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No date has yet been set for the State Senate confirmation hearings which would make East Side Assembly Member Alexander “Pete” Grannis the new commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, and though most expect he will sail though the hearings once they begin, there is no guarantee.
If he is not confirmed, Grannis says he will stay in the Assembly. If he is, the seat will go vacant. The governor does not have to call a special election, but if he does, this would likely mean East Siders would be going to the polls about six weeks later--sometime between March and early May.
The uncertainty about the existence of an election and the timing of it has not stopped East Side elected officials from weighing in on who they want to win. Last week, Rep. Carolyn Maloney and City Council Member Jessica Lappin announced their backing of Micah Kellner. Now, as of Feb. 20, City Council Member Dan Garodnick and Assembly Member Jonathan Bing are supporting Kellner as well.
In a statement, Bing called Kellner “the best Democrat to join me in partnership to provide effective representation for all the people of the Upper East Side in the Legislature.”
Insisting that Kellner will be “best be able to hit the ground running,” Bing said they would work together to “fight for a renters' tax credit, stronger tenant protections, and to preserve the East Side's historic landmarks and neighborhoods.”
Kellner previously worked for Bing and Maloney, as well as City Council Member Inez Dickens. He is currently a state committee member from the Assembly district, and on staff with City Comptroller Bill Thompson.
Bing’s chief of staff, Barry Klein, endorsed Kellner as well. Klein had briefly been in the race to succeed Grannis as well.
There are no primaries in special elections for the Legislature, leaving nominees picked by the local portion of their respective party county committees. With the backing of these elected officials and other political club members who have declared their support, Kellner goes in strong as he looks to beat out Susan Chamlin for the Democratic nomination. Chamlin is a staffer for State Sen. Liz Krueger, who with State Sen. Jose Serrano, is the only local elected official with an overlapping constituency to the Assembly District not to endorse Kellner.
Calling Kellner “the candidate with the most in-depth knowledge of East Side neighborhoods and our local quality of life concerns,” Garodnick said he was giving his endorsement because Kellner “committed to a number of specific Albany reforms,” like changing staffing procedures, pushing for leadership term limits and creating non-partisan redistricting.
Garodnick also said Kellner has pledged to support legislation to end the backwards selection process to fill vacancies for the Assembly -- replacing it with an open, public primary election -- and to ensure that he is the very last candidate to be nominated by a County Committee."
The list of Kellner endorsements is poised to grow again soon, as Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer readies his announcement.