Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn is pushing ahead with a vote to dramatically expand the party’s executive committee on Tuesday evening, despite fierce opposition from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York’s Attorney General, and local reform leaders who say the move is an attempt to consolidate power after losing control of the party in June elections.
Bichotte Hermelyn announced the rule changes on August 20, proposing to expand the executive committee from 42 voting members to more than 68 by adding 26 county committee officers and representatives selected from each of Brooklyn’s assembly districts. The vote is scheduled for Tuesday at the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club in Mill Basin.
The timing is critical: in June’s Democratic primary, reform-oriented candidates won 22 of 42 district leader seats, enough to elect Julio Peña III as party chair in a September vote. That coalition, Brooklyn Can’t Wait and the New Kings Democrats, has pledged to reshape the party and tackle its patronage-laden judicial nomination system. Bichotte Hermelyn’s proposed expansion would dilute their voting power by adding new members before the leadership election occurs.
Under the proposal, Bichotte Hermelyn told amNewYork that the newly added executive committee members would be eligible to vote in the upcoming chair election. She framed the expansion as a democratization of party decision-making, arguing that only 42 district leaders should not make decisions for 1.2 million registered Democrats in Brooklyn.
“This is about building a Party where more people can lead, more people can contribute, and more people can shape the future of Brooklyn,” she said in a statement. “Democracy works when everyone has a seat.”
Broad Opposition to the Changes
Jeffries’ office said the House Democratic Leader was “surprised” by the proposal and “does not support it.” State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs said that while expanding representation “may have its merits,” doing so now “stands to do more harm than good” and risks dividing Democrats ahead of November elections. Attorney General Letitia James also called on Bichotte Hermelyn to reconsider.
Zohran Mamdani, the New York City Mayor, alleged the proposed changes would “undermine voters” after reformers won their June elections. The New Kings Democrats called the move an “anti-democratic power grab” and a return to “the worst days of bossism,” comparing it to a similar maneuver by former Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez two decades ago.
Reform leaders have already filed a lawsuit seeking to block Tuesday’s vote with a temporary restraining order. The first judge assigned to the case recused themselves, saying they may seek re-nomination from the Brooklyn Democratic Party—a conflict that underscores the party’s outsized role in judicial appointments, one of the areas reform leaders hoped to address if they gained control.
The proposal also includes a provision granting former party chairs permanent voting rights in future leadership elections. Former Chair Frank Seddio, who defended Bichotte Hermelyn’s changes as an opportunity to “make us more progressive,” would gain a lifetime vote even if he is voted out as a district leader.
Bichotte Hermelyn has denied that stopping Peña was the purpose of the expansion, saying the timing of rule changes ahead of organizational meetings is routine practice. She questioned whether the 22 votes pledged to Peña would hold until the actual election, citing her experience in previous party contests.
Sources
- New York Focus — Bichotte Hermelyn’s detailed rule change proposal and the coalition’s legal challenge
- The City Reporter — Pressure on Bichotte Hermelyn to abandon the changes and the judge’s recusal
- amNewYork — Jeffries’ opposition, Bichotte Hermelyn’s rationale, and details of the proposed expansion
- Fox News — Mamdani’s opposition and the comparison to Vito Lopez’s prior committee packing
