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June 2025 Primary Requires Strategic Choice Ranking from Voters

David Mark Greaves
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June 2025 Primary Requires Strategic Choice Ranking from Voters

By Mary Alice Miller
It’s Voting Season! Early Voting for the June 2025 Primary will take place over nine days, starting Saturday, June 14, and ending Sunday, June 22. The Primary will be on Tuesday, June 24.


The New York City Board of Elections Contest List for the Primary Election 2025 for Kings County includes nominations for the Democratic Party, including offices and positions for Mayor, Public Advocate, City Comptroller, Borough President, Member of the City Council, Judge for the Civil Court, and Delegate to the Judicial Convention.


Nominations for the Republican Party in Kings County include City Comptroller, Member of the City Council, State Committee, and County Committee.


Voters should have received two mailers related to voting.
The first is a Voter Guide from the New York City Campaign Finance Board that provides basic information about the candidates for Mayor, Public Advocate, City Comptroller, Brooklyn Borough President, and several City Council races, as well as voter information.
The second mailer is the 2025 Official Voter Information from the New York City Board of Elections. It contains locations for Your Early Voting Poll Site, Your Election Day Poll Site, Your Voting District (Election District/Assembly District), and your Fast Pass QRL code, which can be scanned into your phone.


Read both mailers BEFORE venturing out to vote, and bring them both with you to vote.
Voters can access a Sample Ballot by going to findmypollsite.vote.nyc. Enter your address, click find my site button, then click the View Sample Ballot button.


For instance, a Sample Ballot Based on City Council Member Osse’s District Office located at 1360 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11216 will take voters to https://nyc-static.electionhub.com/sampleballots/386777/12/2025P3V1_ELE_DEM_Style_265.pdf.


Voters can also request a sample ballot be emailed to them.
There are eleven (11) Democratic candidates for Mayor: Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Scott M. Stringer, Selma K. Bartholomew, Zellnor Myrie, Adrienne E. Adams, Andrew M. Cuomo, Jessica Ramos, Whitney R. Tilson, Michael Blake, Brad Lander, and Paperboy Love Prince.


Mayor Eric Adams is NOT running in the Democratic Primary. The mayor, who was under federal indictment until he wasn’t, has chosen to run as an independent and will likely appear on the November 2025 Ballot. Voters may choose to include a vote for Mayor Adams as a Write-in Candidate and fill in an oval to rank that write-in choice.


According to polling, former Governor Andrew Cuomo (who resigned after multiple sexual harassment allegations) has a lead over his opponents, with Democratic Socialist Assembly member Zohran Mamdani a strong second. Mamdani maxed out matching funds early, then asked his supporters to donate to Council Speaker Adrienne Adams campaign, giving her a funding boost.


D.R.E.A.M. (Don’t Rank Eric or Andrew for Mayor) came about when the United Auto Workers Region 9A announced its endorsements of Comptroller Brad Lander, State Senator Jessica Ramos, and Assembly member Zohran Mamdani.


The Working Families Party ranked Mamdani as its first choice, and endorsed three others: City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, City Comptroller Brad Lander, and State Senator Zellnor Myrie.


A whisper campaign among women who want to see New York City elect its first woman mayor and were only going to rank Speaker Adams and Senator Ramos imploded when Ramos endorsed Cuomo last week. Undeterred, Speaker Adams may be their first and/or only choice.
Democratic Public Advocate candidates include incumbent Jumaane D. Williams, Marty Dolan, and Jenifer Rajkumar.


City Comptroller Democratic candidates include Manhattan Borough President Mark D. Levine, Ismael Malave Perez, City Council member Justin Brannan, and State Senator Kevin S. Parker. Brownsville voters may recall that Brannan played a role in defeating former City Council member Alicka Ampry Samuel for fear she was a credible candidate for Council Speaker, a position he coveted.


City Comptroller Republican candidates are Peter Kefalas and Danniel Maio.
Democratic candidates for Brooklyn Borough President are incumbent Antonio Reynoso and Khari O. Edwards.
The candidates for Judge of the Civil Court—County—Kings are Janice Chen, Marisa Arrabito, Susan Liebman, and Janice P. Purvis.
There are several City Council races of interest to central Brooklyn voters.


Members of the City Council, 35th Council District include incumbent Crystal Hudson, Hector Robertson, Kenny Lever, and Dion M. Ashman.
The candidates for the City Council, 36th Council District are incumbent Chi Ajani Osse and Reginald Swiney.


