Longtime Harlem Pol Inez Dickens Drops Reelection Bid

HARLEM, NY — Longtime Harlem lawmaker Inez Dickens is ditching her reelection bid, she announced Monday.

“It has been a humbling journey to work as a servant leader in city and state government," said Dickens. "As I close this chapter of my life, the story is not over."

Dickens has long been a fixture in Uptown politics.

The moderate Democrat and landlord served Harlem in the City Council for 12 year before to becoming a state Assembly Member in 2017.

One of Dickens' final accomplishments was to help return the National Urban League to Harlem with the creation of the 400,000-square-foot Empowerment Center on 125th Street, which will house an Urban Civil Rights Experience Museum, office spaces and 170 units of affordable housing.

Dickens counted many longtime power brokers, such as Mayor Eric Adams and former longtime Rep. Charles Rangel, as allies.

"She's a legend," Rangel told the Daily News. "And she has a long history of producing for the community."

Last year, Dickens tried to re-enter City Council by running in a heated primary for Harlem's District 9 seat following former Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan's decision to not run for a second term.

Dickens ultimately lost the race by 25 points to a member of the exonerated Central Park Five, Yusef Salaam, who now chairs the powerful Public Safety Committee in City Council.

Rumors of her retirement began to swirl in December when Dickens, 74, suffered from two broken ribs after a fall.

And with this formal announcement, the race is on to replace the venerable Harlem elected official for the soon-to-be-vacant 70th District.

At the moment, a trio of candidates has formally thrown their hats in the race.

Shana Harmongoff, a 41-year-old former State Senate staffer and senior citizens advocate, called Dickens a "trailblazer and a dedicated public servant," and that "her legacy as a leader who produced for the community will be remembered and celebrated for generations to come."

Lifelong Harlem resident and activist Maria Ordoñez, 24, said that while she appreciated Dickens' service, it was "about time" that she retired for a new generation, according to the Daily News.

And Joshua Clennon, 31, an affordable housing activist and treasurer for Community Board 10, told the Daily News that Dickens is a "pillar in our community."

But one potential contender, Salaam's chief of staff Jordan Wright, is rumored to enter and could potentially upend the whole race.

Wright, son of another major Harlem power broker who was instrumental in Salaam's successful run, Manhattan Democratic Party boss Keith Wright, apparently set up a campaign donation page last week for a potential campaign, reported City & State.

"Jordan J.G. Wright is not just another candidate," the ActBlue page reads, "he's a workhorse for Harlem and symbol of resilience, community advocacy, and the unwavering belief in the transformative power of public service."

The younger Wright also managed Salaam's City Council campaign, and his father held the same Assembly District seat for almost 24 years until his retirement in 2016.

According to both City & State and the Daily News, Wright has yet to formally announce his campaign but would make a decision on running "soon."

The race is already getting dirty, according to Politico, reporting that a supposed AI-generated recording of party leader Keith Wright bad-mouthing Dickens has been circulating online.

The 10-second clip purports to capture Wright on a "hot mic," featuring the leader using profane language, Politico reported.

“Yeah, she’s not running, she’s done. I dug her grave and she rolled into it,” the audio said, according to Politico. “Lazy, incompetent — if it wasn’t for her, I’d be in Congress.”

The party boss denied the clip was authentic on Facebook.

"In an attempt to divide Harlem, someone created AI generated audio that was misogynist and disrespectful to the legacy of our esteemed Assemblywoman," Wright wrote.

"At a time where over 200,000 Black people have been forced to leave the City, we refuse to let outsiders fracture the unity we’ve built for generations. I renounce these lies and any other attempts to us my legacy to disrespect a daughter of Harlem."

Primary day is June 25.