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1973 New York City Council presidential election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An election was held on November 6, 1973 to elect the President of the New York City Council. Democratic incumbent Sanford Garelik initially did not run for re-election, choosing instead to run for mayor in the Democratic Party primary. After dropping out of the mayoral primary and running for re-election, Garelik was defeated in the Democratic primary by Paul O'Dwyer.
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November 6, 1973
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In the general election, O'Dwyer defeated Thomas F. Galvin and Simeon Golar by a wide margin.[1]
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Anthony G. DiFalco, Assemblyman from Manhattan
- Sanford Garelik, incumbent City Council President since 1970
- Paul O'Dwyer, former City Councilman from Manhattan at-large and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1968 and 1970
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Paul O'Dwyer | 268,919 | 41.40% | |
| Democratic | Sanford Garelik (incumbent) | 232,509 | 35.80% | |
| Democratic | Anthony G. DiFalco | 148,115 | 22.80% | |
| Total votes | 649,543 | 100.00% | ||
Garelik dropped out of the mayoral race at the filing deadline on April 12, filing instead for re-election as Council President.[3]
Because O'Dwyer received more than forty percent of the vote, a runoff was not necessary. Nevertheless, Garelik asserted that "irregularities", including the misplacement of voter identification cards, had marred the election and called for a recount. In light of these claims, Garelik said, “it was almost a miracle I did as well as I did.”[2] He pledged to contest the general election as an independent in the event that the recount did not succeed in forcing a runoff.[2]
O'Dwyer, who had lost races for city and statewide offices in 1965, 1968 and 1970, suggested Garelik was not "accustomed" to losing.[2]
General election
Candidates
- Thomas F. Galvin, architect, real estate developer, and former chair of the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals[4] (Republican and Conservative)
- Simeon Golar, former chair of the New York City Housing Authority and aide to mayor John Lindsay[4] (Liberal)
- Paul O'Dwyer, former City Councilman from Manhattan at-large and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1968 and 1970 (Democratic)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Paul O'Dwyer | 867,515 | 59.43% | |
| Republican | Thomas F. Galvin | 442,655 | 30.33% | |
| Liberal | Simeon Golar | 149,447 | 10.24% | |
| Total votes | 1,459,617 | 100.00% | ||