{"id":326237,"date":"2026-08-20T23:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T23:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/326237\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T23:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T23:28:09","slug":"house-democratic-leader-jeffries-opposes-brooklyn-dem-overhaul-as-bichotte-hermelyn-faces-leadership-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/326237\/","title":{"rendered":"House Democratic Leader Jeffries opposes Brooklyn Dem overhaul as Bichotte Hermelyn faces leadership challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> is opposing Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn<\/a>\u2019s proposal to significantly expand the party\u2019s executive committee ahead of a fight over who will lead the county organization, his office told amNewYork Thursday.<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn rejected growing accusations<\/a> that the overhaul is akin to a power grab, saying the change is meant to spread decision-making power beyond the 42 district leaders who currently make up the voting membership of the party\u2019s executive committee and give more elected party members a voice.<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Assembly Member unveiled the plan on NY1<\/a> Wednesday amid an effort by reform-aligned district leaders to replace her with Julio Pe\u00f1a III.<\/a> During the same appearance, she said she had been speaking with Jeffries about the Brooklyn party and that they were \u201cworking hand in hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Jeffries\u2019 office said he had not spoken with Bichotte Hermelyn about the upcoming organizational meeting, was surprised by the proposal, and does not support it.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeader Hakeem Jeffries has not met with or spoken to Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn about the upcoming organizational meeting,\u201d spokesperson Justin Chermol said in a statement to amNewYork. \u201cHe was surprised by yesterday\u2019s announced plan to expand the executive committee of the Kings County Democratic Party and does not support it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn told amNewYork Thursday that her comments about Jeffries on NY1 referred to broader conversations about the Democratic Party, not the proposed rules change.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy saying that I\u2019m talking to Hakeem has nothing to do with the rules proposal,\u201d she said. \u201cI talked to him, [to] talk about the party. When I say the party, the general Democratic Party.\u201d<\/p>\n

On NY1, host Errol Louis had asked Bichotte Hermelyn whether she had spoken recently with Jeffries as the Brooklyn party heads toward its leadership fight. She said she had and discussed efforts to strengthen the party and regain seats lost in southern Brooklyn before adding, \u201cwe are working hand in hand with the minority leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn said Thursday that she would like to explain her proposal to Jeffries.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI completely understand where he\u2019s coming from, and it is his right,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is in his right to oppose what may seem to be a power grab.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proposal would reshape the body that chooses the Brooklyn Democratic Party\u2019s leader.\n<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn said that the executive committee, whose voting membership currently consists of 42 district leaders, would grow to more than 68 members. She said the new structure would include 26 County Committee executive officers with voting rights and would also add representatives selected from Assembly District committees.<\/p>\n

The party\u2019s current rules say its executive committee includes State Committee members elected from Brooklyn, people selected to fill vacancies in those posts and four County Committee officers \u2014 the chairperson, secretary, treasurer and assistant treasurer. But the rules specify that only the State Committee members, commonly known as district leaders, and people filling vacancies in those positions are authorized to vote. The executive committee elects its chairperson, who serves as the county party leader.<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn confirmed to amNewYork that the additional members envisioned by her proposal would be able to participate in the upcoming chair election.\n<\/p>\n

Asked whether the newly added executive committee members would be eligible to vote for county chair, she replied, \u201cYes, they will be. That\u2019s part of the decision making.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn, however, said she has not decided whether she will seek another term herself.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t made that decision whether I\u2019m running or not, and that\u2019s been a pending decision for some time,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n

She later added: \u201cThis is not about me. This is not about the chairmanship. This is about the people.\u201d
\n\"BrooklynAssembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.Photo by Dean Moses\n<\/p>\n

\u2018Anti-democratic power grab\u2019<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn has presented the proposal as an expansion of representation within a county party that she says puts too much decision-making authority in the hands of its 42 district leaders.<\/p>\n

In a statement announcing the proposal, Bichotte Hermelyn said the change was intended to give more Democrats a role in party decisions.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about building a Party where more people can lead, more people can contribute, and more people can shape the future of Brooklyn,\u201d she said. \u201cDemocracy works when everyone has a seat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement landed in the middle of a leadership battle that accelerated after June\u2019s Democratic primary.\n<\/p>\n

