On Tuesday night, Brooklyn Democratic Party chair and Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn successfully proposed a rule expanding the executive committee of the party from 42 to 68.
“I would just say don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched,” she said.
Critics said the changes were made to keep Bichotte Hermelyn in power after her allies lost primary races in June. She told NY1 that the changes were not about power but about representation.
“The picture that I am corrupt is false and inappropriate. And I don’t accept that, and the Black community doesn’t accept that, and all communities don’t accept that,” she said. “Anyone across Brooklyn who is a registered Democrat can vie for one of those seats, and we made it so general because we want people to participate.”
The assembly member told NY1 that even those district leaders who lost their races in June could potentially take one of the expanded leadership positions. Supported by powerful statewide Democrats, the reformers of the party are crying foul.
They said they plan to file another lawsuit challenging the meeting and the vote. The group contends that the process was illegal. The reformers’ leader, Julio Pena, said this after the meeting Tuesday night: “The fact that the folks who were voted out of office are making decisions for newly incoming people and it is limiting the voices of the folks who voted in their communities.”
District leader Shaquana Boykin, who is also part of the reform faction, said she’s disappointed by the changes to the party.
“I wanna continue to fight the good, cause I don’t want to fight to just fight. I feel like we’re all doing great work, but we are not doing it well in a democratic way,” she said.
Brooklyn heavyweights like House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and Attorney General Letitia James slammed the effort.
Bichotte Hermelyn brushed aside their critiques.
“I think everyone has a right to express their opinion on this, but they are only reacting to false narratives,” she said.
The party will meet again in September for an organizational meeting, at which time the expanded members of the executive committee will be voted on.
“There’s just frivolous complaints that are being put forth because many of these leaders or folks just don’t want to get with the program and accept that change is here. And the way we made the change was appropriate,” Bichotte Hermelyn said.
She said there are already people expressing interest in the seats but didn’t provide any names on Wednesday.