NYC City Council District 1 Primary Too Close To Call Tuesday Night

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — An unexpectedly close race for the District 1 City Council primary was too close to call on Tuesday night, leaving open the possibility that a two-term incumbent could be unseated by a political newcomer.

The unofficial election tallies on Tuesday night showed upstart Christopher Marte within 200 votes of incumbent Council Member Margaret Chin in a shockingly close race for the Democratic nomination. Marte, a 28-year-old with little political experience, faced an uphill battle against Chin, a two-term incumbent and chair of the City Council's committee on aging.

The NYC Board of Elections posted unofficial vote tallies on Tuesday night which showed that Chin had netted 5,220 votes to Marte's 5,020 votes, with 98.84 percent of the votes reported. It was not immediately clear early Wednesday morning whether the Board of Elections would call the race through a recount.

Chin had received a number of notable endorsements for re-election, not to mention more campaign funding than any other candidate. Despite these advantages, she found herself caught amid a fraught debate in lower Manhattan over development and the availability of affordable housing. Community members have grown increasingly frustrated as the area has gentrified and as developers have announced plans to bring up to five high-rise towers to the Two Bridges waterfront area. Last month, Chin proposed legislation that could block some o the high-rise towers planned for the area.

Chin's opponents in the District 1 race, however, say that she hasn't done enough. Chin is also one among a number of incumbent council member who has accepted thousands of dollars from real estate interests, according to City Limits. The real estate industry has donated $15,900 to her re-election campaign, comprising almost 12.5 percent of total donations to her campaign, according to City Limits. Chin's fundraising has surpassed all of her opponents; she's raised $127,184 in donations plus another $95,095 in matching funds, according to the campaign finance board.

Marte is a political newcomer who has worked for IBM and the nonprofit Defy Ventures. He raised $178,265 in campaign cash from contributions and matching funds, according to campaign finance filings. Marte's brother is the founder of ConBody, a the widely-profile Lower East Side workout studio that Coss Marte founded after he left state prison after he was convicted on drug charges.

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