Manhattan Democratic Party

“My sincere condolences go out to Pam Perkins and the entire family over the loss of one of Harlem’s greats, Bill Perkins,” said County Leader Keith L.T. Wright.

“Throughout his decades of public service, Bill always let you know where he stood and who he was fighting for. Harlem, our city, our state, and our nation are all the more better thanks to the battles that Bill Perkins took on during his time in the New York City Council, the New York State Senate, and as a District Leader in our beloved Village of Harlem. May his acts of justice across our community be celebrated for eternity, and may he forever rest in power.”

“What we are seeing in Tennessee with the Republican-led removal of duly elected, Black Democrat Legislators is clearly racism and a continued assault on our nation’s democracy,” said County Leader Keith L.T. Wright.

“Whether it’s through efforts to overturn an election, fraud, insurrection, or the expulsion of representatives they disagree with, Republicans have shown themselves to be incapable of governing in keeping with the small-d democratic values our country was founded on. As Democrats and Americans, we must stand together to ensure these efforts are defeated every time.”

“While Donald Trump and Republicans run from accountability, dedicated, serious public officials like Manhattan District Attorney Bragg follow the facts and the law wherever it may lead,” said County Leader Keith L.T. Wright.

“As we have now seen, that process has resulted in a grand jury of Trump’s peers moving forward with a formal indictment — the first for a former President of the United States. While it’s unfortunate for the Office of the Presidency that Trump ever sat in the Oval Office, this indictment is a positive sign that even the most powerful among us are not above the rule of law.”

“The lengths that Trump and the Republican Party have gone to undermine our government and our democracy have led to a deep danger in our country — and unfortunately, New York is not immune,” said County Leader Keith L.T. Wright.

“These attacks against Manhattan District Attorney Bragg by the disgraced ex-president are dangerous for our democracy, dangerous towards the fine men and women of the District Attorney’s office, and are a racist and dangerous attack against an amazing man, husband, father, public servant, and son of Harlem. And New York City will not stand for it.”

On behalf of the Manhattan Democratic Party, County Leader Keith L.T. Wright and Judiciary Co-Chairs Curtis Arluck and Louise Dankberg, we sincerely thank the 2023 Civil Court Independent Judicial Screening Panel and its administrator for their diligent work, and we congratulate all the candidates. On the evening of February 1, 2023, the panel reported the following candidates as most highly qualified:

Civil Court
Andrea Krugman
Lauren Esposito
Ralph L. Wolf
Anna Mikhaleva
Mark Shawhan
Matthew Lombardi
George Santana
Brian Krist
Harold Bahr
Denise Dominguez
Yael Wilkofsky
Dana Catanzaro

The New York County Democratic Committee, having previously announced the formation of an Independent Screening Panel to report on the qualifications of candidates seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party for one (1) countywide vacancy and up to three (3) Municipal Court District seats, is proud to announce that the screening panel for Civil Court 2023, administered by Attorney William Pagan, consists of:

Eric Wrubel | American Academy of Matrimonial Law
Levon Golendukhin | Armenian Bar Association
Christopher Leung | Asian American Bar Association of New York
Uel Rheem | Asian Americans for Equality
Sean Kerley | Brehon Law Society
Gianni Tribuzio | Columbian Lawyers Association
Melissa Ryan Reitberg | Jewish Lawyers Guild
Michael Lynch | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association of Greater New York (LeGaL)
Phillip Hamilton | Metropolitan Black Bar Association
Florence Hutner | New York Law School
Vivian Rivera Drohan | New York Women’s Bar Association
Richard Freire | Puerto Rican Bar Association

Tonight, the Executive Committee of the Manhattan Democratic Party voted to designate retiring Judge Carol Edmead as our nominee to the Board of Elections Commissionership.

“Judge Edmead is one of us”, said County Leader Keith L.T. Wright. A former Democratic Club President, Surrogate Court Judge and Supreme Court Justice, her experience — particularly as an election law judge — will serve our County well at the Board of Elections as we continue to strengthen voting rights and ballot access all across New York.

