Brooklyn Democratic Party

The Brooklyn Democratic Party, officially the Kings County Democratic County Committee, is the county committee of the Democratic Party in the New York City borough of Brooklyn (Kings County). It is the most local level of party governance in New York. Kings County Democratic County Committee is one of the largest Democratic county organizations in the United States, and the largest that is not its own city.[1]

Kings County Democratic County Committee
ChairpersonRodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn
HeadquartersBrooklyn, NY
IdeologyModern American liberalism
Progressivism
National affiliationDemocratic Party
Colors  Blue
New York State Assembly (Brooklyn Seats)
17 / 21
New York State Senate (Brooklyn Seats)
10 / 10
Citywide Executive Offices
1 / 5
New York City Council (Brooklyn Seats)
12 / 15
Website
brooklyndems.com

In New York, county executive committees typically select candidates for local public offices, with the county committees ratifying the selections,[2] including judicial candidates and the Democratic Party's nominee in special elections. County committees are composed of at least two members elected from each election district as well as two members elected from each assembly district within the county (assembly district leaders).[3][2]

Every two years, Democrats in each assembly district elect two district leaders: one male, one female. In principle, county committee members select the county committee chair, but in New York City the practice is that the district leaders control the choice.[4] The district leaders and chair make up the executive committee of the county committee. There are 21 assembly districts in Brooklyn, so when all seats are filled, the executive committee has 42 members. Each election district is made up of a small number of city blocks. Each election district has 2 to 4 seats in the general membership of the county committee, so when all the seats are filled, there are approximately 3000 members. However, a vast number of these are left unfilled, undermining broad participation in county decision-making.[5][6]

Structure
Further information: Elections in New York § Electoral system

The New York Election Law defines the structure of political parties and requires each party to have county committees.[7][8][2] County committees are composed of at least two members elected from each election district as well as two members elected from each assembly district within the county (assembly district leaders).[3][2] Leadership of the party is held by the Chairman of the Executive Committee, voted on by the State Committee members (who collectively form the Executive Committee). Chairmen are known colloquially as "Brooklyn Boss" or "Party Boss."[9]

A September 17, 2014 meeting

As of 2005, Brooklyn was home to 929,459 enrolled Democrats.[9] There are approximately 10,000 seats on the County Committee, nearly half of which are typically unfilled.[9] There are forty-two elected State Committee members (who also function as assembly district leaders[10]), a male and female for each assembly district in the county, two of each in more populous districts. The Executive Committee is composed of the State Committee members from Brooklyn along with the elected officers of the County Committee.[11]

Criticism and controversies

A 2005 study by the Grassroots Initiative found that in New York City more than 50% of all county committee seats were vacant and that 98% of committee member elections were uncontested.[4]

Although New York's judicial nominating conventions have been criticized as opaque, brief and dominated by county party leaders,[12] critics claim that in heavily Democratic Brooklyn, party control is extreme.[13] While voters choose delegates to the judicial nominating conventions which pick New York Supreme Court judges, the powerful Democratic machine usually controls the delegates, which critics say gives the party almost virtual control over judge selection.[13]

#RepYourBlock

In 2016 a campaign titled #RepYourBlock was led by New Kings Democrats, in collaboration with other Brooklyn political clubs, local progressive politicians and candidates, and everyday citizens, to help reform-minded Democratic voters run for County Committee.[14][15]

2016 reform attempt

In September 2016 at the first county committee meeting of the new term, the Kings County Democratic County Committee blocked a vote on a set of ethics and transparency amendments to the governing rules proposed by reform activists.[16][17] The reform amendments were proposed by Brooklyn reform clubs the New Kings Democrats,[15] Prospect Heights Democrats for Reform,[18] and Southern Brooklyn Democrats[19] with the main objectives of:

  1. Increasing transparency in Executive Committee decision-making processes like the nomination of judges
  2. Strengthening party ethics to disallow public officials who have been convicted of public malfeasance from being supported by the party
  3. Broadening participation by limiting the use of proxy votes and allowing for resolutions to be distributed via email and posting on the party website

The proposed reforms were motioned for a vote as five separate amendments to the party rules by committee members. The amendments were motioned for review by the party's executive committee instead of being afforded an up or down vote by the county committee's members. In response to the absence of a committee vote on the proposed reforms, the auditorium erupted into chants of "Reform Now!" followed by impassioned pleas by county committee members to the borough leadership. The general county committee meeting was ended abruptly and prior to the completion of full agenda.

