NYC Mayor Endorsement

A member screening committee interviewed the top five candidates in the upcoming primary.

With the Primary Election to determine the Democratic Party candidate for New York City Mayor fast approaching on June 24, Union members have spent months interviewing those who have thrown their hats into the ring.

The process began with a poll being sent to all 1199ers who are registered Democratic voters in the city. More than 1,200 members responded, which is an unusually robust sample of opinion from which to draw conclusions. The poll showed 72 per cent of respondents agreed that members should endorse a candidate in the mayoral race who would support the members’ interests in turn.

Following the poll, each division was invited to recommend 1199ers who might want to take part in a member screening committee. After a short training workshop, the members who volunteered spent about a dozen hours interviewing five of the most viable candidates. Each mayoral candidate was asked questions based on what the wider membership identified as key concerns in the poll. The candidates who took part in the screenings were: Andrew Cuomo, Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Zellnor Myrie and Zohran Mamdani.

After each question-andanswer session, the screening committee discussed the responses and how closely they aligned with the priorities of the wider membership. Both Brad Lander and Zohran Mamdani impressed the screening committee members. But the consensus reached around who was most likely to deliver

improvements to the lives of working people in New York City, was overwhelmingly in favor of endorsing the former New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo.

Of the 50 members on the screening committee, 22 attended all five screening calls. Yonette Wilson, an 1199 Delegate and Dietary Aide at One Brooklyn Health Interfaith Hospital in Brooklyn said: “Cuomo was on point. We need somebody who will stand up and fight alongside us. I work in a safety net hospital. I don’t know where I would go if Mr Trump has his way and cuts billions of dollars out of Medicaid.

“Being the mayor is a big job, and you have to have experience, and you cannot back down. Cuomo is definitely the most qualified of the candidates.”

1199 RN Delegate Barbara Moody praised the process to determine who the Union would endorse.

“We had a very candid and comprehensive debrief after speaking with each candidate. It was good to hear everyone’s perspective and point of view. Other members brought up issues that I hadn’t even thought about.”

Prince Pennington, another 1199 Delegate who has worked as a Radiology Tech at Northwell Health Syosset Hospital since 1998, said he also leaned towards Brad Lander.

“I’m the kind of person who takes a while to buy a car. I do a lot of research. Early endorsement did not make any sense to me. We had to listen to all the candidates,” he added.

“A lot of 1199 members work in safety net hospitals or nursing homes which depend heavily on Medicaid reimbursement, so that they can be paid proper wages and provide quality care,” said Pennington. If Medicaid were to be cut, it would also have a dramatic effect on the NYC budget. “Cuomo stood tall against Trump during COVID,” said Pennington, “So I think he is the best person for the job now.”

Sandra Diaz, a Home Health Delegate with the Premier agency also referenced the pandemic, in regard to voting for a Cuomo endorsement: “I watched him every day during COVID. He gave me comfort and helped me feel safe in my home.”