LES Chooses 26-Year-Old NYCHA Resident As Next District Leader

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — A 26-year-old public housing resident secured a seat as district leader after winning the primary Tuesday, election results show.

Jonathan Gardenhire, of New York City Housing Authority's Smith Houses, defeated Andrew Ford and claimed the title of Assembly District 65, Part B male district leader with more than 62 percent of the vote, Board of Elections results show.

Gardenhire took 501 votes in his assembly district, which covers the Lower East Side and Manhattan's tip, while Ford took about 34 percent and just 296 votes, results show. He will serve a two-year, unsalaried term.

"At this time of weary transition, with upcoming city council, mayoral, and presidential elections, I look forward to galvanizing the community and inspiring a new generation of voters to transform the Lower East Side to a safer, better connected, better informed community," Gardenhire said Tuesday.

Gardenhire ran with fellow NYCHA resident Diana Aldahondo — male and female district leader candidates often run as a pair — but Aldahondo lost to the current female district leader Daisy Paez.

Paez won re-election in the primary with 55 percent against Aldahondo.

In the East Village's Assembly District 74, Aura Olavarria, backed by local pols, won with 52 percent of the votes against Jasmin Sanchez, a 2017 City Council candidate.

Olavarria wrote on Twitter, "I couldn't have done it without an outstanding support network ... [Community Land Trusts] on the rise, CHARAS here we come and Baruch needs a new TA room ASAP!"

Olavarria won the primary alongside John Blasco, of NYCHA's Jacob Riis Houses who also works in community engagement for City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who ran uncontested.

Such and amazing win! I couldn’t have done it without an outstanding support network, so many moving pieces to make this work Con fuerta! CLT’s on the rise, CHARAS here we come and Baruch needs a new TA room ASAP! @Blasco4LES pic.twitter.com/mUpq7CUWWK
— AuraDL 歐拉 歐拉維利亞 (@AuraDL2) June 26, 2019

In the final days leading up to the election, candidates and their supporters posted fliers throughout the neighborhood, urging neighbors to vote.

The lesser known, but competitive, primary was not without drama.

In Paez's district, anonymous last minute flyers posted at the Grand Street Guild accused Paez of anti-semitism, though it is unclear when or where Paez allegedly made comments the flyer accuses her of. She called the move "desperate" and said she submitted the flyer to a community affairs office at the NYPD.

This is what you do when you become desperate in an election you sale your soul to the devil for a vote you can’t earn by your own merits. #SHAMEONYOU #FOR25YEARSIHAVEBEENWORKINGFORAJEWISHAGENCY #ITISOBVIOUSYOUFAILDOINGTOURHOMWORK I move forward with dignity and positivity pic.twitter.com/oVsLM1Fjxc
— Daisy Paez (@DaisyPaezLES) June 25, 2019

Sanchez walked through the district with a megaphone to inform voters of her campaign.

Dueling posters were posted in front of storefronts and on light posts in the neighborhood for Sanchez and Olavarria.

And then this happened. #VoteJasminSanchez on #TuesdayJune25th I’ve been around before this campaign and will be around after this campaign. Community organizing occurs every minute of the day for me. #OurLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/54lZXmMGgS
— Vote Jasmin on 6/25 (@peopleforjasmin) June 24, 2019

Read Patch's previous profiles of the candidates and district leaders-elect.