim woman elected to the Council in 2021, Shahana Hanif, 34, has focused intently on issues including housing. She has also been an unsparing critic of the Israeli government, attending pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University and getting arrested at a Bryant Park protest weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
Her focus on the war frustrated some constituents and was part of the reason Maya Kornberg, 33, a senior research fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, challenged her. In a television interview, Ms. Kornberg, who supports a cease-fire in Gaza, blasted Ms. Hanif's 'disproportionate focus on that issue and taking public divisive stances on that issue, instead of focusing on the local issues.'
Ms. Hanif, who grew up in Kensington, has pushed back, saying she is laser-focused on issues affecting the district, citing as an example her work to rezone the site of the Arrow Linen & Uniform Supply Company in Windsor Terrace for housing. She has bashed Ms. Kornberg for donations she has received from super PACs backed by Uber and companies associated with Madison Square Garden, which have contributed $400,000 to attack Ms. Hanif and back Ms. Kornberg.
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