Kings County Party chairman Frank Seddio, who replaced disgraced late Assemblyman Vito Lopez,[20] promised a review of the progressive reforms by a committee made up of members of his choosing.[21]

2020s

In January 2020, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn was chosen to succeed Frank Seddio as Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair.[22] In August 2022, a closed-door meeting of the Brooklyn Democratic Party Executive Committee voted to consolidate power in her hands, where the Committee passed several rule changes meant to blunt the ability of the newly-elected County Committee reformist bloc to enact democratizing reforms.[23]

History

Democratic politics in Brooklyn have long been fractious, "between regulars and reformers and along ethnic and then racial lines."[9] However, the tension between "regulars" and "reformers" has always been somewhat fluid, as past bosses have acknowledged. "Today's reformer is tomorrow's hack," party boss Meade Esposito is reputed to have said,[24] and later boss Clarence Norman echoed those sentiments, once asserting "When you're on the outside, you're a reformer; when you're on the inside, you're a regular. Let's be for real."[9]

Corruption has been an issue in the party, as four of five party bosses (Steingut, Esposito, Norman, and Lopez) were investigated or indicted on corruption charges (in the case of Steingut, after leaving office). For example, in 2003, Supreme Court Judge Gerald Garson, the treasurer of the Kings County Democratic County Committee, was indicted for bribery.[13]

The party boss in Brooklyn was for most of the 20th century a figure of national influence and power; however, that influence has waned.[9][25] Former boss Vito Lopez has been described as "one of the last of the city's political kingmakers."[26]

List of chairpersons

Chairmen prior to 1909 are not listed. After 1990 it was no longer permissible for the chair to hold a county or city office, but those holding state offices are still eligible.[27]

Name
with years of birth & death		 Term
Hugh McLaughlin (1827–1904)1870s[28]–1903
Patrick H. McCarren (1849–1909)1903–October 23, 1909 (death)[29]
John H. McCooey (1864–1934)November 12, 1909[30]–January 21, 1934 (death)[31]
Thomas F. Wogan, Francis J. Sinnott, Frank V. Kelly (committee)February 26, 1934[32]–September 24, 1934[33]
Frank V. Kelly (1880–1946)[34]September 24, 1934[33]–July 5, 1946 (death)[34][35]
John Cashmore (1895–1961)December 2, 1946[36]–July 28, 1950[37][35]
Francis J. Sinnott (c. 1891–1956)[38]July 28, 1950[35]–December 29, 1952[39]
Kenneth F. Sutherland (1888–1954)[40]December 29, 1952[39]–April 8, 1954[41]
Joseph T. Sharkey (1893–1991)[42]April 8, 1954[43]–January 18, 1962[44]
John J. Lynch, Aaron L. Jacoby, Gardner C. Taylor (committee)January 18, 1962[44]–November 19, 1962[45]
Stanley Steingut (1920–1989)November 19, 1962[45]–January 10, 1969[46][47]
Meade Esposito (1907–1993)January 10, 1969[46]–January 25, 1984[48]
Howard Golden (1925– )January 25, 1984[49]–1990[50]
Clarence Norman Jr. (1951– )October 29, 1990[51]–September 28, 2005[52]
Vito J. Lopez (1941–2015)October 20, 2005[53]–August 28, 2012[54]
Frank R. Seddio (1946– )September 19, 2012[55]–January 15, 2020[56]
Rodneyse Bichotte (1972– )January 20, 2020[57]–current[22]

