Brooklyn County machine backs candidate against Lincoln Restler

Brooklyn Democratic Party Boss Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn is adamantly backing one of her allies Sabrina Gates in her last-minute campaign to challenge New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler, hoping perhaps she’ll be a thorn in the progressive incumbent’s side as he seeks a third term. 

This won’t be the first time that Restler and Gates – a longtime Brooklyn Heights resident, community advocate and the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s secretary and deputy director – have been on the same ballot vying to represent the 33rd Council District. While the former ultimately emerged victorious in the competitive 2021 Democratic primary for the North Brooklyn seat, Gates also ran, although she came away with just 5.5% in the first round of ranked choice voting. Restler comparatively got just shy of 50%. 

The two are slated to be the only candidates on the Democratic ballot for the June 24 election after Gates started petitioning a little over a week before the April 3 filing deadline. (Restler argued in court last month that Gates’ campaign improperly collected signatures, alleging that some of the witnesses who submitted many of them to the board of elections weren’t actually present when they were gathered. A Brooklyn judge ultimately ruled against the challenge, arguing Restler didn’t provide enough evidence to boot Gates from the ballot).

It’s likely that Restler will again win reelection this time around. He’s raised around $74,000 and has roughly $28,000 in the bank, according to the most recent campaign finance filing. New to the race, Gates has yet to report any fundraising. She told City & State that she plans to hold her first fundraiser in two weeks and hopes to soon qualify for public matching funds. Having the powerful chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party in her corner will no doubt be helpful.

Bichotte Hermelyn told City & State that she’s “fully” supporting Gates’ campaign, describing her as a leader who “builds bridges,” knows the community and approaches issues with nuance. It’s unclear at this point whether that support will include aid with fundraising as a spokesperson for the party did not respond to City & State’s inquiry about the matter.

“As Brooklyn’s first woman Party Chair, I see a lot of myself in Gates: with her passion, tenacity and excellent leadership in the Brooklyn Democratic Party nearly every day, despite unfair, biased criticism,” Bichotte Hermelyn said in a statement. “District 33 needs a leader who is unifying, knows how to get things done in the Democratic Party, and listens to the concerns of all the district’s diverse community members – who all have unique, multifaceted needs and pressing issues.”

But that support appears to be also tied to a desire to oust Restler – someone who has openly criticized Bichotte Hermelyn and other top party officials’ leadership. In 2008, he helped found the New Kings Democrats, a northern Brooklyn political club aimed at reforming the Brooklyn Democratic Party. That was before Bichotte Hermelyn became chair in 2020, but efforts to reform the party have continued over the years since. Restler has also regularly supported the reform district leader candidates.

Expanding on her support for Gates, Bichotte Hermelyn charged that Restler has been “divisive in many ways” as a council member. 

“Voters tell me frequently that he takes a narrow view based on his personal agenda and the views of groups supporting his political aspirations, and too often ignores the needs of the people,” she said in a statement. “Even if he is a ‘trust fund baby’– as he is called by many  – having sincerity, compassion for the voiceless, vulnerable and being open-minded is something that should be required.”

Restler said he believes it’s clear that Bichotte Hermelyn is targeting him because he’s challenged the “corrupt cabal” of Bichotte Hermelyn, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and Frank Carone – the mayor’s former chief of staff and the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s former legal counsel. He claimed Bichotte Hermelyn called several people in the district upset that they were helping him with the petitioning process and weren’t on board with Gates. 

“Her fingertips are all over this one. This is a county machine special,” Restler said. “We will continue to stand up to the corrupt machine at every turn until we defeat it once and for all. It comes with the territory that Mayor Adams, Rodneyse Bichotte and Sabrina Gates will take me on.”  

Gates said that Bichotte Hermelyn was “not at all” involved in her initial interest in running for the seat. She said several people had reached out to her to express their desire for change in the district, adding that she’s particularly interested in addressing issues related to low reading levels, trash, the environment, affordable housing and some of the public safety concerns that have frequently popped up within the district.   

“Did I ask what Rodneyse thought about it? Of course, I value her opinion. She’s a strong leader. Do we always agree? No, but of course I’m going to get her perspective,” Gates said.