Click on “Sample Ballot” on the top to see who is in your ballot. If you live in City Council District 9, we have a tight race. Please come out to vote.
Why vote on June 27? Districts with high turnout rates can get more attention from elected officials. In both 2021 and 2022, Election District #8 is the district with the highest voter turnout rate in East Harlem’s Primary Election. Let’s keep up this record. Last year 267 people in our district voted in the primary election. (by the way, in last year’s general election, 765 people in district 8 voted, we rank #5 in voter turnout in Assembly District 68) Let’s shoot for many more this time! You don’t live in Election District 8? It’s time to catch up!!
Why vote with the block association as a voting bloc? Voting bloc commands more attention from elected officials as they know we are united and we have the ability to hold them accountable. Last 2 years, our civic engagement allows the block association to get things done for you. For example, this year, the Block Association was able to set up a monthly community advisory meeting with Lantern Organization and advocate for Fair Share, Public Safety and Affordable Housing in numerous meetings with elected officials. Follow our endorsement, which is strictly based on survey results from you all. Vote for Inez Dickens #1, Yusef Salaam #2 and Al Taylor #3.
District Leaders
Many of you ask whom to vote for in the rest of the ballot. The block association has no process right now to endorse District Leader. For what’s worth, here are my 2 cents. For Male District Leader, I am voting for William Smith who has actively engaged and empowered our block members. I have not seen Keith Lily engage our block. For Female District Leader, I would vote for Sharase DeBouse instead of Tamika Mapp. For now, I prefer to vote for someone who actually lives in our district, 68 part D. It is not yet clear why someone who don’t live in our district wants to run for a seat here.
Judicial Delegates
As for Judicial delegates, let me just say that my nextdoor neighbor Steve Travis is on the ballot for Alternate Judicial Delegate!!! Steve advocated for our neighborhood for many years and so I urge all of you to come out to vote for Steve. If you don’t’ know the others on the ballot, you can consider voting for the entire group Steve belongs to. For what’s worth, I highlighted a few people I have seen done some good work for Harlem.
Block neighbors, The results are out! Thank you for your votes. 60+% of you have voted for Inez Dickens. It seems the neighbors appreciate Inez’s track record of preserving affordable housing & her willingness to address safety & quality of life issues in Harlem.
So, the Harlem East Block Association is pleased to endorse Assembly Member Inez Dickens as the City Council Member for District 9 in Harlem. We recommend rank choice voting in this order #1 Inez Dickens #2 Yusef Salaam and #3 Al Taylor.
We invite all of you to vote as we recommended because when we vote together in large numbers, we will get the attention of these busy officials.
Assembly Member Inez E. Dickens will be hosting the second annual Senior’s Night Out. Please see the flier below. This is the second time that this office has hosted this event in the last year and from the results of the last event, We’ve receive an overflow of calls, letters and various communications from our senior residents, senior programs and senior advocates to our office to host this again.
Feel free to reach out at our office at (212) 866-5809 with any questions.
We welcome all of our seniors in our district and vicinity– Looking forward to providing the seniors a chance to partayyy!!
“You [Inez Dickens] know the community so well. You’re going to bring the experience of Albany, the experience of being a council person, just a whisper away from being a speaker.”
Can you guys believe that it is Mid-June already? Time moves so fast! Before I get into the Council Meeting stuff – let me first say Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads. I hope you spend your weekend doing something just for you. Let me also say – thank you to all that attended and/or participated in the Gun Violence Awareness event. It was a day for us to come together and stand against the public health epidemic that continues to negatively impact our community. Together we can end gun violence!!!!!!
We are gearing up for our last meeting of the season. As a reminder, we do not meet in July or August – unless there is an absolute need to come together. After speaking with a few community members – it was suggested that we develop some ad hoc committees with the purpose of continuing the work during the summer months. We can discuss this next week.
We hope that you will all join us for National Night Out on Tuesday, August 1st. Location will be announced later. We will also discuss this during our last meeting.
We look forward to seeing you there. OHHHH – there may be a special guest. Stay tuned!
Two Candidates Team Up To Try To Push Out Inez Dickens
The City reports that the two male candidates in the race for Harlem’s City Council seat have teamed-up in a push to elbow out Assembly Woman Inez Dickens.
Gothamist is reporting on the money behind the candidates. As it stands now, Inez Dickens has the largest remaining number of campaign dollars.
Yusef Salaam who returned to Harlem from Atlanta to run for office, is mostly funded by outside money. Less than 16% of Salaam’s donors come from Harlem (the 9th City Council District) according to the campaign finance board’s analysis.
