Sandra Nurse (born April 3, 1984)[1] is a Panamanian-born American carpenter and Democratic politician from New York City who has served as the New York City Council member for the 37th district since 2022.[2] District 37 covers Bushwick and other neighborhoods in northern Brooklyn.
Sandy Nurse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 37th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Darma Diaz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 3, 1984 Panama |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Website | Official website Campaign website |
Early life
editNurse was born in Panama and raised by her mother, a U.S. Navy veteran.[3]
Career
editPrior to her runs for political office, Nurse worked in a number of jobs and fields, including as a waitress, a food delivery worker, a janitor, a community organizer, and most prominently a carpenter. She is also the founder of the Brooklyn-based composting organization BK ROT and a cofounder of the Mayday Space, a venue for progressive organizations.[4]
2020 campaigns
editIn September 2019, Nurse announced that she would run for the 54th district of the New York State Assembly, challenging incumbent Democrat Erik Martin Dilan from the left. Nurse was one of two left-wing challengers in the race, alongside State Senator Julia Salazar's chief of staff, Boris Santos.[5]
However, after City Councilmember Rafael Espinal resigned from the overlapping 37th district of the New York City Council in January 2020, Nurse chose to abandon her Assembly campaign and run in the special election to replace Espinal.[6] Nurse was seen as one of two major candidates in the race alongside district leader Darma Diaz, who had the support of Espinal and was seen as the race's establishment candidate.[7][8]
With the March arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the election took several unexpected turns. First, the planned April special election was suspended, then moved to June, and finally cancelled altogether in favor of a traditional primary and general election to be held in June and November.[9] Governor Andrew Cuomo additionally decreed that, in light of the pandemic, the number of signatures required to make it onto the ballot would be significantly reduced – but the New York City Board of Elections ruled in April that the new requirements would not apply to the special election, leaving every candidate but Diaz short of the necessary number of signatures and thus barred from the ballot. Nurse fought the ruling and argued that the Brooklyn Democratic Party had meddled to ensure a Diaz victory, but was unsuccessful in reinstating herself on the special election ballot.[citation needed] Diaz thus was able to win both the primary and general elections completely unopposed.
2021 City Council campaign
editIn July 2020 – shortly after Diaz had won her special election primary – Nurse announced she would seek a rematch in the regularly scheduled 2021 City council election.[10] As in the special election, Nurse ran a left-wing campaign, and received support from many of the city's most influential progressive officeholders and organizations, among them Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velázquez, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and the Working Families Party.[9]
On election night, Nurse comfortably led Diaz 51-24%, and acknowledged her likely victory on June 23; when absentee ballots and ranked-choice votes were counted two weeks later, she officially defeated Diaz by a ranked choice margin of 65-35%.[11][12][13] Nurse subsequently won the general election with over 86% of the vote.
Personal life
editNurse lives in Cypress Hills. She identifies as Afro-Latina.
References
edit- ^ @SandyForCouncil (April 2, 2021). "Tomorrow is my 37th birthday! Join me tomorrow to knock 37 doors and make 37 calls to help us win the race for City Council district 37!". Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ "District 37 - Sandy Nurse". New York City Council. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ "Meet Sandy". Sandy for Council. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Emma Whitford (September 18, 2019). "Co-founder of Bushwick's Mayday Space sets eyes on assembly seat". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ Sam Raskin (September 19, 2019). "Bushwick Activist Sandy Nurse Joins Race to Oust Dilan". Patch.com. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Charlie Innis (February 10, 2020). "Sandy Nurse Joins the City Council Race". Politics NY. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Rainier Harris (February 26, 2020). "Former Councilmember Rafael Espinal Endorses Darma Diaz for His Seat". Bklyner. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Andrew Karpan (April 7, 2020). "The Bitter Fight for Brooklyn's City Council Seat is Complicated by Coronavirus". Bushwick Daily. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Samar Khurshid (December 28, 2020). "Newly-Seated Brooklyn City Council Member Quickly Faces Tough 2021 Primary". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Kevin Duggan (July 23, 2020). "Council Comeback: Bushwick Activist Sandy Nurse Relaunches Campaign for 2021 Election". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Ben Brachfeld, Ben Verde, and Meaghan McGoldrick (June 24, 2021). "Here Are the Brooklyn City Council Election Results So Far". Brownstoner. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ @SandyForCouncil (June 23, 2021). "I was unsuccessful in telling everyone that we won't know until all the scanners reported, but…alas. What an incredible 18 months it's been. Thank you to everyone. More appreciations later, but for now: Thank you team!!". Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Billy Richling (July 7, 2021). "Latest BOE Numbers Reveal Several Winners in City Elections". Bkylner. Retrieved July 27, 2021.