The faceoff between Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and the New Kings Dems, a primarily white-led reform group, has drawn closer as their legal back and forth has gained the attention of onlookers wondering about the future of the party in the borough.
This comes as the party’s committee organizational meeting which announced that a vote on who the new party boss would be, among other things is coming Sept. 29, according to City & State NY.
Bichotte Hermelyn, the first Black and Haitian woman to hold the position of party chair, proposed new rules that would allow newly elected officers and representatives from every district to have full voting rights. It was voted through by the executive committee on August 25, which was vehemently opposed by the reformer group.
By Sept. 2, the feuding factions had taken the matter to court. The lawsuit was brought by District Leaders Julio Peña III and Akel Williams and County Committee members Jillian Cara Goger and Jonny Sagan, represented by fellow District Leader and election attorney Mark Hanna of Khalifeh & Strupinsky, PC; Howard Graubard, Esq.; and Manhattan District Leader Paul D. Newell, Esq.
New York State Supreme Court Judge Jill Epstein found on Sept. 14, that outgoing district leaders who either lost in the June primary or decided not to run for reelection had “no authority” to vote on proposed party rule changes at the closed-door August meeting.
“This ruling could not be clearer: the party chair must respect the election result,” said Tony Melone, president of NKD in a statement.
The New Kings declared an early “victory” but Bichotte Hermelyn and the party immediately appealed the judge’s decision, maintaining that the expanded number of people able to vote on party leadership were lawful.
“The court’s decision disregards the clear intent of the Party Rules and decades of practice recognizing the Executive Committee’s authority to adopt rules and reforms necessary to prepare for an incoming County Committee. It misinterprets those rules and disrupts the established practice that ensures stability during transitions,” the Kings County Democratic Executive Committee said in a joint statement.
On Sept. 15, the Appellate Division “stayed and suspended, pending argument, the lower court ruling” issued by Epstein. This essentially restored the rule changes until the next hearing, and allowed them to be in place for the upcoming organizational meeting.
Additionally, the Appellate Division declined twice to sign a proposed order brought on by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Congressional nominee Brad Lander, and County Committee Member George Albro, a group of electeds that have attempted to intervene in Brooklyn Dems feuding.
Anthony Beckford, Rules Committee chair who is the outgoing district leader for the 43rd Assembly District, said in a statement that the rule amendments are an opportunity for more “inclusion” in the party as opposed to a small controlling faction like the NKD. He added in a separate Facebook post that there has been blatant racist attacks against Black and Latino judges and consultants. “The white liberal is the fox in the hen house who pretends to be your friend as they’re stabbing you in your back and plotting the destruction of you, of your community, and of your future, ”said Beckford, referring to a famous quote from Malcolm X. –
————————-
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.