See also

Notes
  1. "BP Markowitz Calls on Democratic Party to Select Frank Seddio as New Kings County Democratic Chair" (Press release). August 29, 2012. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013.
  2. Zimmerman 2008, p. 55.
  3. Election Law § 2-104
  4. Benjamin, Gerald (2012). Benjamin, Gerald (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of New York State Government and Politics. p. 55. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195387230.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-538723-0.
  5. Khan, Yasmeen (September 20, 2018). "Ask A Reporter: What's Up With NYC's County Committees?". Gothamist. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  6. "FAQ".
  7. Election Law article 2
  8. Zimmerman, Joseph F. (2008). The Government and Politics of New York State (2nd ed.). SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-7435-8.
  9. Roberts, Sam; Hicks, Jonathan P. (October 2, 2005). "Democratic Leader's Demise Followed His Organization's Slide". The New York Times.
  10. Rules for the Government of the Kings County Democratic County Committee, Article V, § 11
  11. Rules for the Government of the Kings County Democratic County Committee, Article V, § 1
  12. Williams, Milton L. (19 September 2012). "A better way to pick New York judges". New York Daily News.
  13. Marks, Alexandra (12 August 2003). "In Brooklyn, fixing a 'corrupt' court system". The Christian Science Monitor.
  14. "Rep Your Block".
  15. "New Kings Democrats".
  16. "Kings County Democratic Committee Blocks Reforms on Transparency and Ethics". New Kings Democrats. September 22, 2016.
  17. "The Brooklyn Democratic Party Passes Landmark Reforms to Party to Usher in Era of Increased Transparency and Participation Rules". New Kings Democrats. May 30, 2013.
  18. "Prospect Heights Democrats for Reform".
  19. "Southern Brooklyn Democrats". 18 December 2019.
  20. "WNYC - Brooklyn Democrats Get New Leader".
  21. Cuba, Julianne (September 23, 2016). "Brooklyn Democratic Party boss delays transparency, ethics reforms". Brooklyn Daily.
  22. "Assemblywoman Bichotte Makes HER-story as First Woman Elected as Brooklyn Dem Party Leader". Brooklyn Reader. January 28, 2020. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  23. Joseph, George; Gonen, Yoav (August 31, 2022). "Brooklyn Democratic Party Execs Change Rules to Protect Their Power". The City. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  24. Barrett, Wayne. City for Sale: Ed Koch and the Betrayal of New York. The Nation Institute. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  25. Roberts, Sam (May 23, 2010). "Now, City Party Bosses Do Little Moving and Shaking". The New York Times.
  26. Kleinfield, N. R.; Rashbaum, William K.; Goldstein, Joseph (September 4, 2012). "If This Brooklyn Kingmaker Is Asking, Saying No Is Risky Option". The New York Times.
  27. Kolbert, Elizabeth (October 24, 1990). "New York City Wins Right to Bar Officials From Party Positions". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  28. "The Contest in Brooklyn". The New York Times. October 24, 1875. p. 6. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  29. "M'Carren is Dead; Lingered All Day — Senator's Last Farewells to His Relatives and His Friend, Controller Metz — Died at 1:05 This Morning — Suffered Great Pain All Day and Nights — News Kept from His Aged Mother". The New York Times. October 23, 1909. p. 1. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  30. "McCooey in Leader's Chair — Makes a Ruling for the Guidance of Office Seekers". The New York Times. November 13, 1909. p. 8. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  31. "John H. McCooey is Dead of Heart Ailment at 69; Brooklyn 'Boss' 25 Years — Was Long in Poor Health — The Veteran Democrat Succumbs in a Coma With Family Near — Power Had Been Waning — One-Time Shipyard Worker in Public, but Never Elective Office for 42 Years — Funeral on Wednesday — Lehman Heads Pallbearers — Hundreds Pay Tribute to Leader's Qualities". The New York Times. January 22, 1934.
  32. "Committee Named to Succeed M'Cooey — Triumvirate to Govern the Brooklyn Organization Till After Fall Primaries — Farley's Advice Heeded — Action Is Expected to Clear Up Patronage Situation Affecting Federal Jobs". The New York Times. February 27, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  33. "Kelly is Elected to M'Cooey Post — Kings Democrats Choose Foe of Tammany Invasion to Succeed Triumvirate — Selection is Unanimous — New Leader, Backed by Farley, Hails Unity and Pledges Support to Roosevelt". The New York Times. September 25, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  34. "Frank Kelly Dies; Brooklyn Leader: Democratic Party Chieftain For 12 Years Was Successor to Late John H. McCooey — Supporter of Roosevelt — One of Group That Swung to Truman in 1944 — O'Dwyer Cuts Vacation to Return". The New York Times. July 6, 1946. p. 15.