Reform-oriented candidates aligned with New Kings Democrats and Brooklyn Can\u2019t Wait won eight of nine contested district leader races, bringing their coalition to 22 of Brooklyn\u2019s 42 district leaders, The City Reporter<\/a> reported in July. The outlet reported that the 22 had pledged to support Pe\u00f1a for party chair.<\/p>\n

New Kings Democrats said Thursday that those 22 would constitute a majority of the existing executive committee once seated and called Bichotte Hermelyn\u2019s proposed expansion an \u201canti-democratic power grab.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis would be a flagrantly anti-democratic power grab, a return to the worst days of bossism,\u201d the group said, comparing the maneuver to one it said former Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez attempted two decades ago.<\/p>\n

The group accused Bichotte Hermelyn of trying to add \u201chandpicked party officers\u201d to the executive committee in order to remain in power.\n<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn rejected that characterization. She said the County Committee officers would be elected by County Committee members, not appointed.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not handpicked. This is not appointed,\u201d she told amNewYork.\n<\/p>\n

She also defended the timing of the proposed changes, saying Brooklyn Democrats have previously considered rules changes ahead of organizational meetings.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always proposed rules ahead of the county committee organization,\u201d Bichotte Hermelyn said. \u201cWe did it last year. We did it two years ago. We did it four years ago. So this is not uncommon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Party rules reviewed by amNewYork going back to 2020 reserved Executive Committee voting rights for district leaders. The party has made other rule changes expanding participation, including gender-related reforms in 2020<\/a>, but not an expansion of the committee\u2019s voting membership comparable to the one now proposed.<\/p>\n

Pe\u00f1a separately accused Bichotte Hermelyn of trying to override the effect of the June district leader elections.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a party boss throws out the party rules to overrule the result of an election, it echoes the same anti-democratic playbook we criticize from Republicans: consolidating power, limiting accountability, and treating voters as an obstacle rather than the foundation of democracy,\u201d Pe\u00f1a wrote on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrooklyn can\u2019t turn back to bossism and the worst days of Vito Lopez,\u201d he added.\n<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn denied that stopping Pe\u00f1a was the purpose of the proposed expansion.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d she said when asked directly whether the proposal was intended in any way to prevent him from taking control of the party.\n<\/p>\n

She also questioned whether the 22 votes claimed by Pe\u00f1a and his allies will ultimately hold.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not convinced that 22 leaders are voting for anybody because people tend to reserve their rights to vote until the day of the election,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n

Asked whether any of the district leaders publicly pledged to Pe\u00f1a had told her they might switch, Bichotte Hermelyn said her skepticism was based on her experience in previous party contests rather than on such conversations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a case from my experience,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Democratic Party\u2019s existing bylaws allow its rules to be amended by a majority of County Committee members or, when the County Committee is not in session, by a majority of executive committee members present at a meeting with a quorum. They require proposed amendments to be sent with notice of the meeting at least five days in advance.<\/p>\n

The current rules also call for County Committee officers to be elected before duly filed rules amendments are considered at the organizational meeting.\n<\/p>\n

The full text of Bichotte Hermelyn\u2019s proposed amendments was not immediately available to amNewYork Thursday.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn maintained that the proposal should be viewed as an expansion of participation, not a reduction in the influence of existing district leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cExpanding leadership is not dilution,\u201d she said. \u201cLet\u2019s be clear, it\u2019s democracy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn also preemptively defended the proposal against the prospect of a court challenge, arguing that the party\u2019s rules permit it to amend its own governing structure. \u201cThis is a legal thing that we\u2019re doing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The fight now moves to Tuesday, when the party is set to meet over the proposed rule changes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is opposing Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn\u2019s proposal to significantly expand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326238,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[122816,98,18390,100,99,4008,122817,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-326237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-assemblymember-rodneyse-bichotte-hermelyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-democratic-party","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-hakeem-jeffries","tag-julio-peu00f1a","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}