Jimmy Van Bramer Drops Out Of Queens Borough President Race

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer announced Tuesday he is dropping out of the race for Queens borough president, citing family circumstances.

His exit leaves seven candidates in the running for the March 24 special election to replace Melinda Katz, the borough's newly-installed district attorney.

The Long Island City councilman's decision to exit the race was first reported Tuesday in the POLITICO Playbook.

"Family circumstances have been weighing on me for some time, causing me to reconsider the timing and feasibility of this campaign," Van Bramer said in a statement. "Prioritizing my responsibilities as a son and brother is where my attention needs to be right now."

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"While this is a difficult decision, this is the right one for me and my family at this time," he said. "I will of course continue to fight for the working people of our borough and city everyday in the New York City Council and beyond."

Since Van Bramer became the first to announce he would run for Queens borough president, he has raked in endorsements from a bevy of high-profile progressive figures, including "Sex and the City" star and former gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, attorney Zephyr Teachout and political activist Shaun King.

He had more than $200,000 in his campaign coffers as of the last filing deadline, on Jan. 15, according to city campaign finance records.

An important message about our campaign: pic.twitter.com/WEvrk0j1UM
— Jimmy Van Bramer (@JimmyVanBramer) January 21, 2020

Van Bramer, who is term-limited in 2021, ran on a platform of equal justice for marginalized communities, supporting Queens arts and culture and serving as a check on real estate developers.

Still, he will have a number of opportunities to hop back into the race, as Queens voters are heading to the polls five times within two years to vote for borough president, according to THE CITY.

Whoever wins the March 24 special election will serve in the position for just nine months, THE CITY reported. A June primary election and November general election will decide who serves as Queens borough president for the year 2021, which would've been the last year of Katz's term.

The borough presidency is largely viewed as a ceremonial position, or a stepping stone to higher office, but borough presidents serve several important roles.

Notably, they are influential gatekeepers on major land-use issues in their borough. Though the borough president's written opinions on land-use proposals are only advisory, past borough presidents have managed to leverage that opportunity and get significant sway over city decisions.

The borough president appoints the community board members who vote on rezoning proposals and members of community education councils, which govern school districts.

They also help steer city funds to their borough and oversee a multimillion-dollar budget of their own, which they use to support community organizations.

Still in the race are City Council Member Costa Constantinides, former City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, mapmaker Danniel S. Maio, retired NYPD sergeant Anthony Miranda, former Assistant District Attorney Jim Quinn, City Council Member Donovan Richards and Bayside resident Dao Yin.

This story has been updated to correct the amount of money still in Van Bramer's campaign account.