Brooklyn Borough President Race: Where Things Stand

BROOKLYN, NY — With five weeks remaining until the June 22 primary elections, the stage is set for the competitive race to become Brooklyn's next borough president.

Twelve candidates have put their hat in the ring to replace Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who is vying to become New York City's next mayor in the 2021 elections. Four out of the city's five borough presidents will leave office this year because of term limits.

Borough presidents are responsible for advocating for their borough in the city's budget, appointing community board members, deciding on local initiatives and projects to fund and offering a vote on land-use items during the review process.

In the coming weeks, Patch will publish the results of question-and-answer forms sent to each candidate, shedding light on each person's policy priorities.

But in the meantime, a look at minimal polling, financial data and endorsements can provide some clues as to how each campaign is faring.

The Candidates

First, a brief recap of who's running in the Democratic primary:

• Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.: Cornegy is the current City Council Member for Brooklyn's 36th District, which covers Bed-Stuy and parts of Crown Heights.
• Antonio Reynoso: Reynoso represents North Brooklyn's 34th District in City Council. He is perhaps most known for a bill that overhauled the city's waste industry.
• Jo Anne Simon: Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon has served in Albany since 2015. She was also the first female District Leader and State Committeewoman for the 52nd Assembly District and a leader in several local organizations.
• Kimberly Council: An ordained minister, Council is also the former executive director of the Berean Community and Family Life Center and president of the East New York Housing Development Corporation.
• Khari Edwards: Edwards is a local organizer who most recently served as the first vice president of color at Brookdale Hospital, where he was vice president of external affairs.
• Robert A. Elstein: A self-described "outsider to politics," Elstein is a longtime public high school teacher who says Mayor Bill de Blasio's handling of schools during the coronavirus pandemic was the final straw in motivating him to run for office.
• Mathieu Eugene: The first Haitian elected to the New York City Council, Eugene is coming up on the end of his term-limited reign leading Brooklyn's 40th City Council District, which includes parts of East Flatbush, Flatbush, Crown Heights and Midwood.
• Pearlene S. Fields: With a campaign framed as an alternative to career politicians," Fields is a member of Community Board 17 and has worked in business administration at various nonprofit organizations.
• Anthony T. Jones: Jones serves as a district leader for the 55th Assembly District and ran for assembly in 2014, when he was beaten by Assembly Member William Boyland Jr.
• Robert Ramos Jr.: Ramos served as president of the DC37 Local 205 Daycare Workers Union and is a member of the City University of New York (CUNY) Board of Trustees.
• Lamor Miller-Whitehead: Whitehead-Miller is a bishop with the Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches in Carnarsie.
• Trisha N. Ocona: A more recent addition to the race, Ocona is a small business owner and an advocate against predatory housing in Brooklyn.

The Polls

Unlike City Council races, the borough president election has had some insight into the mind of voters through polling, though only one major poll has been completed so far in the race.

That poll — completed by The Benenson Strategy Group on behalf of pro-charter school group StudentsFirstNY — included six candidates widely considered the frontrunners in the race.

It showed that while half of voters still don't know who they are voting for, the two candidates in the top spots are council members Robert Cornegy Jr. and Antonio Reynoso.

Each of the Brooklyn council members received 10 percent of the first-choice votes from the more than 500 Democratic primary voters surveyed who live in Brooklyn, according to the poll.

Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon was not far behind with 8 percent of the first-choice votes, followed by local organizers Khari Edwards and Kimberly Council, who had 7 percent each.

The poll surveyed a total of 1,558 Democratic voters about races across the city.

It also included simulations of rank-choice voting, which will be used in the June primaries. In that simulation, Reynoso beat out Cornegy after five rounds of voting.

The Money Race

In terms of fundraising, the race is tight between Cornegy, Reynoso and Simon.

With $1.27 million raised of combined private and public funding, Simon holds a slight lead over the other two candidates, according to the most recent filings. She has raised the most private money of any of the candidates, with about $405,000 in donations from more than 2,500 contributors, according to the filings and an interactive map outlining contributions.

Cornegy trails only slightly with $1.14 million in total funding. He has received the most public funding of any candidate — nearly $794,000 — and has raised about $347,000 from more than 1,600 contributors, the filings and map show.

Reynoso, in third place, has received a similarly large amount of public funding. He has raised a total of $1.02 million, $761,000 of which is from public finances and about $260,000 of which is from private contributors.

Only two other candidates — Edwards and Council — have qualified for public money, according to the filings. Edwards has a combined public and private funding total of $750,000, to Council's $480,000.

Of the candidates without public money, Whitehead holds a massive lead in terms of private funding. He has raised more than $200,000, though nearly 30 percent of the donations have come from donors outside of New York City, according to the interactive map.

Eugene and Jones have both raised nearly $60,000 and Ocona has raked in almost $28,000. Ramos, Fields and Jones each have less than $10,000 each, filings show.

Who's Endorsing Who

Only three of the 11 candidates include a list of endorsements on their website.

Cornegy, Reynoso and Simon all have more than 30 endorsements from elected officials, local organizations, unions and public figures.

In Cornegy's corner are several unions, two democratic clubs, several state and city legislators — including City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo — and celebrity supporters like Tracy Morgan and Spike Lee.

Reynoso's supporters include the Working Families Party, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Cynthia Nixon and several family members of victims of police violence, including George Floyd's brother.

Simon has been endorsed by more than a dozen state legislators, U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, the United Federation of Teachers, the Lambda Independent Democrats and several other organizations.

On Whitehead's endorsement page are several entertainers, including recording artists Fivio Foreign, Maino, Tasha Page Lockhart and Feby.

Though not listed on his website, Edwards has gained support from U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke, Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, several state lawmakers, the Progressive Democrats Political Association and other organizations, according to his campaign staff.