We respect Justice LaSalle’s service to the public, and admire the Governor’s thoughtful approach to this appointment. We understand how, earlier in this process, many of our state’s leaders would find his candidacy compelling. In recent days, a closer examination of Justice LaSalle’s record has caused our party to believe that another jurist would be better suited to lead our state’s highest court. Further, Justice LaSalle brings a prosecutorial background to the bench, of which the Court already has adequate representation. We respectfully request that the Governor withdraw the nomination and put forward a new nominee whose record better shows a commitment to the Governor’s vision for an equitable and just New York.

The New York County Democratic Committee has announced the formation of an Independent Screening Panel to report on the qualifications of candidates seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party for one (1) countywide vacancy and up to three (3) Municipal Court District seats. The heads of numerous bar associations, community organizations and law schools have been invited to nominate members of the panel, which will be directed to report a total of no more than the three (3) most highly qualified candidates for the one countywide vacancy and each of the remaining vacancies.

Candidates for the Court may obtain applications from Mr. Kyle Ishmael, the Executive Director of the New York County Democratic Committee, via email at manhattandems@gmail.com. The deadline for submitting completed applications is January 4, 2023 at 5pm. Questions concerning this year’s panel should be directed to Mr. Ishmael via email.

On Thursday, September 29th, the Manhattan Democratic Party held the 2022 County Committee Organizing Meeting in order to elect County Committee leadership, fill County Committee vacancies, and advance rule changes to strengthen our party and better align us with our progressive values.

“As the County Committee of the Manhattan Democratic Party, you all are the eyes and ears across the borough. You know the issues that are most important to the diverse communities you represent; and, as such, you are closer to the solutions,” said County Leader Keith L.T. Wright. “Our party is stronger for your engagement — and in case no one else does, allow me to Thank You immensely for your service to the Party, our County, and the great State of New York.”

The meeting, which took place at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park, opened with remarks by County Leader Keith L.T. Wright, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, and announcements by District Leaders Kim Moscaritolo and Jennifer Hoppe about ways Democrats across the borough can get engaged in this year’s critical elections.

After a series of nominations and votes, the duly-elected and appointed Members of the County Committee voted to fill hundreds of vacancies across the borough, and elected the following individuals to serve on County Committee leadership:

• Chair of the County Committee | Domenico Minerva
• 1st Vice Chair of the County Committee | Kyle Ishmael
• 2nd Vice Chair of the County Committee | Louise Dankberg
• 3rd Vice Chair of the County Committee | Kelmy Rodriguez
• Secretary of the County Committee | Barry Weinberg
• Treasurer of the County Committee | Charlette Mimiasie
• Vice Treasurer of the County Committee | Sharase DeBouse
• Sergeant-at-Arms of the County Committee | Senator Robert Jackson
• Parliamentarian of the County Committee | Darren Marks

Additionally, in light of the Gender Inclusive Ballot Act recently signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul, the County Committee voted to establish rules that allow for individuals who do not exclusively identify as a binary gender to serve as District Leaders. At a time when Republicans in New York and across the nation are seeking to roll back LGBTQ rights, the Manhattan Democrats are proud to lead the effort to increase rights and protections for all Democrats in Manhattan, and encourage democratic engagement that does not intentionally or effectively disenfranchise any residents. On behalf of County Leader Keith L.T. Wright, Chairman Domenico Minerva, and the entire Manhattan Democratic Party, we are thankful for the hard work of the Rules Committee and the leaders who brought this law and rule-change to fruition:

• Kyle Ishmael | Executive Director, Manhattan Democratic Party
• Chung Seto | Rules Committee Chair, Manhattan Democratic Party
• David Siffert | Legislative Affairs Committee Chair, Village Independent Democrats
• Emilia Decaudin | State Committee Member, 37th Assembly District
• Senator Zellnor Myrie | Senate Bill Sponsor, 20th Senate District
• Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas | Assembly Bill Sponsor, 34th Assembly District
• Paula Diamond Román | Democratic District Leader, 69th Assembly District
• Arthur Schwartz | Democratic District Leader, 66th Assembly District
• John Blasco | Former Democratic District Leader, 74th Assembly District
• Marti Cummings | Political Activist & Advocate
• Zachariah Boyer | Brooklyn, NY
• Carlyn Cowen | Manhattan, NY
• Alana Sivin | Manhattan, NY