Bayside Hills District 23 Council Race: Lee Faces vs. GOP Reilly

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — When voters in Bayside Hills cast ballots in the general election they will see two names on the ballot for the 23rd District City Council seat, which represents a large swath of northeast Queens including Bayside Hills and Douglaston.

One is Linda Lee, a nonprofit leader who beat a field of seven other Democrats this summer, becoming the party's choice to succeed Council Member Barry Grodenchik, who was eligible to run for a second term, but chose to retire. Her opponent is James Reilly, who secured the GOP nomination in a primary race against Alex Amoroso.

Lee is favored in the Nov. 2 general election given the district's growing blue electorate, which conforms with most of New York City.

Her campaign itself, however, was not uncontested; while Lee secured the most funds in the district and a handful of endorsements during the primary, she faced competitions from Jaslin Kaur, who drummed up considerable support from progressives, including the likes of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

The two candidates didn't see eye-to-eye on many issues, notably including policing. Lee committed to working with the NYPD, as well as other stakeholders, in community safety efforts, whereas Kaur supports the movement to defund the police and invest in social services and evidence-based justice solutions.

As a result of these, and other stances, Kaur was deemed "too dangerous" to elect by a political action group that's been criticized for its ties to Donald Trump.

In the weeks leading up to the election, however, both Lee and Kaur spoke out about being targeted in the race; both candidates said that they faced sexism from several of their male opponents while running for council.

Lee reported that a candidate directed a misogynistic message about mothers at her, and Kaur said in a statement that two of her male opponents "waged a full-on misogynistic campaign of intimidation against me, my neighbors, and my supporters."

Since the primary, many of the other Democrats who ran for office have endorsed Lee; Kaur is notably absent among them.

Reilly, meanwhile, has run a finance and business-centered campaign, crediting his background in those industries as what sets him apart from other candidates and qualifies him for the City Council position.

"With deep roots in the community and a hard-earned background in finance, compliance, and business, James Reilly knows exactly how the city runs," his website reads.

Early voting for the general election, which runs from Oct. 23rd through 31st, is already off to a slow start. Voters can find their poll site and view a sample ballot on the Board of Elections website.

To learn more about each candidate visit Linda Lee and James Reilly's websites.