Julie Menin Wins Upper East Side City Council Election

Last updated 10:56 p.m.

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Julie Menin has been elected to the City Council on the Upper East Side, easily defeating Republican Mark Foley in Tuesday's general election in District 5.

With about three-quarters of votes counted as of 10:56 p.m., Menin was leading in lopsided fashion, with about 74 percent of the vote to Foley's 25 percent. The New York Times and NY1 both called the race in Menin's favor.

Menin, 54, prevailed in a crowded Democratic primary in June, defeating six other candidates. The outgoing director of the city's 2020 Census outreach campaign, she has also worked as the head of two city agencies and led a Lower Manhattan community board.

Foley, 60, appeared on the Republican and Liberal Party lines. He runs a consultancy and real estate firm, and said he is unaffiliated with any major party, though his campaign followed conservative themes.

Both candidates were vying to succeed Ben Kallos, the well-known incumbent who has represented District 5 since 2014. Kallos, who was prevented by term limits from running again, ran unsuccessfully for Manhattan Borough President, finishing in third place behind eventual winner Mark Levine.

For more Upper East Side news, subscribe to the email newsletter from Patch.

Given the neighborhood's heavy Democratic advantage, Menin had been favored to win in District 5, which covers Yorkville, Roosevelt Island, and parts of East Harlem and Midtown East. Still, the area has a conservative streak compared to other parts of Manhattan: the district was represented as recently as 1995 by Republican Charles Millard, and Republican Lou Puliafito earned a third of the vote last year in his unsuccessful challenge to State Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright.

To represent the neighborhood that my mother years ago came to as a Holocaust survivor, to build a better life, is a tremendous honor. This community that gave her hope and a better life is one I am so proud to represent. 2/3
— Julie Menin (@JulieMenin) November 3, 2021

Before running for the City Council, Menin served as commissioner of the city's Department of Consumer Affairs and the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. In the years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Menin lived in Lower Manhattan, where she founded the recovery-oriented nonprofit Wall Street Rising and chaired Community Board 1. Menin ran unsuccessfully for borough president in 2013, finishing in fourth place.

In this year's Democratic primary, she ran a more centrist campaign than most of her progressive opponents, frequently invoking crime and public safety and pledging not to support large cuts to the NYPD budget. She came under scrutiny for the large sums of money her campaign received from outside groups, which spent over $387,000 boosting her campaign — more than on any other primary candidate.

That influx, which largely came from pro-business, real-estate-oriented groups, prompted criticism from Menin's rivals, who asked why wealthy interests had such a stake in her campaign. Menin, who was legally barred from coordinating such donations, said she disavowed "all outside spending."

Once she takes office in January, Menin's first term will last only two years instead of the usual four, due to a quirk in the city charter related to the recent census and the redistricting process that follows it.

In the Upper East Side's other City Council race, incumbent Democrat Keith Powers was re-elected for a second term against Republican David Casavis in District 4.

Related District 5 coverage:

• Upper East Side City Council Race: Mark Foley Challenges Menin
• Upper East Side City Council Race: Julie Menin Seeks Open Seat
• Menin Likely Winner In UES City Council Race As Rival Concedes
• Upper East Side City Council Race Hangs In Ranked-Choice Balance
• Big Bucks Pour Into Upper East Side Council Race As Primary Nears