New BOE Counsel is a Boundary Breaker and a Shrewd Political Choice
After a year in which both the BOE and the Brooklyn Democratic Party that partially controls it were pummelled with accusations of corruption and incompetence, Patel s appointment is seen as a broadly popular decision across the borough’s fractured political landscape.
Hemalee Patel at a political event in 2020. Liena Zagare/Bklyner
Last week, the city’s Board of Elections named Brooklyn attorney Hemalee Patel as its new General Counsel, replacing scandal-laden Steve Richman as the Board’s top lawyer.
The BOE’s appointment of Patel, a 20-year court system veteran who is the first South Asian woman to hold the role, was a win for those looking to elevate women of color in government. But the appointment was also notable because, after a year in which both the BOE and the Brooklyn Democratic Party that partially controls it were pummelled with accusations of corruption and incompetence, it represented a bro