The sparse few Republicans on the Big Apple City Council have voted for a new leader — again — after a bitter clash between members and a plea to the Democratic speaker for help.
Queens Council member Joann Ariola will take the helm as GOP leader following a vote Friday, in a stunning twist after a prior vote to name Staten Island’s David Carr top dog was tossed in the trash.
Ariola took home three votes, a majority of the five-person delegation now that former Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) has departed.
GOP council members elected David Carr (R-Staten Island) as its new leader ahead of Borelli’s early departure from the role last Tuesday — but half of the six-member party weren’t present. Robert Miller“There is no animosity. I spoke with council member Carr last night. Our conversation ended on a positive note,” Ariola said, although Brooklyn’s Inna Vernikov and rival David Carr were noticeably absent.
The internal kerfuffle was sparked by the early departure of Borelli late last month, with the first vote for his replacement attended by only three of six GOP members amid accusations that the others had “boycott” the vote.
Borelli, Carr and Brooklyn Council member Inna Vernikov chose Carr but Ariola threatened legal action saying the vote was illegal because it fell short of a quorum, the minimum number of lawmakers present to conduct business. In the case of the caucus vote, four would have been a quorum.
Ariola sent a letter to Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, the city clerk, the general counsel and the parliamentarian to hold off recognizing the vote.
On Monday, the five remaining minority caucus members were served a letter from the general counsel stating Carr’s appointment is “invalid and cannot be accepted.”
“In a six member Republican Conference, a quorum of four would have been sufficient to take action, and a majority of three would have been enough to select a new Minority Leader. However, in this instance there was no quorum,” the letter obtained by The Post states.
Ariola said she was confident she’d win and her focus is to grow the GOP delegation.
“Our focus is this year, is electing more Republicans to the council, but also working across the aisle with the Speaker’s office, with our Democratic colleagues, and working on, as I call it, solution oriented legislation,” Ariola said.
A spurned Carr did not attend the vote on Friday and instead put out a statement condemning the recount.
“Intervention by an unelected bureaucrat, appointed by and beholden to a Democrat Speaker, into the affairs of the Republican Delegation sets a dangerous precedent and should give people of all political stripes cause for concern,” he said.
Brooklyn Council member Inna Vernikov chose Carr. Stephen Yang“I continue to believe that decision to be gravely wrong, and in contravention of our bylaws.”
Carr did not comment on how this could potentially affect his relationships within the party and instead said his commitments would be to his district.
“We have serious issues confronting our City, and I will continue to be a leader and work with my colleagues on these crucial matters moving forward, no matter my title,” he said.
“My constituents in Staten Island and Brooklyn are my first priority, and with the budget process underway, I want to give them all my focus rather than prolonging an already too protracted battle over an 11-month leadership term.”
Joann Ariola quickly challenged the move on the grounds that the vote had been taken “without quorum” and sent a letter to Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, the city clerk, the general counsel and the parliamentarian to hold off recognizing the vote. Paul MartinkaBorelli, the longstanding Republican voice in the council and now-former minority leader, left office to take a DC lobbying gig. He was term-limited and slated to forgo his seat come 2026.
The caucus drama comes amid historic beef to be reignited between Vernikov and former council member Ari Kagan who are both competing for district 48.
When asked about the potential fall out, Ariola waved off the suggestion revealing Vernikov is eyeing a Senate seat.
“That’s kind of a misnomer out there. Council member Vernikov is set to announce that she’s running for Senate in April, that is when former council member Kagan, will decide whether or not he will run for that seat. There is no animosity,” Ariola said.
“That’s part of my job as minority leader, is knowing who’s going, where, when they’ll make that announcement, and working with the party leaders to make sure that we can elect more Republicans to this council.”
Vernikov has been contacted for comment.
