A ‘naked power grab:’ BK Dems rally against proposed rules change

Reformers inside the Brooklyn Democratic Party rallied Monday, casting the county organization’s current leader Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn as a Trump-like election denier in a last-minute bid to prevent her from pursuing what they described as an audacious power grab in the party.

“We are here because the 2020 MAGA playbook of trying to steal an election is being used not by Donald Trump, but by the Democratic county leader here in Brooklyn,” state Sen. Andrew Gounardes said in front of a crowd of reform supporters on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall. “Their county leader is saying, ‘Go find me the votes. Go find me the votes.’” 

“What is being thought about being done tomorrow is one of the worst representations of how this party has operated for such a long time,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.

Thanks to a wave of new district leaders voted into office in June, Bichotte Hermelyn lost her majority foothold in the party, paving the way for a new, reform-minded leader – Julio Peña III – to be voted in as chair in the coming weeks. But Bichotte Hermelyn, who’s also an Assembly member representing Central Brooklyn, isn’t giving up without a fight – one that opponents argue is illegal. 

Party leadership put forward proposed new rules that would greatly expand who can vote for chair, effectively diminishing the power of the newly elected district leaders.

The crowd gathered in opposition to that effort included Peña, Gounardes, Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander, Assembly Members Bobby Carroll and Jo Anne Simon and Council Members Shahana Hanif and Alexa Avilés.

But even more voices have joined them in opposition – including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (both Brooklynites), city Comptroller Mark Levine and, earlier on Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “I’m very much opposed to the proposed changes by the current Brooklyn Democratic Party chair,” Mamdani told City & State at an unrelated press conference. “I oppose them because they’re an attempt to circumnavigate the will of the voters, and what we should see is a Brooklyn Democratic Party that is a reflection of what New Yorkers want to see.”

Earlier in the day, Peña and a handful of other Brooklyn Democrats filed a lawsuit to block Bichotte Heremelyn’s efforts, arguing in Brooklyn Supreme Court that the rules change is being orchestrated by a group of lame-duck leaders, who no longer have the authority to carry out major rules changes like what Bichotte Hermelyn is proposing. 

Hell Gate reported that the request for a temporary restraining order was rejected later on Monday for being premature. They could refile the suit if the rules changes pass.

Tony Melone, president of the reform club New Kings Democrats, told the outlet that the lawsuit was a backup plan and he hoped Bichotte Hermelyn would either back down to pressure to cancel the Tuesday night meeting or district leaders there would vote against her proposals.

Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Lander predicted that no matter what happens, the scheme would end badly for Bichotte Hermelyn. “I think it has already backfired. I mean even if she wins that vote and is able to cling to power, she has destroyed her own leadership and left the Kings County Democratic organization in tatters,” he said, referring to it as a “naked power grab.”

“I think she probably already has guaranteed a challenge for her seat in two years,” Lander added.

Bichotte Hermelyn did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.