Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the queen of Kings County, is under siege. Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer. Photo: Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, wrote Shakespeare. Not in Brooklyn.
Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the first woman ever to lead the Kings County Democratic organization, comes across as fully at ease, comfortable in the eye of the storm, unapologetic about holding and using power, and eager to duke it out with the growing group of reformers trying to topple her.
All these people who just want to spend their time and days fighting on things thats really not going to help the party minuscule stuff just because they want power thats their agenda, but thats not my agenda, Hermelyn told me the day after several Brooklyn party officials called a press conference at Borough Hall to demand that she step down.I was raised in real struggle [by] an immigrant Black woman, and right now Im fighting for the lives of my people in my community, to have access to health care, to make sure that Roe v. Wade is not overturned.
That bigger picture the desire to elect Democrats and rally voters to fight for womens rights, voting rights, immigrant rights is something both sides of the partys civil war claim they want.But the Brooklyn Democratic Partyorganization, universally referred to as County, cant effectively deal with big issues until the faction fight gets resolved.As the civil war escalates, the two sides have generated threats, insults, sly insider moves, lawsuits, and rival slates of candidates.
We are the largest county of Democratic voters in this country. We should be setting an example. We should be a model for how we want democracy to look like within the Democratic Party, Borough President Antonio Reynoso said at the press conference. We should not be wasting our time in front of Borough Hall to talk about nonsense performed by the party, versus fighting it to ensure that Roe v. Wade is codified.
Hermelyns reign as County boss began with calls for transparency and openness that she made some efforts to implement. That didnt satisfy the reformers. It seems like they cant take yes for an answer, Hermelyn told me.They ask all these things and Im about progressivism, Im about reforming, because I believe in those things as well, and we will provide them.
In 2020, at a marathon 13-hour meeting, rules were put in place that shifted power away from the County chair and put more in the hands of the 5,000-member County Committee, a body that seldom meets and has mostly unfilled positions. When the meetingcontinuedfor another 13 hours the next week, aparliamentarian newly hired by County ruled that the change was invalid, enraging the reformers.
The latest round of complaints are coming from some of the organizations 42 district leaders the two unpaid party officials elected from each of Brooklyns 21 Assembly districts that their already meager power is being whittled away by Hermelyn.
By long-established tradition, district leaders recruit the election inspectors who manage polling sites on Election Day.Although anybody can apply, recruits sent to the Board of Elections by the district leader typically get first dibs on the positions. The local folks who get the jobs which mostly involve checking your registration, handing you a ballot and an I Voted sticker, and helping you navigate the lines on Election Day get paid $250 per Election Day plus $100 for a day of training.In a year like 2020 or 2022, when there are multiple primaries, plus early voting and the general election itself, the gig can easily pay $500 or more for a few days of not terribly difficult work.
Its a small but meaningful piece of neighborhood patronage that district leaders covet. Hermelyn set off a firestorm by appointing special party liaisons to the Board of Elections in selected districts. These handpicked representatives of County were given the power to bypass the district leaders and give their own list of election inspector candidates to the Board of Elections. In at least two cases, Hermelyns handpicked liaisons are also candidates running for district leader against incumbents who are on the outs with her.
We found that there was a targeted list a blacklist with actually red lines of district leaders who are not sufficiently obeisant to the county leader. And those people now have been stripped of the ability to make recommendations to the Board of Elections for poll workers, said Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, who once served as a district leader for more than a decade. Now, having worked with poll workers, I know when youve got a site with a good coordinator and a good team of poll workers, it makes everything so much better.
Simon acknowledges that, according to party rules, Hermelyn has the right to name her own liaisons to the Board of Elections. The complaint isnt that shes broken any formal rules, but that the leader is unfairly punishing her foes within the party.
We have a party boss who thinks that she can come in and take away the responsibility of these duly elected party officials and give them to people who are her loyalists and cronies. This is just a disgusting display of cronyism and patronage, said Diana Gonzalez, president of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, a progressive pro-reform club. Heres what we need to do: We need to vote her out. The way we vote her out is by electing district leaders who will stand up against this.
The New Kings Democrats have organized an audacious effort to do just that. They are running 20 district leaders in an attempt to win control of County and oust Hermelyn. NKD has also recruited hundreds of volunteers a campaign called Rep Your Block to run for the partys mostly unfilled 5,000 County Committee slots.The obscure positions, which make the winner the official party representative for a few blocks of turf, hold no real power but are an excellent way to build a grassroots army. The effort has garnered media attention due to alleged irregularities in the legal papers filed by County lawyers.
