Queens Borough President Special Election Date Set

QUEENS, NEW YORK — The special election for Queens Borough President will be held on Tuesday March 24, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced.

“I encourage all eligible Queens residents to vote in the upcoming special election,” de Blasio said Friday. "

Five candidates hope to claim the seat left vacant by Melinda Katz, who became Queens District Attorney Wednesday after defeating Republican Joe Murrayin November.

Council members Costa Constantinides and Jimmy Van Bramer, former Council member Elizabeth Crowley, and former National Latino Officers Association Chairman Anthony Miranda have until Jan. 14 to gather 2,000 signatures needed to claim a spot on the ballot.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams has endorsed Van Bramer, lauding the District 26 Democrat as a progressive candidate who spoke out against Stop, Question, Frisk and the city's new jails plan, the Daily News reports.

“Jimmy has shown courage time and again to do what’s right," Williams said. "I’m proud to endorse his grassroots bid to be our next Queens Borough President.”

The candidates are slated to appear in a series of public forums across Queens before the election.