Manhattan Democratic Party

On Monday, August 10th, the newly-elected Democratic Judicial Delegates of the 1st Judicial District met during what was the New York County Democratic Committee’s very first virtual judicial convention.

Over 350 Democrats and guests joined virtually in an act of transparent democracy as the Manhattan Democratic Party sought to ensure high participation despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

A large, diverse group of highly-qualified candidates were nominated by our diverse Manhattan electorate. After all voices were heard, the following candidates were selected as the 2020 Democratic Nominees for the 1st Judicial District election on November 3rd:

Hon. Carol Sharpe
Hon. Ta-Tanisha James
Hon. Melissa Crane
Hon. David Cohen

On July 28, 2020, the Supreme Court Independent Screening Panel concluded its deliberations and reported out as most highly qualified the following candidates:

Hon. Suzanne Adams
Hon. Judy Kim
Hon. Lyle Frank
Hon. Josh Hanshaft

The screening panel, administered by Josh Silber and consisting of Christopher Carfora (Brehon Law Society), Michael Weiner (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association of Greater New York), Lola Omoyosi (Mobilization for Justice, Inc.), Morgan Fraser Mouchette (New York Women’s Bar Association), Souren Israelyan (Armenian Bar Association), Joseph Fan (Asian Americans for Equality), Ira Pollack (Jewish Lawyers Guild), Tracey Salmon-Smith (Women’s City Club/Women Creating Change), Stephane Howze (Fortune Society), Christine Vetter (Columbian Lawyers Association), Leneer Hutchison (Association of Black Women Attorneys), George N. Zapantis (Hellenic Lawyers Association), Christina Nguyen (Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York), Monsurat Adebanjo (Mid-Manhattan Branch of the NAACP), Brian Brown (New York State Trial Lawyers Association), Max Levine (Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, Inc.), Karlyne Fequiere (Metropolitan Black Bar Association), Lenore Kramer (Women’s Trial Lawyers Caucus), extensively reviewed the background and experience of a number of applicants and determined these well-deserved candidates would be most qualified to vie for at least three (3) open positions on the Supreme Court, to be filled at the general election set for November 3, 2020.

On behalf of the Manhattan Democratic Party, County Leader Keith L.T. Wright and Judiciary Co-Chairs Curtis Arluck & Louise Dankberg, and interim co-chair Sylvia DiPietro, we sincerely thank the panel and its administrator for their diligent work; and we congratulate tonight’s applicants who join the following candidates reported out of previous panels:

Hon. Carol Sharpe
Hon. Tatanisha James
Hon. Gerald Lebovits
Hon. Paul Goetz
Hon. Melissa Crane
Hon. Lisa Sokoloff
Hon. Machelle Sweeting
Hon. David Cohen
Hon. Dakota Ramseur
Hon. Sabrina Kraus
Hon. Louis Nock
Hon. JJ Kelley
Hon. Cori Weston
Hon. Margaret Chan
Hon. Althea Drysdale

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 three (3) vacancies on the New York State Supreme Court to be elected in the November 2020 general election. 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 nine (9) most highly qualified candidates for the three vacancies.

Candidates for the Court may obtain applications from Kyle H. Ishmael, Esq., executive director for the New York County Democratic Committee, via email at manhattandems@gmail.com. The deadline for submitting completed applications is Friday, June 19, 2020, 5 P.M.

As we all act to readjust our everyday lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital that we recognize that the lives and well-being of all are paramount. This includes the government employees tasked with ensuring free and fair elections in our modern democracy.

While elections are an essential part of society—especially in an important election year—we must be thoughtful about how we exercise democracy while protecting human life.

As stated by Keith L.T. Wright, County Leader of the Manhattan Democratic Party, “it’s time to shut down the Board of Elections offices, as a matter of public safety. People are dying. We need to end petition challenges now and let the hardworking staff at the Board of Elections focus on preparing for the June primary safely.”

The Manhattan Democratic Party calls on New York State—either through legislative action or executive order of the governor—to end all petition challenges for the 2020 election cycle; and ensure that government employees are fully protected against this virus and only called upon to provide truly essential services in preparation for our upcoming elections in June and November.

On the evening of February 11, 2020, the Independent Judicial Screening Panel for Civil Court reported the following candidates as most highly qualified: David Cohen, Michael Katz, Leticia Ramirez, Carol Ruth Feinman, Seth Steed, Eric Schumacher, and John Wang. On behalf of the Manhattan Democratic Party, County Leader Keith L.T. Wright and Judiciary Co-Chairs Curtis Arluck and Louise Dankberg sincerely thank the panel and its administrator for their diligent work–and we congratulate the candidates.

January 22, 2020

The New York County Democratic Committee has announced the formation of an Independent Screening Panel to report on candidates for the nomination of the Democratic Party for New York County Civil Court and/or 1st Municipal Civil Court District vacancies, which will be voted on in the November general election. 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 no more than three of the most highly qualified candidates for any vacancies.

Interested 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 beginning immediately. The deadline for submitting completed applications via email is January 29th at 5:00PM. Questions concerning this year’s panel should be directed to Mr. Ishmael via email or the New York County Democratic Committee office at (212) 687-6540.

