NYC City Council Elections: Everything You Need To Know In District 1

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — Although the incumbent City Council Member for District 1, Margaret Chin, is likely to be re-elected this year, she faces a number of critical opponents in Tuesday's upcoming primary. Chin is running for her third term as the representative for District 1, which includes the Financial District, TriBeCa, most of the Lower East Side, Chinatown and SoHo.

Chin faces a mostly clear road to re-election, with three other Democrats running to be on the party's ticket on Tuesday. Here's everything you need to know before Tuesday for the City Council District 1 primary elections.

Who are the candidates?

Margaret Chin appears likely to be re-elected to City Council for her third time, but has faced a number of critical constituents and opponents in her re-election campaign. Chin, the chair of the City Council's Committee on Aging, has been caught amid a fraught debate in lower Manhattan over development and the availability of affordable housing. Critics say the council member hasn't done enough to fend off luxury developers looking to move into the area, and particularly into the Lower East Side. 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.

Newcomer Christopher Marte has raised the most amount of cash after Chin. The 28-year-old, who has worked for IBM and the nonprofit Defy Ventures, has 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.

Other Democrats running in Tuesday's primary are Aaron Foldenauer, an attorney, and Dashia Imperiale, an artists and housing activist.

Brian Jung is the only Republican who has registered to run for the seat, although he's raised just $100 in donations, according to online records.

Where can I vote?

To find your polling place, enter your address here.

When can I vote?

The elections take place on Tuesday, September 12. Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Patch will be covering the results of the biggest races as they happen. For more information on the election, including results, subscribe to Patch's daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.

Image credit: Slaven Vlasic / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment