City Council 9th District candidates Yusef Salaam, Al Taylor throw a curveball, endorse each other
NEW YORK -- There has been a big shakeup in the race for the open City Council seat in Harlem.
Two of the three candidates have announced an alliance. Al Taylor and Yusef Salaam endorsed each other in the rank-choice primary election.
With four names appearing on Harlem voters' ballots, C. Virginia Fields, a former Manhattan borough president, shared her support for the two men.
"That's my candidate," Field said of Salaam, "but I'm also very pleased about this cross-endorsement."
This is just the second election in which voters will rank their preferred candidates on the ballot.
"If you're talking about like-mindedness," Taylor said, gesturing back and forth with Salaam.
READ MORE: "Central Park Five" member Yusef Salaam announces candidacy for City Council District 9 seat
Assemblyman Taylor and Salaam, of the Exonerated Five, believe by banding together in blue suits and bow ties they can beat former seat holder, Assemblywoman Inez Dickens.
"It was so profound that we were thinking very similar thoughts, even though we had some differences, but we were able to come to the table early on," Salaam said.
Incumbent Kristin Richardson-Jordan's name will also appear as an option, although she has withdrawn from the race.
"Small businesses need support. The economic growth of Harlem needs to be revitalized. We need to make sure we have housing. So I'm running on the issues and not any individual," Taylor said.
READ MORE: Political newcomer races against Assembly members for Harlem council seat
Their message focuses on hope and change, saying Dickens had her chance during the decade she served District 9 on the council.
"I think about the opportunities that she has failed to bring forth, even up until this day. She could have done that a long time ago," Salaam said.
The men chose to make their announcement in front of a mural that was started during Dickens' previous City Council term. It has remained incomplete since 2011.
The painting features Harlem leaders like Judge Bruce Wright, who Taylor credits for giving him a second chance.
The Dickens campaign acknowledged she allocated the funding, but she had no control over the mural's completion, and questions the limited details of her opponents' proposed policies.
In CBS2's previous conversation with her, the assemblywoman spoke with confidence about her chance to win.
"I don't assume I'm going to win, but I always feel positive about a race when I'm in it," Dickens said.
You can cast your vote in the primary election on June 27.
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