Upper East Side City Council Race: Who Will Replace Ben Kallos?

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — For the first time in years, much of the Upper East Side will soon get new representation on the City Council, and the election is shaping up to be one of the city's most competitive races.

Ben Kallos, who has represented District 5 since 2014, is term-limited from the Council and running instead for Manhattan Borough President. (Fellow Upper East Side Councilmember Keith Powers is seeking another term in neighboring District 4.)

Seven candidates are vying to replace Kallos, and have raised nearly $700,000 combined in public and private funds with months to go before the June 22 primary. In an interview this week, Kallos said he was impressed by the group.

"The Upper East Side has an embarrassment of riches in the candidates," said Kallos, who has not endorsed in the race. (Scroll down to learn more about each candidate.)

Kallos said he was pleased that many of the contenders had pledged not to accept donations from real estate developers — the same promise he has made since his initial 2013 campaign.

Likewise, he is gratified that all of the candidates running to replace him have spoken out in favor of the new Safe Haven shelter, which he pushed to bring to the neighborhood.

Kallos is also paying attention to candidates' plans for transportation infrastructure — bike lanes, safe streets and pedestrian crossings — and how they will influence the design and size of new buildings in the neighborhood.

"I want to make sure that whoever succeeds me makes sure that the parks still have sunlight, and that no one should be displaced from affordable housing to make room for more buildings for billionaires," he said.

The candidates

Here are the seven candidates — all Democrats — running in District 5:

Billy Freeland

• Private money raised: $64,925
• Public matching funds: $138,753
• Freeland, an attorney and activist, is secretary of Community Board 8 and volunteers for several neighborhood organizations. He describes himself as an advocate for safe streets, public transit and schools.

Rebecca Lamorte

• Private money raised: $23,924
• Also a Community Board 8 secretary, Lamorte has worked as a labor union organizer and several unions have endorsed her campaign. She is a co-founder of the Upper East Side for Black Lives Matter group, and is a member of the East River Democratic Club.

Julie Menin

• Private money raised: $73,187
• Menin, the outgoing New York City Census Director, shook up the District 5 race when she announced in December. She has led two city departments, chaired Community Board 1 in Lower Manhattan and ran unsuccessfully for Manhattan Borough President in 2013.

Kim Moscaritolo

• Private money raised: $56,572
• Public matching funds: $160,444
• A former CNN journalist, Moscaritolo is a former president of Manhattan Young Democrats, has advocated against gun violence and co-founded the Yorkville Buy Local group.

Tricia Shimamura

• Private money raised: 47,159
• Public matching funds: $109,075
• A former deputy chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Shimamura is the First Vice-Chair of Community Board 8 and co-chairs the park and waterfront committee. She founded the group She Will Rise and works as Director of Government Relations at Columbia University.

Christopher Sosa

• Private money raised: $20,962
• Sosa is a former journalist who later worked as a staffer and speechwriter for the New York State Senate's Democratic caucus.

Marco Tamayo

• Private money raised: $2,900
• Tamayo is a co-chair of Community Board 8's vendor committee and is the latest candidate to join the race. As of the most recent filings, Tamayo himself has been the only donor to his campaign.

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