One of the Council’s Newest Members Faces a Veteran Challenger and a New Voice

Three days before Christmas, Kevin Riley prevailed in a special election to fill the District 12 City Council seat vacated when Andy King was expelled. Now, Riley faces a primary as he tries to win the seat for a full term.

One of his opponents in December, Pamela Hamilton-Johnson, is again in the mix. A newcomer, Shanequa Moore, is also on the ballot.

The district covers a north central chunk of the Bronx, including the neighborhoods of Wakefield, Olinville, Edenwald, Eastchester, Williamsbridge, Baychester and Co-op City, and encompassing thousands of one- and two-family homes, NYCHA buildings and soaring residential towers.

Community District 12, which overlaps much of the Council district, has an abnormally high share of residents who are rent burdened—some 52 percent, above the Bronx-wide average—and also one of the lowest shares of people who are not English proficient, only 9 percent. Unemployment is relatively high at 6.3 percent, but the poverty rate of 20.9 percent is closer to the citywide average (19.8 percent) than the Bronx-wide figure (26.2 percent).

In its most recent statement of needs, Board 12 identified street-tree maintenance, quality-of-life issues like noise and graffiti and trash removal on commercial strips as the three most pressing issues facing the area.

King served the Council from 2012 until last August, when he was ejected over corruption allegations. King’s predecessor, Larry Seabrook, was also removed from the Council for corruption.

Riley, a former aide to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, won the December special election with 68 percent of the vote. Hamilton-Johnson, a local nonprofit leader, drew 25 percent and a third candidate, attorney Neville Mitchell, took about 3 percent. Turnout was about 7.5 percent.