Full Breakdown
Brooklyn Democratic Party Bylaw Overhaul Sparks Intra-Party Conflict
8/26/2026, 10:20:39 PM
The Vote That Redrew the Executive Committee
On Tuesday night, Brooklyn Democratic Party district leaders convened at the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club in Mill Basin and approved a package of bylaw amendments that adds 26 new seats to the party’s executive committee. The changes expand the committee from 42 to 68 voting members, creating additional positions for each Assembly district and for newly elected county committee members. The vote was conducted behind closed doors; journalists were barred from entry, and club windows were covered to limit visibility. Party chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn left the venue through a back door and declined to comment to reporters on the floor.
Background: Power Dynamics in Kings County
The Brooklyn Democratic Party’s executive committee has long been the engine that selects polling locations, awards patronage jobs, and influences judicial elections. Reform-aligned district leaders, organized under New Kings Democrats and the Brooklyn Can’t Wait coalition, secured a majority of the 42 district-leader seats in the June primary—an outcome that would have allowed them to elect a new chair for the first time in nearly two decades. Facing the prospect of losing her six-year tenure, Bichotte Hermelyn called the Tuesday meeting and pushed the rule changes she framed as “reforms” to broaden representation.
Data & Statistics
- Existing structure: 42 district leaders comprised the executive committee.
- New seats: 26 additional voting positions were added, raising the total to 68.
- Representation: Two district leaders represent each of Brooklyn’s 21 Assembly districts, totaling 42.
- Reform bloc: 22 newly-elected district leaders, many of whom had not yet taken office, backed a slate to install Julio Peña as chair.
- Potential support: Bichotte Hermelyn’s allies, including former Assemblywoman Annette Robinson and former congressman Ed Towns, are being vetted for the new seats.
Criticism & Opposition
Reformers and several elected officials condemned the amendments as a power grab that subverts voter intent. Brooklyn Borough President Brad Lander warned that the party has become “self-dealing” and “corrupt,” benefiting a tiny handful of insiders.
Verbatim Quotes
- “What’s going on in there is a miscarriage of the will of the voters,” — Luke Ohlson
- “What Rodneyse is doing is a power grab, and it is pathetic. It is undermining the values of the Democratic Party at a time when we need leaders, every single leader in our city, to be pushing back against Trump’s divisive MAGA agenda,” — City Councilwoman Shahana Hanif
- “For too long, the Brooklyn Democratic Party has been allowed to be about self-dealing, about who gets the Surrogate’s Court contracts, about a set of pretty corrupt things that help a tiny handful of people enrich themselves and cling to power,” — Brad Lander
- “They are an attempt to circumnavigate the will of voters,” — Zohran Mamdani, mayor
- “We are fighting so people can be included. Isn’t that a better Democratic party?” — Renee Collymore
What’s Next
The revised bylaws will take effect before the party’s September organizing meeting, where the newly expanded executive committee is expected to vote on the chairmanship. Reform-aligned leaders have pledged to challenge the changes at that meeting and are preparing additional legal action to contest the amendments.
