Julie Menin Runs Unopposed in CD 5; Vanessa Aronson Declares Candidacy in Council Dist 4
Jerry Ferguson, president of the Four Freedoms Democratic Club held a recent fundraiser in his home to add to Menin’s funds ahead of the 2024 election, even as she runs unopposed. And looking to 2025, Vanessa Aronson has entered the council primary race for the term-limited seat now occupied by Keith Powers, who’s already declared for borough president.
| 29 Sep 2024 | 12:43
Local activist Vanessa Aronson (center) is the latest to throw her hat into the ring to succeed term-limited Keith Powers in Manhattan’s district four City Council race. At least four others have said they covet the seat as well with a primary sometime in June 2025. (
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Elections come, elections go. Running for office seems like forever. And, with term limits, prospective candidates are always eyeing the next open seat. Some are praying. Others preying.
Come November 2024, City Council District 5 incumbent Julie Menin is up for re-election. The highly regarded Council Member didn’t have a primary and is running unopposed. So she’s hoping to help other Dems win. But running for office and helping other Democrats get elected still requires funds. So Jerry Ferguson, president of Four Freedoms Democratic Club, hosted a fundraiser for Menin in his home to a packed crowd of the party faithful and supporters. In a short speech, Menin reported on what she’s done and is doing on the Council, and her introduction of the “Safe Hotel’s Act” which will require every NYC hotel to be licensed through the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Onward.
And now for 2025. The City Council seat that will open in November 2025, when Keith Powers’ term-limited term is up, is generating lots and lots of interest. Powers said he’ll be running for Manhattan Borough President. Up until a week or so ago, there were four candidates who were fund raising–Faith Bondy, Rachel Storch, Ben Wetzler and Lukas Florczak–which I wrote about in an East Side Observer column in June “Heading to Hot 2025 Primary Battle.” We still have not hear from Lukas Florczak so we’re not sure of the status of his campaign. But now comes a fifth candidate, Vanessa Aronson who resides on the UES with her husband Reid Aronson, and two young sons, Levari and Tavi. Her background includes being president of the Lexington Democratic Club, Community Board 8 member, NYC public school teacher and working in nonprofit strategy. Aronson’s an alum of U of Chicago, Harvard, and Relay Graduate School of Education. At a recent meet and greet, she thanked her supporters and said, “I am absolutely thrilled by the outpouring of community support we’re seeing for the campaign. We’re building a winning coalition, and I can’t wait to speak with voters throughout District 4 about the issues that matter to them.” Welcome to the race
Vanishing Neighborhood News–Wankel’s, the forever hardware store on Third Ave between E. 88th and E. 89th Sts, is forever gone. It occupied two storefronts and after it was sold, each storefront was going to be occupied by separate businesses. One was to be Taim. Not happening despite at least a year’s worth of signage, all kinds of carpentry, fixing up, whatever. Remains empty. The second storefront is actually happening. It’s Mia’s Brooklyn Bakery. Not yet open, it has a location in Times Square and, obviously, in Brooklyn, where it was founded in 2015 in the borough’s Boerum Hill according to Patch.