Hey folks 👋🏾
It’s that time of year again. No, not the holidays - voting season. So, for those of you eligible to vote in New York, here’s a breakdown of what you’re voting for and why YOU NEED TO VOTE!
Key Dates:
Voter Registration Deadline - Sat, Oct 24
Mail Ballot Request Deadline - Online/Mail, Sat, Oct 24
Early Voting Period - Sat, Oct 24 - Sun, Nov 1
Mail Ballot Request Deadline - In Person, Mon, Nov 2
Election Day - Tue, Nov 3
Why should you vote? Because sitting on the sidelines is dumb AF and does NOTHING to help our (or your) current situation! New Yorkers are concerned about data centers, cost of living, and immigration and you should know where candidates stand on these issues.
First, what are the roles and how do they impact the lives of regular New Yorkers? The Governor sets the state’s yearly budget, appoints leaders of state agencies such as the Department of Education, and grants pardons and commutations for state offenses. The Comptroller ensures that state and local governments use taxpayer money effectively and efficiently, administer the state’s retirement system for public employees, maintains the state's accounting system and payroll, reviews state contracts and audits payments. The Attorney General guards the legal rights of the citizens of New York, its organizations and its natural resources, provides legal counsel to the Executive Branch of State government, and oversees the investigations of the New York State Organized Crime Task Force and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The current AG will preside over the Cornell 6 trial at the request of the Governor. The State Supreme Court justices serve 14-year terms, preside over divorce, separation, and annulment proceedings, handle criminal prosecutions of felonies, and decide civil matters over $25,000.
What’s on the ballot? (Full list here)
Governor: While I can’t say I agree with everything she’s done, Kathy C. Hochul is the better option. Hochul was born in Buffalo, NY and has spent a majority of her campaign advocating for small businesses, which you know is very important to me as a co-founder of BK Rant and Rave. In Hochul's first few weeks in the House of Representatives, she co-sponsored bills to streamline the passport acquisition process and offer incentives for clean energy development. In 2023, Hochul advocated that the federal government expedite work permits to migrants to address a surge of immigration to New York, writing to President Biden, "For me, the answer to these two crises—a humanitarian crisis and our workforce crisis—is so crystal clear and common sense. Let them get the work authorizations; let them work; legally, let them work."
In 2025, her office enacted provisions to ensure that schools remain a safe zone from federal immigration agents (ICE). She is also a founder of Kathleen Mary House, a transitional home for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
You may recognize her running mate’s name from my mayoral candidate breakdown earlier this year. Adrienne Eadie Adams (no relation to that other dude) is the Speaker of the New York City Council. She led the most diverse and the first women-majority Council in New York City history. She is also the first-ever African-American Speaker. Adams started her career in public service on the local community board after a nearly two-decade career in the private sector as an executive trainer and childcare instructional trainer. Under her leadership, the Council passed meaningful reforms that advanced maternal and reproductive health, made housing more affordable, and expanded support for crime victims. She’s also a member of the first Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.
State Comptroller
Thomas DiNapoli vs. Joseph Hernandez
While I admit that I have not followed the careers of these men to this point, I have learned a lot by watching their debate. Joseph Hernandez leveled several hot-button accusations about campaign funding and his lack of effectiveness in the role. Thomas DiNapoli, however, challenged Hernandez to prove any of these claims. "If you are accusing in any way that any action was taken in response to that, you better come up with the evidence. You're very loose with your words," he said.
In digging into their speeches and socials, I found that Hernandez, a Cuban immigrant who comes from a background in biotech and finance, made it clear he opposes Gov. Kathy Hochul's data center moratorium. In his bid for mayor last year, he advocated for more police and echoed Trump’s talking points on DEI and socialism…so, I think I’ve made up my mind on who’s not getting my vote.
Attorney General
I’m voting for Letitia A. James. Moving on.
Justice of the Supreme Court - (you have to vote for 6)
I’m a bit annoyed that there is not enough information about the candidates who will sit on the Supreme Court, but I did find some that I feel are going to actually serve New Yorkers.
Sienna Fontaine - I am all for a public servant and community organizer to be on the Supreme Court. Judge Fontaine is the General Counsel at Make the Road New York, a community-based membership organization that aims to build immigrant and working-class power through organizing, education, policy reform and support services. She graduated from NYU School of Law in 2007, and was a recipient of the Vanderbilt Medal for Community Service and the LACA Public Service Award. At NYU Law she served on the executive board of the Black Allied Law Students Association and was an editor on the Review of Law and Social Change.
Jeffrey W. Rizzo - Rizzo began his career as a public defender at the Legal Aid Society in the Bronx. Although his civil practice focuses primarily on civil rights litigation where he sues the police and government for wrongful arrests and police brutality, he also has extensive experience in personal injury and commercial litigation. His practice Levy & Rizzo, LLC offers a free initial consultation to help determine if they are eligible to benefit from New York’s criminal record sealing law.
Amy S. Taylor - Although there is not have a lot of information about her 25-year legal career, Taylor is a lecturer at Columbia Law School promoting refugee and immigration rights and part of legal organizations committed to disseminating information to protect vulnerable communities. Her social pages are filled with information, support, and advocacy so I can rock with that.
Kathleen Waterman-Marshall - While certainly not a perfect candidate, I’m always partial to a born-and-raised New Yorker running for office in the city. Marshall was born in East Harlem and raised in Manhattan and volunteers her time to encourage young people to understand their rights and pursue a career in law. She recieved her B.A. in the Honors Program in Liberal Studies from Adelphi University (on scholarship as she is the first in her family to obtain a college degree) and got her J.D. from New York’s Cardozo School of Law. She was the first judge to interpret and apply an amendment to the Domestic Relations Law that now requires the court to consider domestic violence in the distribution of marital assets, thus redressing upon a divorce the real harms of emotional and physical abuse and financial coercive control that occurred during the marriage.
Manuel J. Mendez - Mendez is a Dominican-American graduate of Fordham University specializing in criminal defense. He’s received numerous awards from local and international Bar Associations and State, Local and International governmental organizations and was elected to the Supreme Court of the State of New York in 2012. He coordinated the New York City Asbestos Litigation in April 2018 where he presided over all toxic torts and products liability asbestos related cases, personal injury, and medical malpractice.
Saliann Scarpulla - Not sure how I feel about a Boston U grad sitting on a court in NYC, but her career is impressive. Scarpulla received her B.A. degree from Boston University in 1982 and her J.D. degree from the Brooklyn School of Law in 1986. Judge Scarpulla ruled that a lawsuit against the Trump Foundation could proceed in the Supreme Court of New York in New York County. Scarpulla accused the president of breaching his obligation to the Donald J. Trump Foundation nonprofit by allowing his campaign staff to plan a fundraiser for veterans ahead of the 2016 Iowa caucuses, thus giving his actions political motive. The ruling decided against the Trump Foundation's efforts to dismiss the case.
In an effort to not make this email an Odyssey-like epic, I encourage you to look at what else is on your ballot by visiting vote.nyc so that you can review proposals and the candidates for other courts. If you’re able to vote early, do so! There is a lot of effort to keep people from voting or bribe them to vote a certain way. I love to see it. Why? Because that means our vote is so valuable that folks want to stop us. They are relying on apathy or disillusionment to keep us from voting in our best interests and making sure that government works for all of us. Honestly, if you’re vote didn’t matter, folks wouldn’t be trying so hard to block it.
Please make sure you are registered to vote and that you exercise this right…while you still can.
For those who missed it… (drum roll, please) we are hosting one final event for 2026!
SAVE THE DATE for Link and Drink: Friendsgiving!
