Mark Levine is shaping up to be the next president of Manhattan. Projections suggest that the Democratic City Council member will defeat the two opponents he faced during the general elections.
Levine, an Upper Manhattan legislator, took on Republican Louis Puliafito and libertarian Michael Lewyn. All three candidates were seeking to succeed Gale Brewer, who has served as county president since 2014, but term limits prevented her from running again.
With about 53 percent of constituencies reporting, Levine was far ahead at 10 p.m., with about 86 percent of the vote. Pulafito fell behind with 12 percent, followed by Lewyn with 2 percent.
Levine, 52, has represented Upper Manhattan District 7 on the City Council for the past eight years.
To make it to Tuesday’s general election, Levine had to prevail in the June Democratic primary, where he defeated six other candidates. During that run, Levine expressed slightly more pro-development views than his rivals, indicating, for example, that he was open to the SoHo rezoning proposal that has sparked some opposition in the neighborhood.
Levine said her goal is to drive affordable housing construction, invest in education spending and COVID-19 safety measures in schools, and support Manhattan small businesses.
As chairman of the Council’s health committee, Levine rose to prominence during the pandemic, using his Twitter account to spread the word about tests and vaccines, push for greater transparency of city data, and occasionally criticize management. of the pandemic by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
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