District Council 37 backed three of the four winning
candidates in the Feb. 25 special elections. The winners, will
fill seats on the City Council and State Assembly.
We support our friends and look for them to stand by us
as we deal with the current budget crises, said Leonard
Allen, chair of DC 37s Political Action Committee.
In one of the closest races in recent history, former State
Senator Vincent Gentile defeated his opponent by 31 votes to
win the City Council seat for Brooklyns 43rd District.
A hand count of the votes broke the apparent tie that gave both
candidates about 30 percent. Mr. Gentile, a former prosecutor,
served three terms as State Senator.
Michael Benjamin won the State Assembly seat for District 79,
when longtime Assemblywoman Gloria Davis resigned. Assemblyman
Benjamin will represent the Morrisania section of the Bronx.
He was the downstate coordinator for State Assemblywoman Aurelia
Greene and also worked for Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion
and Representative Jose Serrano.
In Brooklyn, William Frank Boyland, Jr. won the State Assembly
seat representing Ocean Hill-Brownsville, Flatbush and Central
Brooklyn, the 55th District. A former SSEU Local 371 member,
Mr. Boyland ran for the seat vacated when his father retired
shortly after reelection last November.