You have the Brooklyn Democratic Party leadership going out of their way to arrange [legal] objections for County Committee seats and on top of that, some of the ones that they submitted are forgeries, Ali Najmi, a lawyer for the New Kings effort, told me. I think theres a lot of excitement in Brooklyn. Theres a lot of positive organizing and energy coming from the younger reform movement in Brooklyn. And not only are they running a skilled organization, like Rep Your Block and New Kings Democrats, but were in court and were winning, and were not afraid to take it there.
If all of this sounds depressingly petty and overblown a political firestorm over control of $500 patronage gigs its not. The county organization controls nominations to civil and Supreme Court judgeships, which are substantial and powerful positions, held by jurists who serve 10- and 14-year terms and handle a broad range of criminal, commercial, and family court cases.
So Hermelyn, like the male bosses before her, has every reason to take an insurrection among district leaders seriously. In theory, they could unseat her, but there have always been local leaders on the outs with the central party, and Hermelyn says shes ready to take on this years crop.
Im in law school. While theyre going crazy, Im taking four classes, so I can be in the courtroom and make an impact on constitutional law, she told me. Thats one of the things as a Haitian person Ive learned, and as a revolutionist, as a warrior: You have to keep shit moving.
And like the men who ruled County for decades before her, Hermelyn comes to the fight with the attitude once voiced by the late Meade Esposito, the cigar-chomping County leader who famously said that todays reformer is tomorrows hack.
There is a gross hypocrisy, Hermelyn added, claiming that several of her accusers have irregularities on their own nominating petitions. This is not about rules, its about wanting power and I believe in order for you to gain power, youve got to win at the ballot box. We have an election [for district leaders] coming up June 28, and thats where you win.
This post has been updated. An earlier version mistakenly omitted the fact that the rule change made in the first part of a 26-hour County party meeting in late 2020 was later undone in the second part of the meeting a week later.
Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us.
Visit link:
Why the Brooklyn Democratic Party Is at War With Itself - New York Magazine
- Democrat introduces Alito censure resolution over upside-down flag - The Hill - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Democrat ruled 'out of order' after listing off Trump's legal woes on the House floor - NBC News - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- A Democrat listed Trump's trials on the House floor. His words were struck from the record. - The Washington Post - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- U.S. House Approves Crypto FIT21 Bill With Wave of Democratic Support - CoinDesk - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Names and faces - Arkansas Online - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Democrat Punished On House Floor For Accurately Saying Trump Is On Trial - HuffPost - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Democrats See Wins in Losing Votes - The New York Times - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Why is Trump rallying in the heavily Democratic Bronx? - Spectrum News NY1 - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Democrats propose ban on officials receiving payments from foreign governments after Trump probe - The Associated Press - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Senate Democrats will force Republicans to vote on federal contraception protections - NBC News - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Democrats refer 'big oil' investigation to Justice Department - Roll Call - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Senate Democrats revive bipartisan border security bill as GOP vows to block it again - NBC News - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Bynum's primary win boosts Democrats' chances to flip Oregon seat - Roll Call - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Trump targets Democratic stronghold with Bronx rally to woo minority voters - KEYE TV CBS Austin - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Detroit could be without Black representation in Congress again with top candidate off the ballot - The Associated Press - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Orangeburg County: Three Democrats running for coroner - The Times and Democrat - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- The Path to a Democratic Majority Rests In the Hands of AAPI Voters - Newsweek - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Biden and Democrats raised $51 million in April, far less than Trump and the GOP's $76 million - The Associated Press - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Ohio Democrats still trying to get Biden on ballot - 10TV - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Trump trial judge rebuked for donations to Democrat-aligned groups in 2020 - The Guardian US - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- UA track teams treating first round like finals | Arkansas Democrat Gazette - Arkansas Online - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- DEBRIEF: Democratic National Convention in Chicago this August - WBAY - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Some Democrats campaigning for Senate want to suspend the filibuster to pass abortion bills - The Associated Press - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Election results Georgia: Democratic, Republican primary wins - USA TODAY - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Israel to return seized camera, hardware to AP | Arkansas Democrat Gazette - Arkansas Online - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Sen. Chris Murphy urges Democrats to follow Tom Suozzi and go on the offensive on the border - NBC News - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- New Mexico's Democrat-led House rejects proposal for paid family and medical leave - The Seattle Times - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Democrats see 2024 blueprint in N.Y. election that centered on immigration - The Washington Post - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Democrats cheer New York win as good omen for November. But is it enough to calm anxiety over Biden? - The Associated Press - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Leaning Into Migrant Woes, Suozzi Paves Election-Year Path for Democrats - The New York Times - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- New York Special Election Live Results: Tom Suozzi Wins George Santos's Seat - The New York Times - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Democrats win another special election, and 4 more takeaways from New York's House race - ABC News - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- NY Special Election Winner Tom Suozzi to Fill Santos Seat - Bloomberg - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Democrat Suozzi wins special election to replace Santos in New York - NPR - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- New House lines in New York would boost 2 Democrats and a Republican - POLITICO - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Democrats win back George Santos seat in hotly contested election - POLITICO - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Democrats and Republicans hold Black History Month celebrations with an eye on November's election - The Associated Press - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- NY-03 Special: Four Takeaways from Suozzi and Democrats' Decisive Win - The Cook Political Report - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- New York special election results: The Democrats flipped George Santos' old seat. But here's the real story. - Slate - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- West Virginia bill defining gender is transphobic and 'political rubbish,' Democrats say - The Associated Press - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Biden isn't leaving the 2024 race, but how would Democrats pick a nominee if he did? - ABC News - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Proposed TikTok ban dies in Virginias Democratic-controlled House - The Hill - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Opinion | Tom Suozzi Makes the Democrats Look Good for a New York Minute - The New York Times - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Tom Suozzi buoyed by higher Democratic turnout, decline in GOP voting - Newsday - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- We asked young Black voters about Biden and the Democrats. Here's what we learned - NPR - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- New York Special Election: Tom Suozzi Wins House Seat Vacated by George Santos - The New York Times - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Democrat Tom Suozzi to replace republican George Santos in U.S. House of Representatives - 13newsnow.com WVEC - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Who is Tom Suozzi, Democrat in New York's special election - The Washington Post - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Democrat Tom Suozzi wins special election to fill George Santos's House seat. Here's why it matters beyond New York. - Yahoo News - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Democrat Wins Special Election for George Santos' House Seat Mother Jones - Mother Jones - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Not an Ordinary Special Election, and Yet a Typical Result - The New York Times - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Trump slams Democrat Nikki Haley on home turf ahead of South Carolina primary: Shes finished - Washington Examiner - February 14th, 2024 [February 14th, 2024]
- Senate Democrat calls GOP hostage-taking in debt ceiling deal making dangerous: This cannot be the norm - The Hill - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Scoop: Dems told to say debt ceiling bill rejects GOP's "extreme demands" - Axios - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Debt Ceiling Is First Big Test for Hakeem Jeffries, the Top House Democrat - The New York Times - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Does the debt deal have enough GOP support? This Democratic senator says he's worried. - POLITICO - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Delbert the Democrat and his friends in the liberal media - leader-call.com - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Why I believe RFK Jr. will be the 2024 Democratic nominee - The Hill - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Republican blitz on LGBTQ issues exposes fractures among Texas ... - The Texas Tribune - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Texas Passes Bills Targeting Elections in Democratic Stronghold - The New York Times - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- The Rise of Religious 'Nones' Won't Save Democrats - New York Magazine - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Democrats trade insults over bill at committee meeting - Spectrum News NY1 - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Kentucky Democrat Who Lost Bid to Unseat McConnell Fined $10K ... - Heritage.org - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Mississippi Democrats improperly excluded candidate for governor ... - The Associated Press - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Asian voters in the U.S. tend to be Democratic, but Vietnamese ... - Pew Research Center - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Gilbert, Mesa lawmakers unimpressed with Democrat's reason for ... - Daily Independent - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Former Republican and Democratic Governors from Alabama ... - Death Penalty Information Center - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- 3 Tennessee Democrats face removal from office in Thursday vote after gun control protest on state House floor - CNN - April 6th, 2023 [April 6th, 2023]
- Democrat or Republican: The Official Differences | Merriam-Webster - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- Truck driver who upset top N.J. Democrat in 2021 faces GOP primary challenge in big election year - NJ.com - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- A top Democrats radical plan to deal with Trumps worst judge and protect abortion rights - Vox.com - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- About the Democratic Party - Democrats - February 7th, 2023 [February 7th, 2023]
- Democratic Party (United States) - Simple English Wikipedia, the free ... - February 2nd, 2023 [February 2nd, 2023]
- Democrat NYC Mayor Adams calls on federal government to play more proactive role to secure border - Fox News - January 17th, 2023 [January 17th, 2023]
- Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin announces he has 'serious but curable form of cancer' - CNN - December 28th, 2022 [December 28th, 2022]
- Sen. Sinema's switch to Independent will not impact Democrats' control of the chamber, representatives say - CNBC - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- 'People are fed up': As NC Democrats reflect on election missteps, a party shake-up is underway - WRAL News - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- What is a Democrat? (with pictures) - Historical Index - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- This is the late message some Democrats believe could make a difference in close elections - CNN - November 1st, 2022 [November 1st, 2022]
- Dylan Roberts in his words: The Democrat running for a seat in Senate District 8 promises to focus on living affordability, the environment and rural... - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]