Keith Powers Claims Victory In UES, Midtown City Council Race

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Democrat Keith Powers claimed victory in his race to maintain his District 4 seat on the City Council.

"From Stuyvesant Town to Carnegie Hill, I’m deeply grateful to the residents of District 4 for your continued support and confidence," Powers said in a Tweet. "I’ll never take that for granted."

With just over 95 percent of votes counted, Powers had secured 73.48 percent of the vote, or 12,148 votes, according to the city's Board of Elections. His opponent, Republican Brian Robinson had over 26.09 percent of the vote.

By 9:40 p.m., Powers was the projected winner, according to NY1.

Early tallies Tuesday showed low voter turnout across New York City, CBS News reported. In Manhattan, 110,859 voters had checked in to vote by 6 p.m., according to the city's Board of Elections.

Powers, a 39-year-old incumbent Democrat, is seeking a third term representing a chunk of the Upper East Side, as well as much of Midtown East, Stuyvesant Town, and Peter Cooper Village.

His opponent, newcomer and former finance business owner Robinson, cast himself as a lapsed Democrat and attempted a last-minute mudslinging campaign casting Powers as a so-called "Hamas coddler" in a widely-condemned District 4 mailer.

In neighboring District 5, Democrat Julie Menin claimed victory over Republican Elizabeth Golluscio. In 2021, Menin replaced Ben Kallos, who had represented that Upper East Side district since 2013 and was prevented by term limits from running again.

Powers currently serves as majority leader of the City Council and chair of the rules, privileges, and elections committee. Since his election in 2017, Powers has also pushed through legislation that eliminated bail payment fees, and in 2019 helped secure a deal with the city to maintain affordable housing at the Kips Bay Waterside Plaza complex for another 75 years.

In the past year, Powers has passed legislation on greening the city's municipal vehicle fleet, sought answers over the installation of 5G towers, put money towards homeless outreach in Midtown, worked on a citywide composting program, asked for more Upper East Side foot patrols on East 86th Street, and recently passed a health transparency bill aimed to more clearly label excessive amounts of added sugar at chain restaurants.

Patch reporter Emily Rahhal contributed to this report.