June 16, 2015
By Marc Bussanich
New York, NY—A former aide in the de Blasio administration, Rebecca Lynch, announced today she’s jumping into the City Council race for the 23rd District after the current Councilman Mark Weprin announced in May he would be taking a higher-paying job with Governor Cuomo’s administration. Soon after she announced, the Teamsters of Joint Council 16 announced their endorsement.
According to today’s Observer, Ms. Lynch was a member of Mr. de Blasio’s Community Affairs Unit and is a former Democratic district leader. In fact, she used to lobby for the Teamsters before being hired by City Hall. According to the Teamsters, this is the first labor endorsement in the competitive race.
“Rebecca was raised in the labor movement and spent years fighting for Teamsters members,” said George Miranda, President of Teamsters Joint Council 16. “She knows the challenges facing working families across our city and will be their advocate at City Hall. It’s not often that you have one of your own running for office and our members are motivated to elect Rebecca Lynch."
In a statement, Ms. Lynch said she was honored to receive the endorsement from the 120,000-strong union made up of 26 local unions with members in a range of industries, including transportation, warehousing, sanitation, public housing, deliveries, and airlines.
"It is an honor to receive my first endorsement from Teamsters Joint Council 16," said Rebecca Lynch. "I'm energized to have the full support of the Teamsters in my campaign, and look forward to working with Teamster members to ensure the 23rd Council District remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family."
The Observer also noted that Ms. Lynch is one of four Democrats running for the soon-to-be-vacant City Council seat. While the Queens Democratic Party may endorse former assemblyman Barry Grodenchk, Ali Najmi is seeking to become the district’s first South Asian council member, and Bob Friedrich tries to win a City Council seat he first lost in 2009.
