Julie Menin Enters Crowded Race For Upper East Side Council Seat

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Outgoing New York City census director Julie Menin jumped into the crowded race for the Upper East Side's open City Council seat on Tuesday, pitching herself as a competent leader with experience guiding neighborhoods out of moments of crisis.

"I’m clear-eyed about the challenges we face and I’m excited to be part of the solution to some of our city’s biggest problems," Menin said in a Zoom announcement about her candidacy for the District 5 seat, which is being vacated by term-limited Ben Kallos.

Menin stepped down from her census post last month after helping the city achieve an unexpectedly high response rate. A former Lower Manhattan resident, she was a longtime chair of Community Board 1, and served as commissioner of the Consumer Affairs and Media & Entertainment departments under Mayor Bill de Blasio.

She may face questions about her ties to the neighborhood. Compared to some candidates, Menin is a relative newcomer to the Upper East Side, having moved here in 2014, although her mother and grandparents settled in Yorkville after fleeing the Holocaust in Europe.

Menin unveiled a set of high-profile endorsements on Tuesday, including the United Federation of Teachers, Teamsters Local 237, Assemblymember Robert Rodriguez and City Councilmember Diana Ayala. Former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and ex-Gov. David Paterson also threw their support behind her campaign.

While most of those supporters came from outside the district, four Democratic district leaders and a tenant association president on the Upper East Side are also supporting Menin, according to her campaign.

Menin cited her work leading Lower Manhattan's recovery efforts following the Sept. 11 attacks, which she compared to the coronavirus crisis now facing the city. She also helped implement the city's paid sick leave law as Consumer Affairs Commissioner, and negotiated to bring the 2018 Grammy Awards back to New York while leading the Media & Entertainment Department.

I’m running for City Council! My family has seen New York’s promise since my mother survived the Holocaust and settled in Yorkville. And I’m clear-eyed about the challenges that lie ahead and ready to be part of the solutions. pic.twitter.com/X4z8WvOLvI
— Julie Menin (@JulieMenin) December 1, 2020

In her most recent foray into electoral politics, Menin ran for Manhattan Borough President in 2013, winning 17 percent of the Democratic primary vote and finishing in fourth place. Following the race, she reached a $201,000 settlement with the city's Campaign Finance Board over various alleged fundraising violations.

Last month, amid reports that Menin was considering running, fellow candidate Chris Sosa lobbed an indirect barb, tweeting: "If you've ever settled with the [Campaign Finance Board] for over $200k due to campaign finance violations and/or are married to a real estate developer whose company was fined $1.7m for trying to force neighbors out of their homes, reconsider your run."

Menin's husband, Bruce, and his co-investors indeed paid a $1.7 million fine to the state in 2015 after being accused of improperly forcing tenants out of an Upper East Side building that was being converted into condominiums.

The other six candidates who have declared for next year's District 5 race are:

• Billy Freeland, an attorney and Community Board 8 secretary
• Joshua Kravitz, a Lenox Hill Democratic club member
• Rebecca Lamorte, a labor activist and Community Board 8 secretary
• Kim Moscaritolo, an activist, Democratic District Leader and former journalist
• Tricia Shimamura, a Community Board 8 vice-chair and former Deputy Chief of Staff to U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney
• Christopher Sosa, a former State Senate aide and journalist

Next year's City Council primary elections will be held on June 22. Kallos, the incumbent, is running for Manhattan Borough President.