Darma Diaz

Darma V. Diaz is an American politician. She is the New York City Councilmember for the 37th district, which includes Bushwick, East New York, Cypress Hills, Ocean Hill-Brownsville, and Brownsville, Brooklyn. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected unopposed in December 2020 following the resignation of Rafael Espinal.[1][2] Councilwoman Diaz now presides as Chair of the New York City Council's Committee on Women and Gender Equity.[3]

Darma Diaz
Member of the New York City Council from the 37th District
Assumed office
January 1, 2021
Preceded byRafael Espinal
Personal details
Born1969
Brooklyn, New York
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materBoricua College (BA)

Personal life

Diaz was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents are both Puerto Rican Americans; her father was a veteran and her mother a small business owner in North Brooklyn. She has one adult child, Alisson N. Diaz, who works as a law enforcement Peace Officer in New York City.[4] After receiving a Bachelor's in Human Services at Boricua College, Diaz pursued a career in community organizing and social work.[5]

Early career

Prior to her tenure on the New York City Council, Diaz had accumulated more than four decades' worth of experience in community and public service, including a brief stint where she worked as a staffer for then Assemblyman Edolphus Towns.[6] As a young mother, Diaz was a victim of spousal abuse and was temporarily homeless.[7] In the twelve years leading up to her 2020 campaign for City Council, Diaz worked as a social worker for OverComing Love Ministry, where she assisted families experiencing homelessness with finding housing and employment.[8]

New York City Council

2009 election

After working for Towns for ten years, filed to run for City Council was back in 2009. After being challenged for insufficient signatures, she ultimately did not make the ballot.[9]

2020 election

Diaz filed to run for the District 37 special election, following the resignation of Council-member Rafael Espinal.[10] A nonpartisan special election was scheduled for April to fill the vacancy for the remainder of his term. They also scheduled a primary election to take place in June to nominate candidates for the November general election; the winner of this election would take office in 2021.[11]

Among the hopefuls for the special election were Diaz, former State Assembly candidate Sandy Nurse, founder of Bangladeshi American Community Development & Youth Service Misba Abdin, and former City Council candidate Kimberly Council. Another hopeful, Rick Echevarria, a former administration official for mayor Bill de Blasio, ultimately opted to skip the special election in favor of preparing for the June primary.[12]

Due to concerns over COVID-19 in March and April, Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo first postponed, and then canceled, the special general election scheduled for late April.[13][14][15][16] The competition for the remaining June primary only grew more embattled from there as a subsequent executive order from the governor's office lowered the number of signatures each candidate would require to get on the state's ballot by 30%, meaning candidates would only need to gather 135 valid signatures to run for City Council instead of 450.[17] In response, the city's Board of Elections ruled that the reduction wouldn't apply to the District 37 race.[18]

A volley of legal challenges ensued. Although a Kings County Supreme Court judge reversed the Board of Elections' decision and ordered that the candidates who had reached the lower threshold be allowed to compete with Diaz, a late-April decision by the state court Appellate Division led to the other candidates being dropped from the ballot again.[19][20] Ultimately, this decision held, and Diaz was left to run unopposed in both the June primary and November general elections.[21][22][23]

2021 election

In the June 2021 Democratic primary, three of the candidates who were dropped in the 2020 election will run against Diaz for her seat on the council. While Diaz is well-backed by the Brooklyn Democratic Party, she faces intense criticism over the manner in which she was elected in 2020. Some have alleged that the "party machine" was behind getting her opponents kicked off the 2020 ballot.[24][25][26]

References
  1. Roberts, Nigel (November 23, 2020). "Community Board 5 Welcomes Councilwoman-Elect Darma Diaz, Discusses Gentrification". Canarsie Courier. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  2. "District 37". Darma Diaz. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  3. Shahrigian, Shant (January 6, 2021). "Exits from NYC Council Cause Leadership Changes". Daily News. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  4. "Darma Diaz". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  5. "Darma V. Diaz | New York City Campaign Finance Board". www.nyccfb.info. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  6. "New pols hit old walls: Local candidates bring fresh blood but trip on procedural snags". nydailynews.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  7. "Biography". Darma V. Diaz. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  8. Pereira, Sydney (February 17, 2020). "Here's Who Is Running For Brooklyn Council Seat After Rafael Espinal Resigned". Gothamist. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  9. "New pols hit old walls: Local candidates bring fresh blood but trip on procedural snags". nydailynews.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  10. "Rafael Espinal Resigns from City Council 'Effective Immediately,' to Serve as E.D. of Freelancers Union". BK Reader. January 27, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  11. Roberts, Nigel (January 7, 2021). "Councilwoman Darma Diaz Gets Down to Business for District 37". BK Reader. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  12. Pereira, Sydney (February 17, 2020). "Here's Who Is Running For Brooklyn Council Seat After Rafael Espinal Resigned". Gothamist. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  13. "Darma Diaz". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  14. Saul, Stephanie; Corasaniti, Nick (March 15, 2020). "New York Officials Weigh Delaying April Primary Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  15. "No. 202.12: Continuing Temporary Suspension and Modification of Laws Relating to the Disaster Emergency". Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. March 28, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  16. "No. 202.24: Continuing Temporary Suspension and Modification of Laws Relating to the Disaster Emergency". Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. April 25, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  17. "Councilwoman Darma Diaz Gets Down to Business for District 37". BK Reader. January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  18. Coltin, Jeff (April 27, 2020). "Darma Diaz talks smack after opponents kicked off ballot". City & State NY. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  19. Coltin, Jeff (April 30, 2020). "Darma Diaz not alone after two others make the NYC Council ballot". City & State NY. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  20. "Darma Diaz Last Candidate Standing After Court Ruling". Kings County Politics. May 11, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  21. Duggan, Kevin (May 11, 2020). "Judges boot Darma Diaz challengers from B'wick Council race again • Brooklyn Paper". www.brooklynpaper.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  22. Coltin, Jeff (April 27, 2020). "Darma Diaz talks smack after opponents kicked off ballot". City & State NY. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  23. Michel, Clifford (June 15, 2020). "Primary Day Is Next Week. Here Are Key Contests to Watch in New York City". THE CITY. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  24. "Political Machines Still Churning Despite Coronavirus Pandemic". www.ny1.com. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  25. "Councilwoman Darma Diaz Gets Down to Business for District 37". BK Reader. January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  26. Khurshid, Samar. "Newly-Seated Brooklyn City Council Member Quickly Faces Tough 2021 Primary". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
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