Yes, there is another election coming up
I rounded up THE CITY's reporting on the upcoming primary races. #46
Did you know early voting starts tomorrow? Did you know you can vote up until June 27th, which is primary day, although not the day before because they take a break like the way restaurants do between lunch and dinner?
(yelling, screaming) DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE ELECTIONS THIS MONTH? YOU DIDN’T KNOW?????
Then here’s some reading for you:
THE CITY has been working to inform its readers about the upcoming election, including this amazing interactive made in partnership with NY1 where all the districts are dancing for turnout.
You can see if your council district has changed with redistricting and get a rundown of who’s on the ballot, how your neighborhood may have changed in recent years, and who your neighbors are.
My colleague Gwynne Hogan wrote about Councilmember Darlene Mealy’s race in Brooklyn.
In Queens, Haidee Chu wrote about the race in Councilmember Julie Won’s district, with an Innovation QNS angle.
And in the Bronx, Jonathan Custodio reported on the carpenters union and their support for Councilmember Marjorie Velasquez – and that they’d probably choose her over Jesus Christ (a good carpenter joke.)
Speaking of the Bronx and Queens, if you live there you can vote on a district attorney.
This week I wrote about the council seat in Harlem, where two candidates – Yusef Salaam and Al Taylor – are teaming up with ranked-choice voting to knock out a third challenger. That challenger, Inez Dickens, urged voters to only vote for her.
Mayor Adams joined a long list of politicians endorsing Dickens at a fiery rally on Thursday that shows it will be a contentious June.
And a bonus! My friend and colleague Rachel Holliday Smith was on Brian Lehrer talking about voting.
✨ Other interesting reads 🌟
We had another amazing week at THE CITY (toot toot give us money) so in addition to our election coverage, why not read about Bill de Blasio maybe having to pay $500,000 to the city, or about a powerful family pushing against changes to a major street in Greenpoint, or about a lawsuit that alleges Rikers Island correction officers ignored a detainee before he overdosed?
I do also have to promote my appearance on PIX 11’s morning show alongside Edgar and Mercy Lunavictoria, who own Mama Louisa’s Hero Shoppe, to talk about THE SANDWICH. [PIX 11]
And speaking of food, I recently shared my love of this blog post by Roger Ebert, about our memories and food and what happens when the act of eating is taken away from you. It remains one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read.
From “Nil by mouth” -
I dreamed. I was reading Cormac McCarthy's Suttree, and there's a passage where the hero, lazing on his river boat on a hot summer day, pulls up a string from the water with a bottle of orange soda attached to it and drinks. I tasted that pop so clearly I can taste it today. Later he's served a beer in a frosted mug. I don't drink beer, but the frosted mug evoked for me a long-buried memory of my father and I driving in his old Plymouth to the A&W Root Beer stand (gravel driveways, carhop service, window trays) and his voice saying "...and a five-cent beer for the boy." The smoke from his Lucky Strike in the car. The heavy summer heat.
For nights I would wake up already focused on that small but heavy glass mug with the ice sliding from it, and the first sip of root beer. I took that sip over and over. The ice slid down across my fingers again and again. But never again.
🎧LISTEN🎧
Last week I spoke with my friend Mary Ann about her dad’s art for FAQ’s weekend edition. Four of John Hedderson’s paintings are up at Espresso 77 right now and through July, so go check them out if you’d like! John died in 2016 and Mare is now trying to show her dad’s artwork wherever she can. [FAQ]
Mare in front of “Joan Jett” (the name of the painting and the dog)
Thanks for reading!