The New York City Board of Elections’ second report shows District 34 Council Member Antonio Reynoso is likely to win the primary for Brooklyn borough president.
After the release of initial primary results was delayed due to an error, the second report of preliminary ranked-choice voting results came out on schedule. Unlike the initial report, this one includes processed absentee ballots.
On Twitter, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon conceded the election. The runner-up ran on a platform including affordable housing, climate justice and quality education for all.
Absentee ballots have been counted and it is clear that @ReynosoBrooklyn will be the next Brooklyn BP. Congratulations to you Antonio on your victory and a great campaign. I look forward to working with you to recover and build a post-COVID Brooklyn for everyone.
— Jo Anne Simon 🌈 文雅麗 (@JoAnneSimonBK52) July 6, 2021
Reynoso ran as he reached his term limit after two consecutive four-year terms as Council Member for District 34, which includes parts of Bushwick, East Williamsburg and Ridgewood. His platform included police reform, advocacy for immigrants, affordable housing, and passing universal single-payer healthcare for New York State.
He said in a speech at the North Brooklyn Pride Month Closing Celebration hosted by District Leader Samy Nemir-Olivares on June 29:
“We have pockets of poverty in North Brooklyn that a lot of people don’t talk about. They talk about the gentrification. They talk about the new building. They don’t know about what’s happening in Hope Gardens or what’s happening at Bushwick Houses. What we need to do is make sure those pockets of poverty are represented.”
Once elected, Reynoso will have access to the five percent of the city’s capital budget that is allocated for all borough presidents to divide amongst themselves.
He will also have some influence on development, as he will be charged with writing advisory opinions for Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) regulations, which set out a project-by-project process for approving new developments.
Top image via Antonio Reynoso’s Facebook page.
For more news, sign up for Bushwick Daily’s newsletter.
Join the fight to save local journalism by becoming a paid subscriber.
