UES Council Candidates To Face Off In 1st Neighborhood Forum

Upper East Side NY

08 March, 2021

2:56 PM

Description

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — For the first time this primary season, the candidates for the Upper East Side's hotly contested City Council seat will come together this week for a neighborhood forum. The forum, at 7 p.m. Thursday, is hosted by the East 72nd Street Neighborhood Association. It will bring together seven major contenders for the District 5 seat, which is being vacated by Ben Kallos, who cannot run again. (An eighth candidate, Mark Foley, registered an account with the city in recent weeks but has little visible campaign presence.) Candidates will be quizzed on four main community issues: homelessness, the proposed New York Blood Center expansion, police reform and public safety, and the condition of the East River Esplanade. To join the meeting, sign up in advance via Zoom. The participating candidates are: Billy Freeland, Rebecca Lamorte, Julie Menin, Kim Moscaritolo, Tricia Shimamura, Chris Sosa and Marco Tamayo. The open seat in District 5 is one of more than 30 across the city, as term limits will install new members in nearly two-thirds of the City Council's 51 seats. Kallos, who has represented the neighborhood since 2014, is running for Manhattan Borough President. Fellow incumbent Keith Powers is seeking re-election in neighboring District 4. Upper East Side Patch will have ongoing coverage of the City Council race ahead of the June 22 primary, including candidate responses to the issues raised in our neighborhood survey.