Full Breakdown
Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Succession Blocked by Court Order
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the first woman to chair the Kings County Democratic Party, announced she will not seek re-election as party chair. Before stepping down, she moved to add 26 new seats to the party’s 42-member Executive Committee. A state appellate court struck down the August 25 vote that approved the expansion as “null and void,” and a State Supreme Court judge issued a temporary restraining order on Tuesday to block the planned vote for her successor.
Background & Context
Brooklyn’s Democratic organization has a history of internal power struggles. In 2005, after former leader Clarence Norman Jr. was convicted, party bosses selected Vito Lopez as chair. Lopez later resigned amid harassment allegations. In 2010, Bichotte Hermelyn entered the arena by unseating an incumbent district leader and eventually became chair. During Lopez’s tenure, the Executive Committee was expanded with hand-picked at-large district leaders—a tactic echoed in Bichotte Hermelyn’s recent expansion.
Timeline
- 2005 – Leadership reshuffled after Norman’s conviction.
- 2010 – Bichotte Hermelyn defeats an incumbent district leader.
- 2022-2023 – Modernizes party operations.
- August 25 – Vote to expand the Executive Committee; later nullified.
- Tuesday – Bichotte Hermelyn announces she will not run; Judge Lisa Lewis grants a temporary restraining order.
- Oct. 6 – Hearing on the restraining order.
Data & Statistics
- Original Executive Committee size: 42 members.
- Seats added in the contested expansion: 26.
- County Committee slots: up to 5,000, many unfilled.
- Proxy votes secured by Bichotte Hermelyn and allies: “hundreds” per court filings.
Official Statements & Responses
- Judge Lisa Lewis issued the restraining order, citing the need to clarify the rules governing the chair vote.
- Attorney Mark Hanna, representing reformers, warned that proceeding under the nullified rules would let “dozens of new voting members” sway the outcome.
- Attorney Jason Adolfo Otaño noted that Nydia Velázquez, county committee chair, “consents to such a TRO.”
On-the-Ground Reports
When the Tuesday evening meeting venue remained empty, a small group of reform-aligned district leaders gathered outside, shaking hands and expressing optimism that the party’s “machine” was being checked. Reform-backed candidate Julio Peña III said he was “cautiously optimistic.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the number of proxy votes submitted and the exact composition of the proposed Executive Committee. The appellate court’s order nullified the August 25 vote but did not specify how many proxies would have been counted.
What’s Next
A hearing on the temporary restraining order is set for Oct. 6, where a judge will decide whether the pre-expansion rules or the contested new rules will govern the selection of the next Brooklyn Democratic Party chair. Until then, the party’s leadership remains in limbo.