Maloney endorses Neeta Jain in race for open Queens council seat
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Rep. Carolyn Maloney (left) endorsed Neeta Jain in the special election for Queens Council District 24. Photo courtesy of Jain
By David Brand
Democratic District Leader Neeta Jain has picked up an endorsement from Rep. Carolyn Maloney in her bid to win an open City Council seat in Central Queens.
Jain, a practicing psychologist, is one of 11 candidates who have filed petitions to run in the February special election to replace ex-Councilmember Rory Lancman in District 24. The district includes Kew Gardens Hills, Briarwood, Pomonok and parts of Jamaica.
“Dr. Neeta Jain has been a dedicated community leader for decades, and she has worked tirelessly to expand access to mental health resources, support victims of domestic violence, and connect people with the resources they need throughout the COVID-19 pandemic” Maloney said Monday.
Jain became the first Indian-American woman elected as a Democratic District Leader in Queens in 2016. She is president of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Democratic Club.
Maloney is the first Queens member of congress to weigh in on the wide open race to replace Lancman.
The council district overlaps with Rep. Grace Meng’s district. A spokesperson for Meng did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Council District 24 election is scheduled for February 2, 2021 and will mark New York City’s first test of ranked-choice voting, where voters can list their top five choices for municipal office.
If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the last-place finisher is eliminated and voters who picked that candidate will have their second choice tallied. That process will continue until one candidate receives a majority of the vote.
There are no Democratic or Republican ballot lines to signal candidates’ ideologies, however. Special election rules force candidates to make up their own party names.
Thus, Jain is running on the Community First line.
Former Councilmember James Gennaro, a conservative Democrat, is looking to reclaim his old seat while running on the Queens Strong line.
Progressive organizer Moumita Ahmed (Mo For The People), small business owner Deepti Sharma (A Better Queens) and higher education executive Dilip Nath (Your Voice Matters) are also running. So are Jamaica attorney Soma Syed (Soma for Queens), real estate agent Michael Earl Brown (United Citizens), community leader Mujib Rahman (Unity) and Angelo King (King for Queens).
Jain isn’t the only mental health expert in the race. Retired psychologist Howard Nieman is is also in the mix, though unlike Jain, he is a conservative. He’s running on the Law and Liberty Party line.
There has already been some intrigue in the race: Republican Committeeman Philip Grillo filed paperwork to run, but is attempting to give up his “Save Our City” ballot line to conservative attorney Leo Jacobs.
Gennaro is challenging the move in court.
