East Side City Council Race Already Heating Up: Report
UPPER EAST SIDE, NY – Keith Powers, who represents New York City's Council District 4, is term-limited and running for Borough President in 2025.
As of this week, one candidate in the race to replace Powers has already opted out of the city's matching funds program, according to City & State .
Rachel Storch, a former Missouri state representative and the current chief operating officer at Fifth Avenue Synagogue, is reportedly the only City Council candidate to forgo the program so far, which provides public funds to campaigns that emphasize small-dollar contributions in an effort to limit big donor influence on local elections.
Storch's choice allows her to bypass spending caps set for candidates using public matching funds, potentially altering the financial landscape for her opponents. As of early October, Storch had raised over $163,000, according to recent campaign filings, surpassing her four competitors who remain in the program.
Five candidates are running for Powers' seat.
"I have chosen to leave the city matching funds program to ensure I have the resources to share my story and plans for the future," Storch told City & State.
Storch's opponents include Vanessa Aronson, a former diplomat and president of the Lexington Democratic Club; Ben Wetzler, a former Democratic district leader and current state housing department official; Luke Florczak, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran; and attorney Faith Bondy, president of the Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club. Former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney's daughter Virginia is also reportedly considering entering the race. The younger Maloney is a project manager at Meta, according to Politico.
'Disappointing'
Storch's decision to opt out of the matching funds program was criticized by the majority of her opponents.
"It's disappointing that someone would signal they don't feel beholden to the same standards," Aronson said, referencing Storch's substantial out-of-city donations, with over 40 percent reportedly drawn from Florida, Missouri, and Washington, D.C. Originally from New York City, Storch returned to the city in 2010.
Candidates using the matching program face specific limits, but if Storch's spending exceeds certain thresholds, these caps may rise – or be eliminated altogether – across the race, meaning the contest to replace Powers could quickly become a spendy race.
It will certainly be hotly contested, and Patch received initial requests for interviews in October of this year.
District 4 sprawls along Manhattan's East Side, from East 90th Street and Fifth Avenue all the way to Stuyvesant Town. The affluent district – think Park Avenue – has the city's highest median household income, at $156,000.
Mark Levine, current Manhattan Borough President, whom Powers is running to replace, is himself running for city comptroller in 2025.