The candidates for the City Council, 41st Council District are incumbent Darlene Mealy, Jammel Thompson, Lawman Lynch, Jamell Henderson, Eli Brown, Clifton A. Hinton, Bianca Cunningham, and Dante Arnwine.
The candidates for the City Council, 46th Council District are incumbent Mercedes Narcisse and Dimple Willabus.
There are also various Democratic candidates for Delegate to Judicial Convention and County committee, and numerous Republican candidates for various State Committee and County Committee positions.


Voters may rank up to five candidates in order of preference, rank any two, three or four, or choose just one. If a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they are the winner.
If no candidate earns more than 50% of first-choice votes, then counting will continue in rounds.
Your vote will only count toward your highest-ranked candidate who has not been eliminated. If your top choice candidate gets eliminated, your vote will then count toward your next highest-ranked candidate.


At the end of each round, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated. This process will continue until there are two candidates left. The candidate with the most votes wins.
Some voters find their ballot is not accepted by the scanner by giving multiple candidates the same ranking, called an over-vote. To avoid having their ballot voided, any voter may use the Ballot Marking machine, which does not allow over-votes by default.


No matter who voters choose or how they rank their choices, it is important that voters show up and vote.

Suited for the Post

David Mark Greaves
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Suited for the Post

Secretary of State Walter Mosley

By David Mark Greaves
It’s easy to see why Governor Hochul appointed Walter Mosley as Secretary of State. The former Brooklyn Assembly member brings his constituent relations skills and ability to communicate to an office that is all about communicating the responsibilities of what he calls a “very eclectic group of organizations that are represented by the Department of State.”
Some may view Brooklyn as the center of the world, but it’s not the center of New York, which is one reason why Mosley moved. “Living here in the capital region, I have the ability to go pretty much anywhere in the state within two or three hours.”


As he travels around the state, Mosley says he acts as “the mouthpiece for the department,” as he is responsible for absorbing and distilling the information he gets from his “DEPSECS,” clarifying the messaging, and its alignment with the Governor’s agenda, and bringing the information to communities across the state.


The office does much of the state government’s day-to-day work, with critical departments that touch everyone in some way. It regulates businesses such as barbershops and beauty parlors, non-profits, professionals, and even oversees cemeteries.


But it is the initiatives involving “economic development, community infrastructure, local waterfront preservation and development” that keep him moving through the state, bringing information and getting feedback from local stakeholders and from over 700 employees in multiple locations across the state.


So important is that work that the first staff he visited was the Office of Planning, Development and Community Infrastructure, to demonstrate he was “appreciative of the type of work they do, whether it’s installing new initiatives like Smart Growth, which asks, how do we responsibly develop an equitable, environmentally sound way that’s cost effective and sustainable.”


Regarding the executive orders and political atmosphere coming from Washington, he says that while “we have to be cognizant of what’s happening around us” and the language used, “it hasn’t impacted our purpose and our mission, but it has made us a little bit more keenly aware of what we need to know on a day-to-day basis.”


For example, if the Governor goes to Washington, DC, for a meeting or a hearing, Mosley’s office has a role in ensuring that “We’re never going to find ourselves unprepared.”
Speaking of the Governor Hochul’s initiatives, Mosley said that Downtown Revitalization is one of the two flagship economic development programs along with the New York Forward program, “Which kind of scales it or right sizes the grant awards to smaller municipalities that are equally, if not more important, because we have so many more smaller communities that unfortunately have been, over the years, ignored or not had the proper reinvestment.”


Mosley says the most impactful thing he’s done, in addition to “getting the word out and living here in the Capital region,” where he’s able to interact with most of the other agencies “on a face-to-face basis,” is being able to travel across the state.


“I think half the work that we put into this is really about just being available and accessible to people. Whether it’s in the North Country, whether it’s in the southern tier, in the Finger Lake region, or in the Mohawk Valley or in Western New York, people seeing you, and people being able to talk to you, and people being able to engage and share ideas and share criticisms and you listening, I think pays dividends beyond everything you can measure.”


He says he’s also made an impact by having “a really good team that allows me to be everywhere and anywhere that I’m needed on behalf of the state and on behalf of the governor.”


The second reason Mosley moved to the area was to be accessible and in close proximity to the “trained, experienced technocrats and bureaucrats,” who have been there for years and who have the institutional knowledge critical to any organization and that can’t be found online.
“I come into their offices every Monday morning, just to talk about what’s happening, what’s going on. It helps me get a better understanding of what they’re dealing with, and that “they’re in a proper mindset to perform at their best.”