  35. "Sinnott is Chosen by Unanimous Vote — Succeeds Cashmore, Target of Mayor, As New Brooklyn Democratic Leader". The New York Times. July 29, 1950. p. 1.
  36. Hagerty, James A. (August 10, 1946). "Cashmore Elected Brooklyn Leader — Chosen Unanimously by County Democratic Committee to Succeed Frank Kelly". The New York Times. p. 14. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  37. Hagerty, James A. (July 26, 1950). "Cashmore to Quit as Leader in Kings — Agrees to Resign if Sinnott Is Elected as Successor — Mayor Said to Approve". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  38. "Francis Sinnott, Brooklyn Leader: Kings County Clerk Who Had Been Democratic Chief and Postmaster There Dies". The New York Times. September 17, 1956. p. 27.
  39. McCaffrey, James P. (December 30, 1952). "Kings Democrats Elect Sutherland — New County Leader, Replacing Sinnott, Calls for an End to Brooklyn Factionalism". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  40. "K.F. Sutherland Dies in Brooklyn — Democratic Leader in Coney Island and County Brought Many to Political Office". The New York Times. November 15, 1954.
  41. "Sharkey Is Due to Get Top Kings Party Job". The New York Times. April 8, 1954. p. 1.
  42. Fowler, Glenn (January 3, 1991). "Joseph Sharkey, 97, Former Head Of New York City Council, Is Dead". The New York Times. (Start of tenure misreported as 1953.)
  43. "Sharkey Elected Brooklyn Leader — Last Minute Entry, Succeeding Sutherland, Is Put Over by Wagner and DeSapio". The New York Times. April 9, 1954. p. 14. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  44. Egan, Leo (January 19, 1962). "3 of Mayor's Men Succeed Sharkey — Brooklyn Leadership Panel Is Ordered by Wagner". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  45. Egan, Leo (November 20, 1962). "Steingut Chosen Brooklyn Chief; Wagner is Defied — Assemblyman Beats Travia, 25 to 19, in Voting by Borough's Democrats". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  46. Ronan, Thomas P. (January 11, 1969). "New Brooklyn Leader — Meade Henry Esposito". The New York Times. p. 34. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  47. Carroll, Maurice (January 8, 1975). "Brooklyn Democrat Takes Over Vowing to Reduce Dominant Role of Speaker". The New York Times. p. 34.
  48. Carroll, Maurice (January 19, 1984). "Esposito Says He'll Retire as Brooklyn Party Chief". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  49. Carroll, Maurice (January 26, 1984). "Democrats Pick Golden to Head Brooklyn Party". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  50. Lynn, Frank (October 25, 1990). "Brooklyn Democrats Fight for Top Party Post". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  51. "Assemblyman Is Voted Leader Of the Democrats in Brooklyn". The New York Times. October 30, 1990. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  52. Hicks, Jonathan P. (September 29, 2005). "Democrats Start Scrambling to Fill Norman's Three Posts". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  53. "Lopez Wins Brooklyn Post". The New York Times. October 21, 2005. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  54. Goldenberg, Sally (August 28, 2012). "Vito Lopez announces resignation from Brooklyn Democratic Chairman position". New York Post. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  55. Berger, Joseph (September 20, 2012). "Longtime Lopez Colleague Chosen to Lead Brooklyn Democrats". The New York Times. p. A24. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  56. Coltin, Jeff (January 15, 2020). "Seddio goes out like a boss – The Brooklyn Democratic leader united the party, but left it broke". City and State – New York. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  57. Katinas, Paula (January 21, 2020). "Bichotte elected Brooklyn Democratic Party chair". Brooklyn Reporter. Retrieved July 12, 2021.

Further reading
  • Howell, Ron Boss of Black Brooklyn: The Life and Times of Bertram L. Baker Fordham University Press Bronx, New York 2018
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