Jessica Haller, Democratic candidate for New York City’s 11th Council District, announced a further endorsement of her candidacy for the June 2021 primary election on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The grassroots organization, 21 in ‘21, founded in 2017 which is working to elect at least twenty-one women to the New York City Council by 2021 has thrown its support behind Haller.

 

The Board of 21 in ‘21, and membership comprises a diverse range of women and allies. Among others, these include Amelia Adams, president of Adams Advisors LLC and former political director to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Yvette Bruckner, managing director at Tusk Strategies and former strategic advisor to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Camille Rivera, national political director for Retail Wholesale Department Store Union and former top staffer to De Blasio, and Melissa Lirtsman, freelance consulting strategist.

 

The group released the following statement with their endorsement of Haller: “From the devastation of a global pandemic to the inspiring groundswell of the Black Lives Matter movement, we must ensure women are fully represented on the NYC City Council and leading us toward a more just and equitable future.”

 

The statement continued, “Having Moms with young children in public office will change the conversation and priorities at the decision-making table. We could not be more excited to endorse Jessica Haller to represent the 11th District.”

 

Out of 51 New York City Council seats, only five women are set to remain in office in 2021 (due to term limits), rendering what some call the state of women’s representation in the Council, a crisis. According to 21 in ‘21, it is precisely for this reason that the group is working to elect at least twenty one women to the Council and achieve full representation for the first time in the city’s history.

 

The group said this is a mission that matters now more than ever as COVID-19 shines a bright light on New York City’s systemic injustices, and the unique ways women (especially mothers, women of color, and LGBTQ women) have been disproportionately affected.

 

For her part, Haller, a tech entrepreneur and environmentalist, said she was incredibly excited to be endorsed by 21 in ‘21, which she said is an organization that understands what it takes for a woman, and mother of four to run for office. “I look forward to working together to ensure that more women are elected to the New York City Council and that our collective voices are heard on issues like healthcare, education, family leave, childcare, and resilience.”

 

She added, “It’s time to break up the old boy’s club and address the serious and life-threatening challenges facing our children.” As of the last public filing, Haller’s campaign had raised more than $55,000 from nearly 400 donors in her first filing period. However, it is votes, rather than money that will count when the election comes around, and if 2020 has taught us nothing else, it is to expect the unexpected.

 

With anticipated matching funds, this means Haller is set to accumulate over $220,000 for the Democratic Primary. The 21 of ’21 nod marks the 6th endorsement for the Haller Campaign. Previous endorsements include Vote Mama, Jewish Climate Action Network, Women for the Win, Bronx Climate Justice North, and North Bronx Racial Justice.

 

Haller is competing for incumbent Councilmember Andrew Cohen’s seat in the Northwest Bronx. Cohen was nominated in August and is expected to win the race for a Bronx Supreme Court judgeship in November.

 

Should he do so, he is expected to take up his new position in January 2021. The move has prompted a number of candidates to jump into the 11th District Council race, the most recent of whom is Mino Lora, founder of the People’s Theater Project. In addition to Haller and Lora, other candidates in the race include Eric Dinowitz, Abigail Martin, Dan Padernacht and Marco Sierra.

 

The current 12 serving City Councilwomen are Margaret S. Chin, representing parts of Manhattan, Vanessa L. Gibson, representing parts of the Bronx, Carlina Rivera, representing parts of Manhattan, Laurie E. Cumbo, representing parts of Brooklyn, Deborah Rose, representing parts of Staten Island, Helen Rosenthal, representing parts of Manhattan, Diana Ayala, representing parts of the Bronx and Manhattan, Karen Koslowitz, representing parts of Queens, Adrienne E. Adams, representing parts of Queens,  Alicka Ampry-Samuel, representing parts of Brooklyn, Inez Barron, representing parts of Brooklyn, and Farah N. Louis, representing parts of Brooklyn.