NYC Primary election results have been rolling in and progressives won't stop winning. Four more Broad Room endorsed candidates—Phara Souffrant Forrest, Jesse Pierce, Emily Gallagher, and Kristina Naplatarski—won their races. So yes, there is some serious progressive energy demanding more than just status quo Dems. In less than 100 days, the country’s voting in the presidential election, and we’re *ready.* But we’re also looking forward to 2021. Why? Because we’re all about local power, and there is some serious work to do in our city.P.S. Our Digital Organizing Committee is seeking two new members! The Broad Room's digi group handles all things social, design, and web, and we pitch in on email. We’d loveeee someone with some basic Wordpress and/or email fundraising experience. None of this sound like you? Send it to your networks! Plz note that this is a *volunteer* role that we estimate takes 5-10 hours a month, depending on meetings and trainings. Send resumes / inquiries to thebroads@thebroadroomnyc.com. Ty!
51 City Council seats are up for grabs next year (yes—that’s all of them!) and 35 are open seats, because the sitting Councilmembers will be term-limited out. Need a quick City Council refresh? They’re the lawmaking body for all five boroughs, and they approve the city budget, meaning they have a massive impact on how we commute, negotiate with our landlords, and pay our bills. This is a chance to build on the wave we’re seeing in NYC politics and completely shake up the type of people representing us. It's also time to elect a new Council Speaker (the leader of the City Council, and someone with massive power over the budget negotiating process and which bills are brought to a vote).
Last week, we broke down the NYC City Council vote to defund NYPD. TLDR: They didn’t. It’s clear we need new leaders in City Council who respond to their communities—not lobbyists, donors, or corrupt political machines. And there’s no better way to do it than by voting in dozens of bold new progressives. Plus, this isn’t just about local power. Countless congressmembers, senators, and mayors got their political start in City Council—which means if we elect a diverse, progressive class of young new leaders, we’ll be building a strong political bench for years to come. Right now, the City Council shamefully has just 12 women—so if we want more women running for higher office in the future, we have to diversify our local leaders now.
So what can you do?
—First: Learn about your district!Who’s your current Council member and are they responsive to your community’s needs?
—Then:Check who’s running in 2021! (Reminder: many candidates haven’t declared yet.)
—Find some candidates you’re excited about & start helping them now! No, it’s not too early. Yes, they really need your help now. And you can + should vol, support, & donate to candidates across the city. Plus, your $20 = $180 because of NY’s matching funds program.
—Join The Broad Collective. We’ll be your home for taking action to elect real progressives to the City Council in 2021.
