Ruling: Nikki Lucas doesn’t lead the Brooklyn Dems

The Brooklyn Democratic Party’s reformer coalition may actually get a chance to reform.

In a series of decisions handed down in Kings County Supreme Court on Tuesday, Judge Peter Sweeney ruled against former chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and her allies, voiding rules changes they attempted to push through in August and September, as well as their election of Assembly Member Nikki Lucas as chair of the party’s executive committee. The rulings affirm that outgoing Rep. Nydia Velázquez is the chair of the county committee and thus the party’s current reigning authority. 

All this bodes well for Julio Peña III, the district leader from Sunset Park who the coalition of reformers want to elect as the party’s chair – albeit with a few caveats. Bichotte Hermelyn and Lucas could attempt to pass, again, the controversial rules that foiled reformers’ plans to elevate Peña in the first place. There’s also the possibility of an appeal. 

“Our legal team is reviewing the ruling and we are committed to delivering what the voters in Brooklyn demanded this past June, a party that works for all Brooklynites,” Peña told City & State in a text. “We must ensure that our party is accountable to the voters and ready to meet the moment.” 

Lawyers for reformers declined to comment at this time, citing a need to confer first. 

Reached Tuesday afternoon, Bichotte Hermelyn said she hasn’t looked through the rulings and had no immediate comment. Lucas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The battle between the two factions of the party certainly isn’t over yet. 

Notably, in one ruling, Sweeney said that the party must reconvene an organizational meeting of the county committee before it could elect a new leader. At the new meeting, which Velázquez would lead, the party would consider, debate and vote on any new party rules. It’s not clear what would happen at that meeting. But it’s expected that Lucas and Bichotte Hermelyn would control a majority of county committee votes by proxy, so the meeting would give them another opportunity to pass rules changes that would add members to the party’s executive committee, nullifying the majority reformers gained in the June primary election. At the same time, reformers would have an opportunity to organize and attempt to block such an effort on fairer footing. 

There will be more information about that meeting to come. The judge ordered both parties to return to court on Nov. 17 to discuss ground rules for the organizational meeting.