1989 New York City Council presidential election

1989 New York City Council presidential election

←  1985 November 5, 1989 1993 (Public Advocate)  →

Nominee Andrew Stein Richard F. Birmginham Sr. Party Democratic Conservative Alliance Liberal Popular vote 1,207,493 70,206 Percentage 92.6% 5.4%

President of the City Council before election Andrew Stein Democratic Elected President of the City Council Andrew Stein Democratic

An election was held on November 5, 1989 to elect the President of the New York City Council. Democratic incumbent Andrew Stein was re-elected to a second term in office over token opposition in the Democratic primary and general election.

This was the final election for New York City Council President, as the office was split into the offices of New York City Public Advocate and Speaker of the New York City Council following the 1993 elections.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Rafael Mendez, Bronx psychologist and member of the New Alliance Party ^[1]
• Andrew Stein, incumbent City Council President

Campaign

The New Alliance Party put forward Rafael Mendez as a candidate, seeking to exploit ethnic divisions in the city. With David Dinkins challenging Ed Koch in the concurrent mayoral primary, New Alliance Party members unsuccessfully demanded that Dinkins endorse Mendez to demonstrate his support for the city's Hispanic community. Mendez was critical of "big-money interests that control the political process." ^[1]

The New York Times endorsed Stein on August 31, claiming Mendez had not "run a credible campaign." ^[2]

Results

1989 Democratic Council President primary (unofficial) ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Andrew Stein (incumbent)	593,101	75.37%
	Democratic	Rafael Mendez	193,842	24.63%
Total votes			786,943	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• Richard F. Birmingham Sr., Staten Island attorney and special counsel to the Council minority leader (Conservative) ^[4]
• Barbara Bollaert (Right to Life) ^[4]
• Clay Conrad (Libertarian) ^[4]
• Jerrry Freiwerth (Socialist Workers) ^[4]
• Rafael Mendez, Bronx psychologist (New Alliance) ^{[4] [1]}
• Andrew Stein, incumbent City Council President since 1986 (Democratic and Liberal)

Campaign

Without a Republican opponent in the general election, Stein was considered assured of re-election, setting him up to run for mayor in 1989 or thereafter. A week before the election, Stein admitted, "I'm not doing the kind of campaigning I would do in a real race. ... Obviously, I have an interest in becoming mayor some day." ^[4]

Results

1989 New York City Council President election (unofficial) ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Andrew Stein (incumbent)	1,207,493	92.58%
	Conservative	Richard F. Birmingham Sr.	70,206	5.38%
	Right to Life	Barbara Bollaert	20,093	1.54%
Total votes			1,304,231	100.00%

References

1. "Party, Described as Cult, Seeks Role in Primary". The New York Times . September 9, 1989. p. 26.
2. "Opinion: For Stein and Messinger". The New York Times . August 31, 1989. p. A24.
3. "Results in Tuesday's Primary Elections". The New York Times . September 12, 1989. p. B2.
4. "2 New York City Races Seem Virtually Decided". The New York Times . November 5, 1989. p. L43.
5. "Vote Totals for the Elections Held on Tuesday in New York and New Jersey". The New York Times . November 9, 1989. p. B6.