The panel designees and their designating organizations are as follows:
Armenian Bar Association | Taline Sahakian
Columbian Lawyers Association | Ralph Cosentino
Haitian American Lawyers Association of New York | Steve Fils-Aime
Jewish Lawyers Guild | Eric Buckvar
Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York | Richard In
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association of Greater New York (LeGaL) | K. Scott Kohanowski
Mid Manhattan Branch of the NAACP | Charles Johnson
New York State Trial Lawyers Association | Fred Schulman
Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation | Laura Steven
Women’s Trial Lawyers Caucus | Victoria Wickman
Asian American Bar Association of New York | Eric Lee
Metropolitan Black Bar Association | Lance Clark
Asian Americans for Equality | Siuling Pun

NEW YORK, NY (October 8, 2019) – On Thursday, October 3, 2019, upwards of 1,000 Manhattan Democrats gathered at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park for the County Committee Organizing Meeting. This meeting—statutorily required to occur once every two years—provides the opportunity for the elected New York County Democratic Committee members to gather in order to elect their internal leadership and set the Party on its course for the next two years.

As many have noted, this year’s meeting was the first after New York State law moved up the date of the primary elections to match the Federal elections. This change in statute enacted language that was not definitively clear with respect to which County Committee members would be able to vote—those elected during the 2017 primary election, or those from 2019. While individuals differed on the interpretation of the statute, the Manhattan Democratic Party sought to achieve clarification so as not to run contrary to the law. Thankfully, due to the helpful actions of District Leaders, the Party was able to obtain a Judicial Order that clarified the statute and ensured that County Committee members elected in 2019 would be the voting body at the organizing meeting.

“It’s important that passionate, local leaders who stay active in their communities and petition to obtain a seat on County Committee have an opportunity to vote to set the direction of the Party,” said County Leader Keith L.T. Wright. “But as County Leader, it’s also important that I do all I can to ensure that the organization abides by the letter of the law and avoids legal trouble that would have detrimental effects. I’m glad we were able to resolve this issue in time for our meeting, and that we could come together to execute what was a raucous but essential exercise in democracy.”

Thursday’s County Committee Organizing Meeting hosted lively and passionate elections for several officer positions within the Party. After over 750 votes were cast, the members of the New York County Democratic Committee elected the following leaders for the next two years: Domenico “Nico” Minerva, Chairman; Barry Weinberg, Secretary; Charlette Mimiasie, Treasurer; Kyle H. Ishmael, 1st Vice Chair; Louise Dankberg, 2nd Vice Chair; Kelmy Rodriquez, 3rd Vice Chair; Ny Whitaker, Vice Treasurer; Robert Jackson, Sergeant-at-Arms; and Steven Skyles-Mulligan, Parliamentarian.

NEW YORK, NY (August 29, 2019) – On the evening of Wednesday, August 28, 2019, the duly elected District Leaders of the Manhattan Democratic Party—otherwise known as the Executive Committee of the New York County Democratic Committee—gathered for their monthly meeting. These regular meetings, open to the public and simultaneously streamed via Facebook Live, provide the leadership of Manhattan’s local Democratic Party the opportunity to conduct internal business, plan events, select dates, and otherwise carry out the statutory functions of the party.

On the agenda for the August meeting was the task of electing the Executive Committee leadership to serve a new two-year term. Upon motions from the floor, Keith L.T. Wright (70th AD), Louise Dankberg (74th AD), and Tiffany Townsend (74th AD) were re-elected to serve as County Leader, Executive Committee Chair, and Executive Committee Vice-Chair respectively.

“It has been an absolute honor and a privilege to serve you all. We probably have one of the most diverse counties in New York City,” said County Leader Keith L.T. Wright. “It’s been an honor trying to keep our county together and make sure we stay as cohesive as possible. We have a lot of work to do. We’ve become very transparent in a lot of ways. And we can reel off all sorts of successes; but certainly, the big thing is, this time next year—and the time to start is now—we need to make sure that Donald Trump is a one-term president,” he said to applause from those in attendance.

The Manhattan Democratic Party is wrapping up what has been a busy summer, from executing a truly independent screening process to evaluate Supreme Court candidates, to the 2019 Judicial Convention held earlier this month, electing several new District Leaders throughout the island, to launching a new online store where supporters can purchase merchandise. In the coming weeks and months, the party will host its biennial County Committee meeting, and the much-anticipated Demmy Awards.

Those who wish to get involved and support the grassroots work of their local Manhattan Democratic Party are encouraged to visit: ManhattanDems.org.

During a well-attended and lively convention held at the SVA Theatre in Manhattan on Monday, August 12th, the Judicial Delegates of the 1st Judicial District met to nominate judicial candidates for State Supreme Court. After all votes were counted, the Manhattan Democratic Party was proud to announce that the following candidates were selected as the Democratic Nominees for seats to be filled on the November 5th election:
Hon. Martin Shulman
Hon. Shawn Kelly
Hon. Jennifer Schechter

On August 1, 2019, the Independent Judicial Screening Panel for Supreme Court reported the following candidates as most highly qualified for two (2) Supreme Court vacancies. On behalf of the Manhattan Democratic Party, County Leader Keith L.T. Wright and Judiciary Co-Chairs Curtis Arluck & Louise Dankberg sincerely thank the panel and its administrator for their diligent work; and we congratulate the candidates.

Hon. Shawn Kelly
Hon. Jennifer Schechter
Hon. Carol Sharpe
Hon. Tatanisha James
Hon. Gerald Lebovits
Hon. Paul Goetz
Hon. Melissa Crane
Hon. Lisa Sokoloff
Hon. Machelle Sweeting
Hon. David Cohen
Hon. Dakota Ramseur
Hon. Sabrina Kraus
Hon. Martin Shulman
Hon. Louis Nock
Hon. JJ Kelley
Hon. Cori Weston
Hon. Lyle Frank
Hon. Margaret Chan
Hon. Althea Drysdale