Campaigns & Elections

Could Keith Powers be the consensus speaker candidate?

No one is really against him, but it’s not clear who will be his champion.

Council member and speaker candidate Keith Powers.

Council member and speaker candidate Keith Powers. Ron Adar/Shutterstock

It’s early days in the race for New York City Council speaker. New and returning council members will only whisper about who they might support. The likely incoming mayor is expected to put his finger on the scales for a preferred candidate but has yet to confirm it. Voting blocs led by influential Democratic county party leaders or members of Congress are still forming. It’s mid-October, less than three months from when the speaker will be officially elected, and the campaign is still happening behind closed doors. No public forums have been scheduled yet.

It’s a race that requires patience for someone like Council Member Keith Powers, who is one of a few people who have been campaigning for speaker for years. Powers and fellow speaker contenders Carlina Rivera and Justin Brannan have been lauded for hitting the pavement during the primary this year, endorsing and helping to elect new council members whose support they hope to secure in the speaker race. Since the primary, Powers has continued to forge relationships with Democratic nominees and returning members. He’s also working those closed-door rooms filled with the power brokers who have historically had influence in choosing the speaker. “I’ve met with and talked to almost every single incoming member. I’ve of course met with (Eric Adams). I’ve talked to labor. I’m at every big event,” Powers, who represents Midtown and the Upper East Side, told City & State recently. “Especially this year, you have to really build a coalition.”

In a year with several dozen new members – some of them on the far left and not aligned with the Democratic establishment – it’s unclear what those coalitions will look like. Several incoming council members have told City & State that they feel good about Powers, including some who said he was their top – if not final – choice. “We don’t know where this might go because it’s early in the game,” said one likely incoming council member who praised Powers and said they support him, but who asked not to be named because they haven’t made a final decision. “I don’t want to box myself (in), but I do know that Keith is one of the people on my list.” While Powers is regarded as a strong contender in the race, acceptable to progressives and a competitor for Adams’ support, it may not be enough to be on everyone’s list of maybes. “Just because you’re on someone’s list doesn’t mean you’re at the top of their list,” said one Democratic consultant who asked not to be named because they don’t want to get involved with the speaker race. “If you’re Keith, you want to be the last person standing and wait for other people to be eliminated.”

Powers has at least one undeniable strength going into the race: He is well liked. His record is generally free of major problems. “He is not a controversial person in the City Council. I think he’s a bridge builder,” said Council Member Ben Kallos, a Democrat who is term-limited and represents the Upper East Side. And while “noncontroversial” can often describe policy lightweights and lawmakers who don’t stick their necks out on any particular issue, that’s generally not Powers’ reputation. A former lobbyist with Constantinople & Vallone Consulting, the Manhattan lawmaker ran on a 22-point government reform agenda in 2017, and he now chairs the council’s Committee on Criminal Justice where he cites closing Rikers Island and dealing with the current crisis at the jails complex as priorities. (Replacing Rikers with borough-based jails, which Powers supported, is unpopular with some progressive Democrats, however.) Powers has said the council should continue to evaluate the NYPD’s budget and voted in favor of the 2021 fiscal year budget – though that budget was criticized by the left for not reducing the police funding enough.

Powers’ lane to victory is likely as a compromise or consensus candidate. While some insiders suggested Brannan might be too moderate for the incoming class of farther left council members and Rivera too progressive for an Adams administration, Powers may be able to please a broader coalition. But newer entrants into the speaker race, including Council Members Diana Ayala, Adrienne Adams and Francisco Moya, are competing for support too. Their districts include the outer boroughs and each has a strong case to make to win the backing of Bronx and/or Queens county leaders – seats of power that were decisive in electing Corey Johnson as speaker in 2017. As voting blocs and potential county alliances form, Powers will have to convince leaders – including Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Grace Meng and Hakeem Jeffries, and state Sen. Jamaal Bailey – that he is not just an acceptable candidate but the best one. Either that, or he’ll have to be the “last person standing,” as the Democratic consultant said.

There’s also pressure to elect a woman – in particular, a woman of color – to the council’s top role. The idea of another white male speaker from Manhattan in particular elicits some groans from people who want the council’s leadership to represent the actual diversity of the body. It’s not the only factor council members and other power brokers are considering. But if the speaker race is a war, this is a battle Powers and Brannan have already lost. “I think it’s not an easy road for Keith,” said Camille Rivera, partner at the progressive consulting firm New Deal Strategies. “I think with the way the dynamics of citywide elections come up, it’s going to be really hard to make an argument for another Manhattan person who is a white male to be able to make that lift. It’s not impossible, but it’s not going to be easy.”

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.