Mosley says another major impact he had is having the good sense of “not getting in the way” of his DEPSECS and their staff. “Fortunately, I have several DEPSECs who head up these divisions, and so I rely upon their expertise and that they provide me with updates on a weekly basis as to what’s going on, where there’s a need to troubleshoot. What are we advancing? What’s going to be greenlit in the next few days, or what’s going to be put on pause? Every once in a while, I’ll come up with an idea, give them 10. Maybe one might work.”


As the professionals and specialists in the area work, Mosley tries to stay out of the way as they know what they’re doing. “At the same time, when the ultimate decision has to be handed down, taking into account all their information and perspectives, I make what I believe is the right decision on behalf of the state and the governor.”
“I rely upon them, and I just want to make sure that I’m meeting the agenda of what the governor’s umbrella objectives may be.”


An example he gave was: “How do we keep New York State affordable for everyday New Yorkers?”
And so in his meetings with his DEPSECs, they began “talking about things that will make the state more affordable for families, will make it affordable for new professionals, for seniors, [and how we can] incorporate some of the initiatives that we have already in existence, and we take talking points from the governor, and we kind of put it all together to make it a cohesive message that’s relatable and that’s applicable in real time.”


He spoke about the Division of Consumer Protection and the evolving world of technical fraud, the New Americans initiative with its workforce development and opportunity centers for immigrants, in addition to the work developing the waterfront and helping senior citizens.
He heads teams of people working every day to make lives better for New Yorkers. It’s a great gig for a person of a certain mindset. Secretary Mosley says he’s having a good time, and I believe him.

Borough President candidate Khari Edwards “Repping for the Seniors, and the Have Nots”

Nayaba Arinde
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Borough President candidate Khari Edwards “Repping for the Seniors, and the Have Nots”

By Nayaba Arinde
Editor-at-Large


Saying, “Brooklyn has two tiers. You have the Haves and the Have-Nots,” career community advocate Khari Edwards told Our Time Press that he is asking folks to vote for him to be the next Brooklyn Borough President. “You have to make sure that the Have-Nots have someone representing them enough to give equal standing, and equal money, and give them an opportunity to improve their schools and healthcare.”
Current BP Antonio Reynoso is vying to keep his incumbent position in the June 24th primary election.

Edwards says that he is the most authentic possibility.
“I am a husband, a father of three, a child of Caribbean immigrants. My dad is from Guyana, my mom is from Trinidad. I have lived in this borough for half a century plus one, I have served 27 years in public service, working in government service and not-for-profits, and 8 years at Brookdale Hospital.”


He ran against BP Reynoso back in 2021, but he thinks he can do better this time than fifth place out of 12 in ranked-choice voting.
Edwards said he is running now “because the borough is missing equity, inclusion, and engagement. It’s time for someone who has been in the streets and has done the work. We’ve worked in health care, to save people’s homes, and in food pantries. These are the things that have affected people every day.”


Edwards heads corporate responsibility at Ayr Wellness, a cannabis dispensary firm. Previously, he worked as Brookdale Hospital’s vice president of external affairs, spearheading initiatives that “enhanced access to healthcare for over 1.3 million residents.”
He said that as BP, he would give $500K annually to safety-net Brooklyn hospitals to “build up their infrastructure to give healthcare access to our communities, especially our seniors and our children.”


Edwards said he would expand his ‘Something to Do’ plan, which would keep schools open after hours and partner with nonprofits for skill-building activities to “Give them opportunities to be engineers, to learn how to do banking, something that will create a place of hope for them.”


He said he would “create safety zones and cease fire districts throughout the borough,” as his “It Starts Here” program, “connects students with victims of gun violence and has mobilized hundreds of union members, healthcare professionals, and community leaders to tackle disparities in East Brooklyn.”


Edwards said the Brooklyn BP has “$45 million annually to influence capital projects. That means hospitals, schools, parks, churches, and infrastructure, where we are supposed to build up the community.”

Edward’s plan for police and community issues?
“The Borough President can introduce legislation in partnership with City Councilmembers,” he surmised. “They also have a bully pulpit [to promote] their advocacy. They are supposed to have a relationship with City Hall, to talk about the needs of the borough. So, if we have an issue over policing in certain communities, the Borough President can say, ‘Enough is enough. The community needs more resources.’ You’re truly an advocate, and you have a substantial budget to truly impact things.”

