{"id":641,"date":"2026-08-24T22:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T22:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=641"},"modified":"2026-08-24T22:12:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T22:12:00","slug":"a-naked-power-grab-bk-dems-rally-against-proposed-rules-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=641","title":{"rendered":"A \u2018naked power grab:\u2019 BK Dems rally against proposed rules change"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Reformers inside the Brooklyn Democratic Party rallied Monday, casting the county organization\u2019s current leader Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn as a Trump-like election denier in a last-minute bid to prevent her from pursuing what they described as an audacious power grab in the party.<\/p>\n

Read more Editor\u2019s note: A keen sense of timing<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here because the 2020 MAGA playbook of trying to steal an election is being used not by Donald Trump, but by the Democratic county leader here in Brooklyn,\u201d state Sen. Andrew Gounardes said in front of a crowd of reform supporters on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall. \u201cTheir county leader is saying, \u2018Go find me the votes. Go find me the votes.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is being thought about being done tomorrow is one of the worst representations of how this party has operated for such a long time,\u201d Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.<\/p>\n

Thanks to a wave of new district leaders voted into office in June, Bichotte Hermelyn lost her majority foothold in the party, paving the way for a new, reform-minded leader \u2013\u00a0Julio Pe\u00f1a III \u2013\u00a0to be voted in as chair in the coming weeks. But Bichotte Hermelyn, who\u2019s also an Assembly member representing Central Brooklyn, isn\u2019t giving up without a fight \u2013\u00a0one that opponents argue is illegal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Party leadership put forward proposed new rules that would greatly expand who can vote for chair, effectively diminishing the power of the newly elected district leaders.<\/p>\n

The crowd gathered in opposition to that effort included Pe\u00f1a, Gounardes, Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander, Assembly Members Bobby Carroll and Jo Anne Simon and Council Members Shahana Hanif and Alexa Avil\u00e9s.<\/p>\n

But even more voices have joined them in opposition \u2013\u00a0including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (both Brooklynites), city Comptroller Mark Levine and, earlier on Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani. \u201cI\u2019m very much opposed to the proposed changes by the current Brooklyn Democratic Party chair,\u201d Mamdani told City & State at an unrelated press conference. \u201cI oppose them because they\u2019re an attempt to circumnavigate the will of the voters, and what we should see is a Brooklyn Democratic Party that is a reflection of what New Yorkers want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Opinion: Invest in low-barrier, high-trust drop-in centers<\/a><\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, Pe\u00f1a and a handful of other Brooklyn Democrats filed a lawsuit to block Bichotte Heremelyn\u2019s efforts, arguing in Brooklyn Supreme Court that the rules change is being orchestrated by a group of lame-duck leaders, who no longer have the authority to carry out major rules changes like what Bichotte Hermelyn is proposing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hell Gate reported that the request for a temporary restraining order was rejected later on Monday for being premature. They could refile the suit if the rules changes pass.<\/p>\n

Tony Melone, president of the reform club New Kings Democrats, told the outlet that the lawsuit was a backup plan and he hoped Bichotte Hermelyn would either back down to pressure to cancel the Tuesday night meeting or district leaders there would vote against her proposals.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Lander predicted that no matter what happens, the scheme would end badly for Bichotte Hermelyn. \u201cI think it has already backfired. I mean even if she wins that vote and is able to cling to power, she has destroyed her own leadership and left the Kings County Democratic organization in tatters,\u201d he said, referring to it as a \u201cnaked power grab.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she probably already has guaranteed a challenge for her seat in two years,\u201d Lander added.<\/p>\n

Bichotte Hermelyn did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more The 2026 Top 50 New York Lobbyists<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

District leaders and elected officials pushing for change in the Brooklyn Democratic Party accused Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn of trying to steal an election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city"],"yoast_head":"\nA \u2018naked power grab:\u2019 BK Dems rally against proposed rules change - Business Relocation Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/businessrelocationdigest.com\/?p=641\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A \u2018naked power grab:\u2019 BK Dems rally against proposed rules change - 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