Shanel Thomas-Henry is set to replace the term-limited Council Member Francisco Moya in District 21 after narrowly beating Erycka Montoya by 373 votes following four rounds of ranked-choice voting.
Thomas-Henry, a longtime community consultant and organizer, held a narrow lead after the first count following last Tuesday’s election, leading the four-way Democratic primary with 30.7% of the vote.
Montoya, a former staffer with Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, trailed Thomas-Henry narrowly with 25.7% of the vote, with Yanna Henriquez and David Aiken receiving 22.9% and 19.9% of the vote respectively.
With no clear winner, the Democratic primary for District 21 headed for ranked-choice voting, with the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes eliminated in each round.
After preferences from 64 write-in ballots were distributed, Aiken was eliminated with 20.1% of the vote.
Aiken’s transfers proved crucial for Thomas-Henry, who received 411 of Aiken’s 1,552 votes to move onto 40.6% of the vote. Montoya, on the other hand, received just 183 transfers from Aiken to move onto 31.5% and trail Thomas-Henry by 627 votes.
Henriquez, who was endorsed by Moya ahead of the race, received just 142 transfers from Aiken and was eliminated with 27.9% of the vote.
Her transfers went overwhelmingly to Montoya, but it was not enough to overtake Thomas-Henry.
Montoya received 544 transfers from Henriquez’s 1,928 votes, while Thomas-Henry received just 290. However, it was not enough for Montoya to overturn a 627-vote deficit as Thomas-Henry emerged victorious with 53.2% of the vote compared to Montoya’s 46.8%.
In the end, Thomas-Henry triumphed by over 300 votes, receiving 3,090 votes to Montoya’s 2,717, according to preliminary data released by the Board of Elections.
Thomas-Henry entered the race with strong ties to union labor and workforce development. She was endorsed by District Council 37, the city’s largest municipal union, and emphasized workforce development and social services in her platform. Her campaign focused on bringing greater investment in neighborhood infrastructure and public safety, while advocating for immigrant communities
Speaking to this publication last week after taking a slender lead in the first count of the vote, Thomas-Henry said her early lead was a result of a strong campaign that “spoke directly to voters.”
Thomas-Henry pledged that she would build “one community” if she maintained her lead in the District 21 race, emphasizing the need to bring economic and workforce development opportunities to the district.
“People need jobs,” Thomas-Henry said. “By day one (if she is successful), I plan on starting quarterly job fairs and having someone in my office working with non-profits and community-based organizations to make sure our community gets trained and has access to jobs.”
She also pledged to work with the district’s “huge” migrant population, including securing licenses for street vendors and standing up for the migrant community against threats from the federal government.
“What’s happening at the federal level is inhumane, it’s unconstitutional, it’s unimaginable, it’s insane,” Thomas-Henry said. “So we have to stand together as a community to make sure we protect all New Yorkers.”
Montoya, who gained momentum with endorsements from the Working Families Party and progressive advocacy groups including Make the Road Action, centered her campaign on housing affordability, public transportation improvements, and expanded protections for low-income tenants and immigrants.
As a transit-dependent resident, she often spoke about the importance of improving subway and bus service in the district.
Montoya addressed her campaign team and supporters at a watch party at Asadero La Fogata at 108-40 Corona Ave. last Tuesday, stating that her campaign had knocked on more than 15,000 doors throughout the race. She insisted that she ran an “incredible” race that spoke to voters in the district.
“I’ve had an incredible time talking to my neighbors, learning from them what they want to see, making sure that we’re building out a vision that really serves our community here,” Montoya said Tuesday night. “We’re all very hopeful and very proud of the work that all of us have done.”
