Council race gets odd
Dem hopeful hits foes on party loyalty; they cry ‘nonsense’
The race for a newly-drawn City Council district in southern Brooklyn has taken a chaotic turn as one of the Democratic candidates is accusing her two primary opponents of quietly seeking the Republican nomination in addition to their party’s ballot line.
However, in a head-scratching twist, the two accused political party double-dippers told the Daily News on Friday that the accusations are baseless.
The confusing turn of events is playing out in the 43rd Council District, which is currently represented by Democrat Justin Brannan. Last year’s redrawing of the Council map pushed Brannan out of his current district, prompting him to announce he’s running for the neighboring 47th.
That has left the 43rd seat vacant, and three candidates — Wai Yee Chan, Susan Zhuang and Stanley Ng — are vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination to represent the district, which covers parts of Sunset Park, Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst.
Chan, the executive director of a local social service provider, claims her opponents are playing a different game than her, though.
Speaking to The News on Friday morning, Chan said she has it heard it through the political grapevine that Zhuang and Ng are in talks with local Republican operatives about securing the Brooklyn GOP’s nod for the 43rd race, in addition to the Democratic one. She wrote an email to the two opposing the move.
“If you choose to run on the Republican line, you will embolden our local Republican Party, and threaten the progress our city has made on critical issues including climate change resiliency, affordable housing, equity in education, and a woman’s right to choose,” Chan wrote in a Thursday email to Zhuang and Ng that she shared with The News.
Chan asked her opponents to pledge they won’t run on the Republican line in the general election or accept the Brooklyn GOP’s backing in any form.
But Zhuang and Ng both said Chan’s accusations are false.
“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” said Zhuang, who’s a top aide to Brooklyn
Assemblyman Bill Colton. “She’s creating this nonsense.”
Still, Zhuang was not willing to commit to not run as a Republican under any circumstance. “I don’t think that’s a good idea to allow her to tell me what to do,” she said of Chan.
Ng, a local community advocate, also pushed back against Chan’s claim, saying he has no plans to run as a Republican and considers himself a “life-long Democrat.”
Ng would not make the commitment requested by Chan, though. He also acknowledged he’s been in touch with some local Republicans lately.
“I do have friends who are both Democrat and Republican ... I have talked to people who are Republican, but nothing about running,” he said.
There are no announced Republican candidates for the 43rd District.
However, Brooklyn Republican Party Chairman Ted Ghorra said he expects there to be at least one GOP candidate announcement soon. He declined to name any potential candidates.
Ghorra said he hasn’t spoken with either Zhuang or Ng about the 43rd District race.
“No Democrat in this Council district
or a Democratic candidate for the 43rd District have reached out to me directly or to anyone on my screening committee that I am aware of to date,” he said. “I highly doubt that we’d be willing to give the line to anyone but our ultimate Republican nominee.”
This year’s Council primaries are set for June. The general election is in November.
The new 43rd District encompasses most of southern Brooklyn’s predominantly Asian-American communities.
The beef between Chan, Zhuang and Ng comes on the heels of the Republican Party making major inroads in southern Brooklyn in recent election cycles.
Republicans flipped two Democratic seats in the area in November’s state legislative elections, including the 49th Assembly District, where the GOP’s Lester Chang ousted 36-year incumbent Democrat Peter Abbate to represent parts of Borough Park, Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst.
Chang’s win was boosted by larger-than-expected turnout from the area’s Asian-American voters, who also came out in strong numbers for ultimately unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin.