Brooklyn Democratic Party Bylaws Overhaul Sparks Internal Conflict

Brooklyn Democratic Party district leaders convened in the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club in Mill Basin for a closed-door meeting that lasted nearly four hours. The leaders voted to amend the party’s bylaws, adding dozens of new seats to the Executive Committee and expanding representation to include leaders from every Assembly District. The changes were approved with the support of 21 district leaders, including eight who had lost their primary races earlier that June. The vote cleared the way for incumbent chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn to seek re-election amid a threatened loss of her position.

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In the June primary, a reform slate backed by New Kings Democrats and the Brooklyn Can’t Wait campaign flipped enough district-leader seats to secure a majority for the first time in nearly two decades. Reformers intended to use that majority to elect Julio Peña as the next party chair. Facing the prospect of being ousted after six years, Bichotte Hermelyn called an unscheduled vote to alter the bylaws, framing the amendments as “reforms” that would “expand leadership” and “expand representation.” Critics argue the new seats will be filled by loyalists, diluting the influence of the newly elected reformers.

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Election lawyer Mark Hanna, representing the reformers, reported that a judge declined to intervene before the vote because of insufficient evidence of irreparable harm, and the lawsuit is expected to be refiled.

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Former district leader Renee Collymore, now a volunteer liaison and the party’s 7th vice-chair, said the amendments are meant to include more voices but suggested that many elected officials opposing the vote were pressured. She also framed the controversy as a survival struggle for entrenched politicians.

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• “What’s going on in there is a miscarriage of the will of the voters,” — Luke Ohlson

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• “We are fighting so people can be included. Isn’t that a better Democratic party?” — Renee Collymore

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• “These are politicians, what do you expect of them. It’s about survival for a lot of these people,” — Renee Collymore

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• “She’s not fighting for survival. We are doing our job right now.” — Renee Collymore

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