You are reading

James Gennaro Sworn in as District 24 Council Member After BOE Certifies Special Election Results

James Gennaro (Twitter)

Feb. 19, 2021 By Allie Griffin

Former Council Member James Gennaro has officially taken his District 24 seat back— at least until the end of the year.

Gennaro was sworn in yesterday after the NYC Board of Elections certified the Feb. 2 special election results earlier the same day. He takes back the seat that he occupied from 2001 to 2013, when he was forced to step down due to term limits.

The district covers the central Queens neighborhoods of Kew Gardens Hills, Briarwood, Jamaica Estates, Jamaica, Pomonok and Hillcrest, among others. 

The special election — prompted by the departure of Council Member Rory Lancman — was the city’s first test run of ranked choice voting, in which voters ranked candidates from one through five in order of preference.

Gennaro secured about 60 percent of the voters’ first-choice picks or 4,078 votes, according to the certified results. A candidate must win more than 50 percent of the first-choice votes to be declared winner.

Moumita Ahmed, who was endorsed by Bernie Sanders, came in second place in the eight-person race. She earned just 15 percent of the vote — 1,041 votes — well behind Gennaro.

Gennaro will finish Lancman’s term that is set to end on Dec. 31, 2021. Lancman resigned from the City Council on Nov. 4 to take a position within Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration.

A June primary and November general election will determine who will hold the seat for a full term.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 
Angela Abramo

Townsend harris hs admissions. The admissions has been changed a lottery.we should be awarding these seats to those with the highest grade.the mayor talks about privilege. I know many students who are students asian first generation with parents who don’t speak English and at poverty line. Are they privileged? They got in through hard work despite obstacles.we must award hard work.what is next lottery for college medical school?

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

A slice of legacy: Carlo’s Pizzeria keeps Sicilian tradition alive in Middle Village

Jul. 18, 2025 By Christy Hinko

On Metropolitan Avenue, between 74th and 75th streets in Middle Village, Carlo’s Pizzeria isn’t just a place to grab a slice — it’s a place where history is folded into every piece of dough, sauce and cheese. The beloved neighborhood pizzeria has been serving Queens for nearly 60 years, now led by third-generation owner Anthony Caruana, who proudly carries forward the dream his grandfather brought from Sicily.

Ridgewood mother and daughter arrested for attacking woman over parking spot: NYPD

A Ridgewood mother and daughter were arrested Monday after they ambushed a young Black woman who tried to park her car in a spot in front of their apartment building that they frequently cordon off with garbage cans and traffic cones.

A family friend was standing at the northeast corner of Onderdonk Avenue and Putnam Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. when the 21-year-old Jada McPherson tried to park her car in the spot. The man placed a garbage can in her way. She drove off and circled the block multiple times. She tried to pull into the same spot one more time, but the man tried to stop her again. McPherson got out of her car to confront him, and an argument ensued.