Off Year Election Day Provides Little Surprise
Very few surprises came out of Tuesday’s statewide elections as many of the anticipated results came to pass. In New York City, the Democratic candidate won every contested race, most notably Democrat Jumanne Williams soundly defeated GOP Challenger Joe Borelli in the race for New York City Public Advocate. After a close primary election earlier this year, former Queens Borough President Melinda Katz found victory much easier to come by as she cruised to a win for Queens County District Attorney over former NYPD officer Joe Murray.
Elsewhere in the state, a few state legislative positions will need to be filled as a number of incumbent state legislators won races for new positions. Republican Assemblyman Andrew Raia won his race to be Huntington’s next town clerk. The office has been occupied by his mother since 1981. His Suffolk County district certainly leans Republican, but has the potential to be competitive in an open race. In Queens, Assemblywoman Michele Titus was easily elected to the Civil Court. Her seat will almost assuredly remain in the Democratic Party. Republican state Sen. Bob Antonacci meanwhile has won an election for a judgeship in Central New York, and will also be vacating his seat come the New Year. All three of these seats will need to be filled in a special election, the date of which will be up to the Governor to decide.
The State Senate did elect one new member on Tuesday when Republican George Borrello, the Chautauqua County Executive, won an election for the open seat that was vacated by Republican Cathy Young earlier this year. Borrello defeated 22-year-old Democratic challenger, Austin Morgan, by a healthy margin to ensure that the seat will remain in Republican hands.
City Council to Introduce Commercial Rent Stabilization Legislation
Brooklyn City Council Member, Stephen Levin, is expected to introduce a new proposal next week that would provide commercial rent control protections to try and find a solution to the many vacated storefronts around New York City. At this point, a draft of the legislation is not available, but broadly, this proposal would impose limits on the increases in commercial rent that landlords can charge.
The proposal comes at a time when an existing legislation that looks at lease renewals and negotiations, the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA), has largely stalled. It will be interesting to see how a commercial rent control proposal is received by City Council and how far this legislation goes in addressing the problems many tenants face. We will be sure to update you as the details of the proposal become public.
