Public Employee Press

DC 37 candidates win four elections Sept. 13

DC 37's Green Machine of political action volunteers hit the streets of Brooklyn and Queens Sept. 13 for primary and special elections. The activists campaigned door-to-door, visiting union members to get out the vote.

All in all, four of the five candidates supported by District Council 37 won their elections.

In an important and hard-fought primary race in the 28th City Council District in Queens, the incumbent Ruben Wills had the union's backing and won easily. Wills is rated as one of the top members of the Council when it comes to delivering much-needed funds for his district, which includes a large population of DC 37 members.

Also in Queens, Democrat Michael Simanowitz won election in the 27th state Assembly District and Phillip Goldfeder won in the 23rd state Assembly District. In Manhattan, Dan Quart won in the 73rd state Assembly District.

The disappointment of the day came in the hotly contested special election for the 9th Congressional District seat vacated by Anthony D. Weiner, where Democrat David Weprin was pitted against Tea Party Republican Bob Turner.

Aggressively supported by DC 37 and other unions, including DC 37's parent union, the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Weprin was defeated by Turner, a businessman who ran with heavy financial backing from out-of-state Republicans.

"The Green Machine was out in full force in support of Weprin," said DC 37 Political Action Director Wanda Williams, "But it seems that part of the Democratic base in that area abandoned him because of his support for marriage equality."