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The race for New York City mayor took a couple of turns this week, with Zach Iscol exiting to launch a bid for city comptroller and “Real Housewives of New York City” star Barbara Kavovit hopping in to take his place. And some of the Brooklyn political dysfunction seeped into the race as well. Several candidates, including Dianne Morales, Andrew Yang, Maya Wiley and Scott Stringer, said they would boycott the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s upcoming mayoral forum over racist comments that District Leader Lori Maslow made on social media. Although she had already stepped down from her party leadership position, some progressive members of the party wanted her to resign as district leader and called for the boycott until she did. After several days, Maslow resigned, and as of now, at least Yang is once once again taking part in the forum. Keep reading for the rest of this week’s news.
District Leader Lori Maslow at a virtual Brooklyn Democratic Party event in December.
Southern Brooklyn Democrat Lori Maslow resigned from her District Leader position in the Brooklyn Democratic Party on Thursday, after weeks of intense criticism over a series of racist tweets threatened to derail the party’s election forum.
Maslow, whose 41st Assembly District includes parts of Sheepshead Bay, Marine Park and Flatlands, announced her resignation in a letter sent to county party leadership on Thursday evening. In the letter, which was shared by the party’s official Twitter account, Maslow accused her critics of “online harassment and vilification” as they pushed to hold her accountable for anti-Chinese and anti-Palestinian statements.
Division Within Brooklyn Democratic Party Apparent As Former Party Boss Says F ing Progressives Should Be Overcome
arrow Former Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Frank Seddio, center, before the start of the county committee meeting in September 2018. FRANK RUNYEON / GOTHAMIST
Days ahead of a court-ordered deadline for the Brooklyn Democratic Party to hold a full organizational meeting with county committee members, divisions between old school county loyalists and newer reform members have persisted with a string of legal battles and infighting spiraling into screaming matches.
On Monday, the Kings County Democratic County Committee sued the state in Brooklyn federal court over the court order forcing the county committee to hold an organizational meeting, alleging that forcing the party to follow election law by holding a virtual meeting “restricts and limits their discretion in how to organize themselves,” and “infringes upon the party’s right t