UES Election Guide: What To Know About The Neighborhood's Races

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — We're still months away from November, but it's already election season on the Upper East Side — and in deep-blue New York City, the summer's primary elections tend to be the most consequential.

A slew of local races are on the ballot in Tuesday's primary election — from statewide contests for governor and lieutenant governor all the way down to neighborhood-level offices like State Assembly, state committee and more. (A second primary will be held in August for Congress and State Senate.)

Patch will bring you live coverage on Tuesday once the results start rolling in. (If you haven't voted yet, find your poll site or view a sample ballot here.)

In the meantime, here's everything you need to know about the Upper East Side's Democratic primaries, which include a bitterly-fought race for an open Assembly seat, an incumbent facing a progressive challenge, and a normally-sleepy election jolted by big-name outside spending.

State Assembly

District 73 (Carnegie Hill, Lenox Hill, Yorkville, Midtown East)

This four-way race to succeed retiring member Dan Quart has turned into something of a slugfest, marked by sparring over the candidates' residency, claims of improper fundraising, and accusations of dirty campaigning.

Flashpoints in the campaign included this month's dueling rallies for and against the MTA's plan to build an elevator on the northeast corner of East 68th Street and Lexington Avenue. Candidate Russell Squire sided with nearby residents who oppose the current plan, while others including Kellie Leeson and Alex Bores agreed with accessibility advocates who say construction should move forward.

All four candidates have raised tens of thousands of dollars from supporters and touted some notable endorsements: Adam Roberts from StreetsPac and the UNITEHERE! Local100 restaurant workers' union; Leeson from Assemblymembers Harvey Epstein and Emily Gallagher, Sen. Robert Jackson, and Planned Parenthood's Empire State Votes PAC; Bores from more than a dozen labor unions and DNC Vice Chair Michael Blake; and Squire from local organizations including the Stonewall Democratic Club, Sierra Club, and several police unions — plus former 73rd District Assemblymember Pete Grannis.

Some of the contenders have also benefitted from outside spending in support of their campaigns: Squire, as Patch previously reported, received contributions from a hedge fund founded by his brother, while Bores recently got boosted by a national Super PAC, "Protect Our Future" — founded by a cryptocurrency billionaire with the goal of preventing the next pandemic.

More important than the campaign trail drama, of course, are the policy positions held by each candidate. Patch asked all four about their positions on issues like affordable housing, public safety and more — view each person's profile by clicking their names below:

• Alex Bores
• Kellie Leeson
• Adam Roberts
• Russell Squire

A fifth candidate, May Malik, may still appear on the ballot despite having dropped out of the race and endorsed Leeson.

District 76 (Yorkville, Lenox Hill, Roosevelt Island)

The 76th District race will be a rematch — sort of — from its most recent primary in 2020, when activist Patrick Bobilin challenged incumbent Rebecca Seawright. In the end, Bobilin was booted off the ballot for residency issues following a legal challenge by allies of Seawright.

Now, Bobilin is back, accusing Seawright of being a "passive ally" who has not taken enough action on affordable housing, healthcare, climate change, and other issues. Seawright strongly defends her record, touting her advocacy for public schools, parks and infrastructure, as well as constituent services.

Read more about both candidates here:

• Patrick Bobilin
• Rebecca Seawright

District 68 (Yorkville, Carnegie Hill)

This district centers on East Harlem, but includes a slice of the northern part of the Upper East Side, above East 92nd Street. Here, incumbent Eddie Gibbs is being challenged by three fellow Democrats: Wilfredo Lopez, Tamika Mapp and John Ruiz Miranda.

Gibbs, alongtime political operative, took office in January after winning a special election to succeed Robert Rodriguez — making history as the first state lawmaker to have previously served prison time.

Lopez, an attorney and former City Council staffer, says his top priorities include improving affordable housing and NYCHA, and ending gun violence. Mapp, a businesswoman and state committee member, has said she is focused on reducing Harlem's "oversaturation of drug treatment centers," preserving housing for senior citizens, and removing illegal guns from the streets.

Both Mapp and Lopez have focused on Gibbs's initial co-sponsorship of the NYCHA rescue trust — a recently-passed law that supporters say will unlock millions in repairs, but critics suggested did not give tenants enough say in the future of their buildings. (Gibbs eventually voted against the bill.)

Gibbs, meanwhile, has touted the more than 150 bills he has either introduced or cosponsored so far, including legislation that would aid college students with disabilities and protect biodiversity in New York State.

John Ruiz Miranda could not be reached to share his policy positions.

Read more about the 68th Assembly District candidates by clicking the links to each of their profiles:

• Edward Gibbs
• Wilfredo Lopez
• Tamika Mapp

State Committee

In the 76th District, Democratic voters will also be tasked with picking two candidates for state committee — an internal party position that nominates candidates and handles other party matters.

As Patch reported last week, this normally-sleepy race has been rocked by an influx in contributions flowing to two candidates — Joyce Short and Marc Jonas Block — from bigwigs including the head of the state Democratic Party.

Short and Block are up against Jeremy Berman and Erica Vladimer, who are running as a slate for the divided male-female position.

State committee candidates are running unopposed in the neighboring 73rd District, so voters there will not see any such race on their ballots.

Surrogate's Court

In the more-obscure Manhattan Surrogate's Court judge race, Elba Rose Galvan, Verley A. Brown and Hilary Gingold are all vying for a single seat. All three were rated as qualified by the New York City Bar Association.

Surrogate's Court judges serve 14-year terms, ruling on matters relating to wills, estates, adoptions and guardianships.

For more info on statewide races for governor and lieutenant governor, check out this guide from THE CITY.

Follow Upper East Side Patch on Election Night Tuesday for live coverage as the results roll in.

This article has been updated to clarify the stated goals of Protect Our Future.