Targeting food insecurity
Edwards told Our Time Press, “We only have 152 registered food pantries. I want to triple that. We have 250,000 people who go to bed hungry every night. Some of these food pantries don’t have refrigerators, and some of them don’t get fresh food. How do you bridge that gap? That’s what a Borough President should do…be there for the entire borough.”

A native-born Brooklyn ombudsman
“I started my career answering a call from a lady whose lights were cut off,” Edward recalled. “I answered that call, and I intend to answer that call for everyone who calls our office. We expect to be obsessed with constituent services. I am ready to do this and represent our people, specifically our Caribbean diaspora as well, because there are a lot of our folks who are being left behind. No one’s really talking about this ICE thing. No one is talking about representation and protection.”


On the campaign trail, he said he hears things like, “We hate Democrats. You guys aren’t doing anything. I’m not coming out to vote because nothing changes. You get elected, and we don’t see you for three years. One lady spoke to me for 45 minutes about the fact that nobody has ever shown up at her door, and she said, ‘I’m not voting.’ I just listened to her complaints. We made some phone calls. It took me 46 minutes to finally get her to agree to vote.”


Edwards said that many seniors just feel forgotten and neglected. “We did a press conference in front of my mom’s house – my mom was murdered in July 2022, and I said, if she didn’t die, she would have lost her house – either to property tax, tax liens, or deed theft. We have not put safeguards in place, specifically for seniors. They either sign or they don’t get to read their mail; they need support. The Attorney General [Letitia James] and New York City have a housing and homeowners hotline that nobody talks about.


The tax liens–you get a water bill– some people pay the estimate, and not the actual bill, and so the bill rises and rises, and you are sitting in a house that is worth maybe a million dollars, and somebody buys your tax lien for $10,000, and you lose your home. We have to do a better job of communicating with our community.”


There are 18 community boards, and Edwards said he “intends to be at these community boards during constituent hours so that seniors don’t have to jump on Access-A-Ride and come all the way to Borough Hall. We will have a housing expert, an immigration expert, and folks to help navigate the bigger issues for folks.”


Creating a “space of comfort and information so they are not getting bamboozled,” Edwards told Our Time Press, that “seniors need personal interaction. We have gotten so busy with our lives that we have forgotten the people who raised us.”


His mom, Elenora Bernard, 77, a career public servant, was murdered in her home in Flatbush in July 2022 by a man she had once assisted. Edwards said, “I have a guilt that if I had just visited her more…that is something personal to me.”


He noted, “I am the person I am today because she loved me fiercely and believed that service through leadership wasn’t optional — it was necessary to improve the lives of others.”
Early voting begins on June 14th.


“I am feeling really good. My only fear is that we as a community do not come out and vote. City politics is so much different than federal politics. Every vote counts. I could beat this guy by one vote if that one person shows up. People really have to understand how important their power is. You can make a choice in the landscape that you see.”

“Bizness Girl” Etophia Lane Brings 2025 Juneteenth Tech Conference to Brooklyn

Fern Gillespie
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“Bizness Girl” Etophia Lane Brings 2025 Juneteenth Tech Conference to Brooklyn

Fern Gillespie
Some of the country’s leading Black innovators in tech from AI to ChatGPT to online gaming will be celebrating Juneteenth at the 2025 Juneteenth Tech conference at the S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library on June 21. Admission is free.


“Juneteenth Tech is convening Black tech leaders, influencers, and supporters of the Black tech community during Juneteenth celebrations in New York City to discuss and present solutions to the racial technology gap,” Etophia Lane, creator and executive producer for Juneteenth Tech and president of Bizness Girl, told Our Time Press. “We are going to celebrate the freedom that Black people are now experiencing in tech. Even though we’re still struggling, we’re taking much more control as you see with our different communities.”


The conference is co-hosted by LevelUp, a workforce development initiative out of the Brooklyn Public Library specifically for Black women. Lauren C. Dorvil, director of the LevelUP, works to help Black women get to the next stage professionally and build wealth. Last year, LevelUp was one of 20 grantees of Google’s 2024 Tech Equity Collective Impact Fund. Conference panels include:


Code, Culture + Community Building a More Inclusive Tech Ecosystem in New York. This panel will examine the current state of diversity in the New York tech scene, the gaps, and how to foster inclusivity. From strategies for improving representation in tech, promoting access to funding for Black tech founders, and creating spaces for Black technologists to thrive.


Future Forward Tech Education and Empowerment for the Next Generation of Black New Yorkers This panel will discuss programs and initiatives that are equipping the next generation of Black tech professionals with the skills to succeed in New York’s growing tech sector. Discussion on importance of tech exposure and tech boot camps and how tech companies provide exposure into the industry.


Transformative LeadHERship: The LevelUP Cybersecurity Experience. This panel will feature LevelUp Tech graduates and instructors in a Fireside style chat.


Navigating Tech Careers as a Black Professional in New York. This panel will share experiences about navigating career advancement in tech, the importance of networking, and advice for young Black tech professionals.


Juneteenth Tech 2025 will salute Jerelyn Rodriguez Williams, founder of the nonprofit tech education program The Knowledge House in the Bronx. “She wanted to make sure that tech education made sense for not only just for the youth, but also for adults. So it’s not just training our youth,” said Lane.

“Many people sometimes think education is about getting the kids into high school or training them when they’re in elementary school. But, what about the adults education? You have people who are just wanting to find a job, change and find the pivot. So it’s really making sure that New York has those resources for marginalized communities.”


Some of the Black women tech innovators at Juneteenth Tech include Quanda Francis, a tech entrepreneur, engineer and global leader in artificial intelligence, who created WombWatch AI, a healthcare AI for every stage of a woman’s life. Erin Reddick, AI Developer and Founder of ChatBlackGPT, an AI software providing perspectives from the Black and African American communities.

Madonna Wambua, Google Android expert and owner of Jibu Labs, a multidisciplinary digital creative lab focused on innovation, emerging technology, and creating solutions for businesses to thrive in the digital era. Jaye “letta J” Watts, a former Grammy nominee and Stanford grad, who founded CoExist Gaming, a tech firm that includes CoExist GameHouse, a Manhattan multi-level gaming space offering a variety of amenities like music studios, podcast areas, and green screens.


An entrepreneur for 20 years, Lane is the owner of Bizness Girl, a small business development consultancy company based in Brooklyn. She specializes in consulting nonprofits and small businesses on major projects in tech, education, fashion, mental health and corporate sponsorships. A graduate of the LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts and Hampton University, she is also a national advisor for ForbesBLK, Forbes Magazine’s global community for Black professionals.


“The Black tech community building is awesome. Now, how can we get the funding that actually mirrors the community building,” said Lane. “I don’t have the same community sponsors that I had last year. Google Tech Equity Collective is no longer. They were my community sponsors. They were my community partners last year. If you go to the page, it’s not existing.”


Last year Google announced 20 grantees of its 2024 Tech Equity Collective Impact Fund. It was a $1 million commitment to organizations driving equity in the tech and creating a more inclusive tech ecosystem for aspiring Black technical talent through reskilling, upskilling and training programs. This year, Google abruptly cancelled all of its DEI initiatives.


“I don’t even know what diversity is going to look like in the next couple of years,” said Lane. “That is why Black people must take their own reigns and that is why we must empower ourselves to not just through education, but open up our own tech companies. We’re smart enough.”
To register for Juneteenth Tech, contact the Brooklyn Public Library LevelUp.

Macmillan announces N.J. Sen. Cory Booker’s “Stand” for 11/11/25 Release

David Mark Greaves
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Macmillan announces N.J. Sen. Cory Booker’s “Stand” for 11/11/25 Release

“Senator Cory Booker captivated Americans across the political spectrum in early 2025 with his remarkable 25-hour speech on the Senate floor, when he spoke out eloquently and forcefully against … relentless challenges to civil liberties, government institutions, the rule of law, and our nation’s international standing.

In the process, Booker outlasted the record for longest continuous Senate floor speech set by segregationist Strom Thurmond during a filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which was delivered at another time of great uncertainty for our country when it felt like the odds were hopelessly stacked against justice and unity.


” ‘Stand’ is a celebration of the Americans who … championed the uniquely American values central to making our nation a more perfect union, despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It is also a guide for today: leadership … comes from action and example.
“Cory Booker is the senior United States senator from New Jersey.

Booker earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Stanford University, attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and earned a law degree at Yale University. He served as mayor of Newark for seven years before becoming New Jersey’s first Black senator, and only the fourth popularly elected Black senator in US history.

Booker is a national leader in the effort to expand economic opportunities and reform our criminal justice and healthcare systems.”
-Macmillan Publishers

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