1969 New York City Council presidential election
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An election was held on November 4, 1969 to elect the President of the New York City Council. Democratic incumbent Francis X. Smith ran for re-election to a full term in office but was defeated by Sanford Garelik, a police officer running on the Republican and Liberal lines. Although Garelik was a registered Democrat, this remains the last time a candidate on the Republican ticket won the election to New York City's second-ranking office.
On December 31, 1968, incumbent Council President Frank D. O'Connor resigned to serve on the New York Supreme Court. At the behest of party leaders, the City Council elected Queens councilman Francis X. Smith on January 8, 1969 to complete O'Connor's term in office which was set to expire on December 31, 1969.[1]
Republican primary
Candidates
- Sanford Garelik, Chief Inspector of the New York Police Department (also running as Liberal with John Lindsay)
- Robert F. Kelly, Assemblyman from Bay Ridge (also running as Conservative with John Marchi)
Campaign
Garelik, a registered Democrat, ran in both the Republican and Liberal primaries as the running mate of incumbent mayor John Lindsay.[2] Opponents challenged Garelik's legal right to run in the primary as a registered Democrat, but his eligibility was upheld by unanimously by the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court.[3]
Results
Garelik won the nomination, despite Lindsay's loss to State Senator John J. Marchi in the concurrent mayoral primary.[2] The Lindsay candidate for Controller, Vito B. Battista, also won.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sanford Garelik | 109,518 | 53.74% | |
| Republican | Robert F. Kelly | 94,280 | 46.26% | |
| Total votes | 203,798 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Jimmy Breslin, New York Daily News columnist (running with Norman Mailer)[6]
- Hugh Carey, U.S. Representative from Brooklyn (running with Robert F. Wagner Jr.)[6]
- Elinor Guggenheimer, philanthropist and urban planner (running with Herman Badillo)[6]
- Robert A. Low, member of the City Council
- Charles B. Rangel, Assemblyman from Harlem (running with James Scheuer)[6]
- Francis X. Smith, incumbent Council President since January 1969 (running with Mario Procaccino)[6]
All of the candidates except Low were aligned with a mayoral candidate.[6] Low and Carey initially ran for mayor themselves, but each dropped out after former mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. entered that race.[6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Hugh Carey | 160,299 | 23.46% | |
| Democratic | Francis X. Smith | 160,127 | 23.43% | |
| Democratic | Robert A. Low | 125,503 | 18.37% | |
| Democratic | Elinor Guggenheimer | 90,709 | 13.28% | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Breslin | 75,480 | 11.05% | |
| Democratic | Charles B. Rangel | 71,139 | 10.41% | |
| Total votes | 683,257 | 100.00% | ||
Initial, unofficial results gave Carey a lead over Smith of only 172 votes, but the official count put Smith ahead.