Mahtab Khan
Male District Leader 24A
One of the main reasons why I'm running for District Leader is because in New York we've had little to no representation of the South Asian or Muslim community, whether it be in City Council, Assembly, Senate or Congress. The same goes for District Leaders, a role that's meant to bridge the gap between the community and our elected officials. As District Leader I will be voice for community, address their needs as well as concerns, and finally bring representation to the table here in New York.
Virginia Ramos Rios
State Committee & County Committee Member, AD28
Looking to work as part of a party that is responsive to & reflective of our communities. I believe healthcare, housing, & living wages are inherent needs and rights. We use our parties & political processes to translate our beliefs, thus the need to be actively involved at the most basic levels so we can transform our world into the one I know can exist - where all people have dignity in life.
Steven Goffner
State Committee Member AD28 & Judicial Delegate
As a retired high school mathematics teacher who worked for the New York City Department of Education for 23 years, I look forward to representing you as a fellow Democrat in Albany.
Heahter Dimitriadis
Judicial Delegatge, AD28
Two years ago I ran to represent 678 Democrats on my block. This year the kinship of New Reformers, working side by side, grinding out the work despite how progressive or not so progressive each of us are is exactly what we have worked for. With primaries right around the corner I am hopeful that the end result will be a stronger and more inclusive Democratic party in Queens.
Miriam Bensman
Judicial Delegate, AD28
If we’re going to elect judges, voters should get to choose from more than one candidate for each position,” Miriam says. "And judicial candidates should be nominated on the basis of their legal acumen and integrity in a fair and transparent process. That’s not what we do now.
Peter W. Beadle
Judicial Delegate, AD28
I am running to ensure the Queens Democratic Party (#QueensMachine) is: Accessible, Transparent & Accountable. It is disappointing our system is so undemocratic that hyper-technical paperwork mistakes can so easily knock someone off the ballot. Hopefully we will prevail in Court. This is in fact one of the very reasons I am running, because the Machine likes having these rules in place to try and dissuade people from participating in their democracy and challenging incumbents. Our goal is to change that.
Maria Kaufer
Female District Leader 28A
Our political leaders, whether elected public officials or elected (unpaid) party officials like District Leaders, State Committee Members, Judicial Delegates, and County Committee Members, have an obligation to educate/inform, listen to, empower, and represent/advocate for all of their constituents. We need to elect bold party leaders with the vision and courage to establish a truly democratic, transparent, accountable, inclusive, & accessible Queens Democratic Party that will prioritize serving the interests of ALL Queens Democrats. Only when we have built, from the bottom-up, a local Democratic Party that supports and promotes participatory democracy can we have fully fair ballot access and elections in Queens.
Ethan Felder
Male District Leader AD28 & County Committee Member
I'm running for District Leader to rearrange power in this borough away from an entrenched insider class of professional office holders and a corrupt political machine back into the hands of everyday people and under-represented communities.
Melissa Bair
Female District Leader 30B
As a licensed midwife I help guide people through the most transformative moments in their lives by listening, collaborating, and advocating. I help guide people when it's time to breathe and time to push, and when needed I fight for my patients to get them the care they deserve. At a time when our democratic processes feel confusing and opaque, I want to use my skills to midwife the voices from our district to the Queens County Democratic Party.
Dawn Siff
Female District Leader 34A
I am proud to be part of a grassroots group of candidates from across Queens, working to reform the Democratic party. This crisis has brought into sharp relief the inequities in our system and the ways our party is beholden to special interests. We need transparency and accountability, starting at the most local level. The District Leader position should belong to the people, it's been held hostage for too long, I'm running to give it back.
Julia Forman
Judicial Delegate, AD36
After years of practicing law in New York City, I became curious about how judges get on the bench. I found that those that make the ballot in Queens County are often hand picked by the County Party and the Judicial Delegation rubber stamps those picks with no real vetting. I knew that I had to get involved. The people of Queens deserve judges who are carefully scrutinized, and trusting a small group of people, some of whom do not even live in our borough, to have the exclusive say on an entire branch of our government is absurd. If elected Judicial Delegate, I commit to being open and transparent about the process, working to widen the pool of potential applicants, and conducting a property vetting procedure before voting to approve any candidate.
Shawna Morlock
Female District Leader AD36B
I’m incredibly happy to have made it onto the ballot for District Leader in AD-36 this election cycle. It took weeks of effort to get the more than 500 signatures we managed to collect- and I know from my experience of being disenfranchised by the machine in 2018 in my race for County Committee, that the support of New Reformers was what made the difference. County shouldn’t make it this hard, but I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to make our party more accessible and transparent.
Zachariah Boyer
Male District Leader 36B
I'm running for district leader because our democracy and the Democratic Party should work for everyone. People are sick and tired of decisions being made in backrooms and decisions being made without them in mind. Our neighborhoods need folks fighting for real, and lasting, progressive change. Who we elect at the local level matters now more than ever.
Emilia Decaudin
Female District Leader 37A, State Committee Member, & Judicial Delegate
I am proud to be running for District Leader not just as an individual activist, but as part of a movement of committed reformers. I am confident that real change is on the horizon in Queens, change that will make our party as inclusive, engaged, and democratic as the people of Queens deserve.
Jesse Laymon
Male District Leader 37A
I am honored to be among the New Reformers fighting for a more just and more open Democratic Party in Queens. My neighborhood, Long Island City, has been without even a Democratic club for decades, and in order for our Party to live up to its name, we must interact, listen, and organize in all communities, and not take any votes for granted.
Melissa Bieri
Female District Leader 37B
I am excited to be running for District Leader because I believe there is a gap between the Democratic Party leadership and average residents..I want to make the party more accessible & reflective of the community. It is supposed to be a position that helps bridge the gap between neighborhood communities & party leadership - I want to make that happen.
Derek Evers
Male District Leader 37B
As a stay-at-home dad and small business owner who has lived in the outer-boroughs for the last 20 years, I’m running for District Leader in AD37B to better align Democratic voter’s wants with the policies and candidates the Queens Democratic Party puts forward. Voters have consistently shown overwhelming support for a public health care option, criminal justice reform, strong environmental policies, and economic and educational equality. I will work to ensure the Queens Democratic Party represents these values.