Hell's Kitchen City Council Race: Who Will Succeed Corey Johnson?

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — For the first time since 2014, Hell's Kitchen will soon have new representation on the City Council, as term limits prevent Corey Johnson from running again this year.

A total of six candidates are vying to replace Johnson in Manhattan's District 3, which also covers Chelsea, the West Village, and parts of central Midtown, Flatiron, SoHo, and the Upper West Side.

The position has historically been an influential one: Johnson is the City Council Speaker, as was Christine Quinn, his predecessor in District 3.

Three of the six candidates have raised more than $30,000 in campaign funds as of the latest campaign finance filings — including one who has raised more than $100,000.

The City Council primary election is on June 22. Here's more information on the six candidates:

Leslie Boghosian Murphy

• Private money raised: $30,771
• Money spent: $2,080
• Boghosian is a former reporter who has lived in Hell's Kitchen for the past 16 years. In the neighborhood, she created the Columbus Circle lemonade stand and has worked for the Children's Aid Society and an aide for Homes for the Homeless. Boghosian currently serves on Community Board 4 and is an active member of her NYPD Community Council.

Erik Bottcher

• Private money raised: $133,080
• Public matching funds: $160,444
• Money Spent: $49,392
• Bottcher served as Johnson's chief of staff for more than five years, stepping down from the job last month to focus on his campaign. He started his government career in 2009 as the LGBTQ & HIV/AIDS Community Liaison at the New York City Council, and later worked for Gov. Andrew Cuomo as his liaison to the LGBTQ community.

Phelan-Dante Fitzpatrick

• Private money raised: $15,913
• Money spent: $4,920
• Fitzpatrick is the owner of two small businesses within District 3. He centers his platform around his experience as a small-business owner, and on resolving the city's racial inequities. He would be District 3's first Black Council member.

Marni Halasa

• Private Money Raised: $15,995
• Money Spent: $9,329
• Halasa has lived in either Chelsea or Hell's Kitchen for the past 28 years and has served as a small-business owner, community activist, figure skating coach, and lawyer. She has founded a figure-skating program for children living in public housing, advocated for tenants' rights and organized fellow coaches to push for better contracts.

Aleta LaFargue

• Private money raised: $14,786
• Money spent: $9,329
• LaFargue describes herself as a mother, community organizer, activist, actress, education advocate and champion of the arts. She is a lifelong resident of Hell's Kitchen and has served as the President of the Manhattan Plaza Tenants Association since 2016. LaFargue is also a founding member of Hell's Kitchen Democrats.

Arthur Schwartz

• Private Money Raised: $40,910
• Money Spent: $47,770
• Schwartz is a lawyer who has worked heavily on behalf of labor union reformers and served as counsel for social movements including Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter. He served as a delegate for Barack Obama at the 2008 Democratic Convention and as election counsel to Cynthia Nixon, Jumaane Williams, and U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones. He was a member of Community Board 2 from 1991 to 2014.

Gus Saltonstall contributed reporting.

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