6 Dem Candidates Battling to Succeed Deborah Glick in Assembly District 66

Nearly a month out from the Assembly District 66 Democratic primary, the six hopeful candidates vying for the nomination of Deborah Glick’s seat are leaning in.

The district represents much of southwestern Manhattan, comprising the neighborhood of Greenwich Village, Tribeca, SoHo, NoHo, a small portion of Battery Park City, the Meatpacking District, and Union Square.

Jeanne Kiely has lined up support from most of the Democratic establishment, including Glick, who has held the seat for 35 years. Most recently, on May 14, the nonpartisan civic watchdog Citizens Union took the unusual move of endorsing two candidates: Ryder Kessler and David Siffert. Since it is a state election, it is winner-take-all; there is no ranked choice as there is in city elections.

So far, the Republican Party has not put up a candidate for the seat in the heavily Democratic district, so the June 23 primary election takes on added weight with the winner having an easier path to victory in November.

Kiely is a Democratic district leader and member of CB2, of which she was previously the chair. She is also the co-founder of the Literacy Academy Collective, which serves students with dyslexia in the city.

Kessler is a member of Community Board 2 and the executive director of the Abundance New York Fund, an organization that educates New Yorkers about local government. Siffert is a civil lawyer and law professor at New York University.

Candidates Furhan Ahmad, Corinne Arnold, and Ben Yee are also running for the seat.

Ahmad is a former EMT, NYPD officer, and FDNY firefighter. Arnold is the board president of her co-op, who founded EZ Election Solutions, a service that runs elections for co-ops and condos. Yee is a Democratic State Committee Member for the district and works for an education technology startup.

As the race enters its final weeks, Straus News asked the six candidates what their top priorities would be in the seat. Here were the takeaways.

All in on affordability

Nationwide, affordability has been a defining campaign issue among the Democratic Party. Each candidate listed affordability as a top priority, with many focusing specifically on the affordability of housing.

Kessler, who has also worked with Abundance New York, a group that advocates for increased housing, says the issue is personal to him. Kessler grew up near Washington Square and has seen the rents skyrocket.

The district includes two of the neighborhoods that have seen the highest rent increases since 2020 in all of New York City, according to a report by Bloomberg.

One of these, SoHo, has seen the largest percent increase in the entire city in that time frame, with rents increasing by 60%. The median rent in both SoHo and Tribeca is nearly $8,000.

“New York City is in the depths of a housing crisis, and AD66 is experiencing particularly unaffordable rents,” Siffert said. “We can’t keep waiting for handouts to developers to ‘trickle down’ to everyday New Yorkers.”

As a civil lawyer, Siffert has previously fought for lower housing costs. In order to remedy the current issue, Siffert’s plans would include investing in affordable housing and taxing vacant and warehoused units to help pay for expanded housing vouchers.

Ahmad agreed with Siffert and is in favor of funding the Housing Access Voucher Program. Among several other policies that would expand affordable housing and protect against evictions, he also said he would fight to fund supportive housing for LGBTQ+ youth and people experiencing homelessness.

Kiely, who also serves as the president of the Friends of the Elizabeth Street Garden, acknowledged that the rising cost of housing requires a layered solution.

“Energy remains a large part of housing costs, and NYS must embrace green energy and subsidize investments to ensure affordability,” Kiely said.

Kiely, Ahmad, and Yee also mentioned combating the cost of healthcare as a top priority. Both Ahmad and Kiely said they support the New York Health Act, which would create single-payer healthcare, a type of universal healthcare. Yee said he would also fight for new universal healthcare programs.

On quality of life

Quality of life and the safety of streets were also heavily mentioned by the candidates.

Ahmad, Arnold, and Yee specifically mentioned the importance of the reform of the current response to the city’s mental health crisis. Ahmad has worked closely with the issue during his 23 years in public safety.

“Mental health crises need mental health responses, not police as the only call, which is why I support Daniel’s Law and the expansion of programs like B-HEARD,” Ahmad said.

Daniel’s Law is a proposed state legislation that would utilize mental health professionals to respond to mental and substance use crises instead of police officers. B-HEARD pairs EMTs and mental health professionals to respond to mental health-related 911 calls. The program is not currently available throughout the entire city, including downtown Manhattan.

Arnold offered a similar stance, saying: “Public safety and quality of life starts with accountability and enforcing laws that are already in place. We need to support the police, while expanding mental health response services.”

Arnold has also focused on the regulation of high-speed e-bikes, which have become a controversial albeit growing issue. Though they pose less of a threat to pedestrians than vehicles, opponents of e-bikes say they often do not abide by traffic laws and block sidewalks.

Kiely and Kessler also mentioned that changes that prioritize the safety of pedestrians, including from speeding bikes, are necessary.

National issues, local solutions

Yee, Siffert, and Kessler also made statements on their plans to combat the policies being ushered in by President Donald Trump.

“New York must do more to protect the rights of the marginalized and stop MAGA power grabs,” said Kessler, who started the downtown Hands Off NYC chapter, a nonviolent resistance group that opposes federal intervention in the city, including by ICE.

Both the city’s main ICE Field Office, 26 Federal Plaza, and Immigration Court, 201 Varick St., are located within the district. Currently, the Department of Homeland Security is seeking 150 parking spots near the Varick Street location.

Siffert also said that protecting immigrants was a priority and aligns with banning ICE from New York and making it a sanctuary state.

Yee and Kessler both also mentioned the importance of protecting voters’ rights. The president has no constitutional authority to set election policy. However, the Trump administration has issued two executive orders related to elections. Various Democratic organizations have sued over the orders and say they limit citizens’ access to voting.

“We need concrete laws that will use NYS resources to protect polling locations and stop Federal agents from intimidating voters or taking control of ballot boxes,” Yee said. “I have already worked with allies in the legislature to help create legislation that would protect poll sites from Federal agents.”

Saving Tony Dapolito

Straus News also asked the candidates what they think should happen to the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center. Toward the end of former Mayor Eric Adams’ term, the administration released plans to demolish the center and use funds to build a new affordable housing residential tower.

This decision faced extreme backlash from the community and preservationists, who want to see the 120-year-old building restored, as intended when it closed in 2020. However, the Parks Department has said the renovations would be too costly. Though Mamdani signalled that he would save the building during his campaign, he has not made any moves on that front since he took office.

All six of the candidates said that they supported saving and restoring the center. Ahmad mentioned the legendary outdoor mural painted by Keith Haring. Kessler and Kiely recalled the time they spent at the center, and Arnold mentioned protesting the plans. Siffert pointed out the center sits on parkland, which is scarce in the district.

Though he supports the restoration and reopening of the center, Yee offered a middle-ground perspective: build permanently affordable housing above the center in a way that matches the style of the original building.

Early voting for the primary begins June 13 in advance of election day, June 23.