Manhattan Borough President Race: Who Will Replace Gale Brewer?

MANHATTAN — For the first time in eight years, Manhattan will soon be led by a new borough president, as Gale Brewer is term-limited from running for the office again.

Six candidates are running to replace Brewer, a popular incumbent who is now seeking to reclaim her old seat on the City Council, representing the Upper West Side.

With months to go before the June 22 primary, the contenders have raised nearly $4 million combined in public and private funds. The group includes two members of the City Council, a state senator and a trio of neighborhood leaders.

Borough presidents control about $4 billion combined for local initiatives, have a significant platform for issue advocacy, play a role in land-use decisions and appoint community board members, among other responsibilities.

It is also a common stepping-stone for those with higher ambitions: David Dinkins was Manhattan Borough President before being elected mayor in 1989, and the current Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams, is a major contender in this year's mayoral race.

During her term, Brewer has used the office to defeat major proposed developments, issue reports about vacant storefronts and police barricades, and spread information about COVID-19.

The candidates

Here are the basics about all six candidates — as well as the amount of money they had raised through Jan. 15:

Lindsey Boylan

• Private money raised: $122,700
• Public matching funds: $259,783
• Boylan is a former business leader in Midtown and deputy secretary for economic development under Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler for Congress in last year's Democratic primary. Recently, Boylan has publicly accused Cuomo of sexually harassing her while she served in his administration.

Elizabeth Caputo

• Private money raised: $75,722
• Public funds: $308,488
• Caputo is a former chair of Community Board 7 on the Upper West Side. Having previously launched the Fund for Public Schools and worked in municipal finance on the city and state levels, she currently handles government engagement for the World Economic Forum.

Brad Hoylman

• Private money raised: $365,870
• Public funds: $0 (as of Jan. 15)
• Hoylman is a state senator who has represented much of Midtown and Lower Manhattan since 2013. Before that, he was a neighborhood activist in the West Village, where he chaired Community Board 8, was a Democratic district leader and led the Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats.

Ben Kallos

• Private money raised: $$278,166
• Public funds: $860,107
• Kallos is the current City Councilmember for District 5 on the Upper East Side. He chairs the council's contracts committee, and previously worked as chief of staff to Assemblymember Jonathan Bing and policy director for former Public Advocate Mark Green.

Mark Levine

• Private money raised: $450,761
• Public funds: $1,120,267
• Levine is the current City Councilmember for District 7, covering much of Upper Manhattan. The chair of the council's health committee, he previously worked as a teacher and served as a Democratic district leader.

Kimberly Watkins

• Private money raised: $18,286
• Public funds: $0 (as of Jan. 15)
• Watkins is the president of Community Education Council 3, covering the Upper West Side. She also founded the Harlem Schools Summit, has taught graduate admissions test prep, and now works as a part-time fitness trainer.