Christopher Marte, the upstart candidate running for City Council in Lower Manhattan’s District 1, scored yet another upset win versus two-term incumbent Margaret Chin Wednesday night, when he won the endorsement of the powerful Downtown Independent Democrats political club. Marte grew up a son of Dominican Republican immigrants on Rivington St. — where his father also had a bodega that Marte worked in — right across from the former Rivington House. He officially “launched” his campaign on the former AIDS hospice’s steps two weeks ago, though, in truth, he had already been running and fundraising for months. A staunch supporter of the Elizabeth St. Garden, among other issues, the 28-year-old, who is waging only his second-ever political campaign, has emerged as the race’s de facto “anti-Chin.” He also ran for Democratic State Committee last year, coming in second to Lee Berman in a three-way race. Marte blasted the councilmember at his campaign kickoff for not having held even one community town hall meeting in her seven-and-a-half years in office. He was backed at the launch by a broad showing of local community activists, including Jeannine Kiely and Emily Hellstrom, leaders of the Friends of Elizabeth St. Garden; Diem Boyd, head of the Lower East Dwellers; Michele Campo, vice chairperson of the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors; David Gruber, former chairperson of Community Board 2; and Dodge Landesman, one of his opponents in the State Committee race, who came in third. Erik Coler, president of the Village Independent Democrats, which had already endorsed Marte, was also at his campaign launch to show his support. Marte’s supporters asserted that, in the past, Chin stated she didn’t plan to run for a third term, and they say it’s time to give some fresh blood — namely, Marte — a chance.
— Lincoln Anderson