Forty-one percent of Taylor’s donors live in the district, whereas Dickens had 48 percent of her donors are Harlem residents.
(1) Early Voting – BEGINS THIS WEEKEND When: Saturday, June 17th – Sunday, June 25th Where: NYC poll site finder or NYS poll site finder (2) Absentee Ballot (mail in your vote) When: June 12, 2023 is the last day to postmark, apply online, email, or fax an application for an absentee ballot. June 27, 2023 Last day to postmark an absentee ballot. It must be received no later than July 4. Where:Request Absentee Ballot here
ONLY VOTERS REGISTERED WITH A PARTY MAY VOTE TO NOMINATE THAT PARTY’S CANDIDATE IN A PRIMARY ELECTION Are you registered toVOTE? TO VOTE IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION YOU MUST REGISTER TO VOTE NO LATER THAN JUNE 17, 2023 Register to VOTE
The empty and imposing building on Central Park North that began its existence in 1914 as a branch of the Young Women’s Hebrew Association (YWHA) (and housed recently immigrated Jewish women in need of assistance), was sold in 1942 to the U.S. Army and briefly used as a rest-and-relaxation center for local soldiers. After the war it was a school and a child development center. In 1976 it became a NY State prison.
Looking north from Central Park sidewalk across 110th Street at New York State facility.
Now Mayor Adams has just received permission from the governor to use this building as a shelter. Below is the statement by Inez E. Dickens on the plans to repurpose Lincoln Correctional Facility:
“Harlem is sick and tired of being sick and tired. Neighborhoods south of 96th Street must also share the responsibility of taking in the tired, poor and hungry. For years, taxpaying Harlemites have fled to other states because of a continued lack of affordability. We are currently oversaturated with pop up shelters, illegal cannabis shops and drug treatment facilities, and reassurances that these accommodations are temporary ring hollow. Already on that proposed block is a shelter and there are multiple social service facilities within a five-block radius. If the state chooses to overburden Harlem with these programs, then Harlem deserves an influx of funding and services for our residents that are bearing the brunt of the impact.
“We respect the long journey asylum-seekers have made, but for far too long our neighborhood has been seen as a dumping ground for the city’s sheltering issues. As New Yorkers, we must all exercise the words at the feet of the Statue of Liberty in deeds and actions.”
Harlem’s Council Member Jordan has decided to not run for reelection. Jordan’s name will remain on the ballot, and she will continue to serve out the rest of her term.
Jordan’s decision leaves Inez Dickens, Al Taylor, and Yusef Salaam in the race.
Harlem resident and activist, Syderia Asberry-Chresfield, said that The Greater Harlem Coalition — which has spoken out about the placement of supervised injection sites in the neighborhood — often found it difficult to work with the outgoing councilmember.
“We found it challenging to work with a politician who repeatedly viewed issues and concerns through a lens of ideology, rather than through the needs and wishes of constituents,” Asberry-Chresfield wrote in an email to THE CITY.
“Harlem wants a pragmatic and effective Council member. We’ve had two years of ideology, let’s aim for two years of results.”
Harlem’s Council Member – Adriano Espaillat – endorsed Inez Dickens – the latest Harlem establishment figure to support Dickens in her bid for City Council on June 27th.
Espaillat stated that: “Inez is who we need… City Council needs her leadership, experience and passion.”
Inez Dickens is seeking to reclaim her seat on City Council (District 9). Dickens noted that:
“We have very serious issues in the district that require more than aspirational speeches.”
“With the support of my colleagues, the esteemed former Congressman Charles Rangel and Congressman Adriano Espaillat, as well as my neighborhood and constituents, I feel confident that better days are ahead for us.”
Remember, election day is June 27th!
Eater is Back With “Where To Eat In Harlem”
Take a look at Eater’s list of great places to eat in Harlem:
Assemblymember Inez Dickens, who is running to replace Councilmember Jordan, will be on a Zoom meeting with HNBA and the Harlem East Block Association tonight at 7:00 PM.
This is a fantastic opportunity to hear from Inez and to ask her questions about how she intends to work for a cleaner, safer, and more affordable Harlem as our next councilmember.
Here is the link to join Thursday’s conversation with Inez Dickens:
Assemblymember Inez Dickens, who is running to replace Councilmember Jordan, will be on a Zoom meeting with HNBA and the Harlem East Block Association, on Thursday, April 13th, at 7:00 PM.
This is a fantastic opportunity to hear from Inez and to ask her questions about how she intends to work for a cleaner, safer, and more affordable Harlem as our next councilmember.
Here is the link to join Thursday’s conversation with Inez Dickens:
