Darlene Mealy
Member of the New York City Council
from the 41st district
Assumed office
January 1, 2022
Preceded byAlicka Ampry-Samuel
In office
January 1, 2006 – December 31, 2017
Preceded byTracy L. Boyland
Succeeded byAlicka Ampry-Samuel
Personal details
Born (1964-08-31) August 31, 1964
Political partyDemocratic
EducationManhattan Community College
WebsiteOfficial website

Darlene Mealy (born August 31, 1964) is an American politician who is a member of the New York City Council from the 41st district, which includes Brownsville, Bushwick, Crown Heights, East Flatbush and Prospect Lefferts Gardens in Brooklyn.

A Democrat, Mealy previously held the same seat from 2006 to 2017. In 2021, she defeated incumbent Alicka Ampry-Samuel in the Democratic primary in a major upset.[1]

Life and career

Mealy was born in Detroit, Michigan, and attended public schools, graduating from George Wingate High School. Following high school, she attended the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and later pursued coursework in Labor & Women’s Studies offered by Cornell University.

Prior to her election to the New York City Council, Mealy was employed at the New York City Transit Authority for 17 years, in the Department of Buses Technical Services Division.[2]

Controversies

She brought controversial attention to herself in 2009 when she voted to give $5,000 of public money to Lynval Samuels (also known as Dr. Bidi XiLi Bey), for teaching "etymology". Referred to by some as a lunatic,[3] Samuels "has been a fixture at Union St. and Utica Ave. for years, neighbors said - stopping traffic, splattering paint on parking meters and fire hydrants, and handing out flyers for his self-styled etymology classes."[4]

Mealy was also highlighted by the press for a history of questionable housing deals she was involved in before becoming a councilwoman. In 1993, when Mealy was still with the MTA, she and her sister moved into a 3-bedroom, low-income apartment in Bushwick. These apartments were only available to families on limited incomes, specifically, those making less than $15,200 a year. Within two years, however, Mealy and her sister had purchased a $90,000 brownstone.[5]

New York City Council

Mealy was first elected to the 41st district of the New York City Council in 2005 after defeating William Boyland, Jr., a member of the famed Boyland political family. She was re-elected in 2009 after narrowly besting Tracy E. Boyland.[6]

In 2010, Mealy was also elected as the Democratic District Leader for the 55th Assembly District in Brooklyn after defeating Latrice Walker, the legal counsel to Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and future assemblymember.[7] Mealy was re-elected to her third term on the City Council in 2013, beating her Democratic rival Kathleen Daniel 66% to 20%.[8]

Mealy chaired the Contracts Committee and was the co-chair of the Council’s Brooklyn delegation, and a member of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus and the Women’s Caucus.

She courted attention when she was televised tearfully casting her "yes" vote regarding Mayor Michael Bloomberg's efforts to overturn a referendum limiting him to two terms as New York City's Mayor. She had previously stated that she opposed the measure.[9] In 2011, Mealy earned the distinction of missing the highest percentage of meetings and hearings she was supposed to have attended - 24%.[10]

Election history
Location Year Election Results
NYC Council
District 41		 2005 Democratic Primary √ Darlene Mealy 46.77%
William Boyland, Jr. 18.85%
Danny King 9.06%
Royston Antoine 5.98%
Stanley Kinard 5.11%
David R. Miller 3.50%
Alicka Ampry-Samuel 3.23%
NYC Council
District 41		 2005 General √ Darlene Mealy (D) 90.14%
A. Brinmore Britton (R) 6.95%
Naquan Ah Muhammad 2.91%
NYC Council
District 41		 2009 Democratic Primary √ Darlene Mealy 36.83%
Tracy L. Boyland 35.80%
Tulani Kinard 20.19%
Anthony Herbert 7.18%
NYC Council
District 41		 2009 General √ Darlene Mealy (D) 95.15%
Rose Laney (R) 4.51%
NYC Council
District 41		 2013 Democratic Primary √ Darlene Mealy 66.34%
Kathleen Daniel 19.92%
Stanley Kinard 13.74%
NYC Council
District 41		 2013 General √ Darlene Mealy (D) 97.31%
Bilal Malik (I) 2.62%
NYC Council
District 41		 2021 Democratic Primary √ Darlene Mealy 57.3%
Alicka Ampry-Samuel 42.1%

References

  1. ↑ "Major Upset In NYC Council Race In Brownsville As Darlene Mealy Is The Projected Winner Over Alicka Ampry-Samuel". Eastnewyork.com. June 23, 2021. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  2. ↑ "Profiling Council Member Darlene Mealy". New York Amsterdam News. July 26, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  3. ↑ Paybarah, Azi (July 10, 2009). "Bloomberg Gets the Lefty Endorsement". The New York Observer. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  4. ↑ Remizowski, Leigh; Shifrel, Scott; Lisberg, Adam (June 20, 2009). "Brooklyn councilwoman wants to give $5,000 of your money to wacky etymology teacher Lynval Samuels". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  5. ↑ Einhorn, Erin; Gearty, Robert; Lesser, Benjamin; Moore, Tina; Ross, Barbara; Smith, Greg B. (March 21, 2013). "Some City Council members cutting corners to obtain affordable housing". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  6. ↑ Hays, Elizabeth (October 6, 2009). "Primary losers taking their cases to court: Tracy Boyland said fraud an issue, results 'invalid'". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Will Vito veto Brooklyn voters? Upstart challengers vs. the borough boss". New York Daily News. August 26, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  8. ↑ NYC Board of Elections – District 41 Democratic primary
  9. ↑ Hicks, Jonathan P. (October 23, 2008). "How a Councilwoman Changed Her Mind". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  10. ↑ Blau, Reuven (October 18, 2012). "News analysis reveals several Brooklyn City Council members who miss many meetings, propose few bills: Councilwomen Darlene Mealy, Sara Gonzalez, Diana Reyna top list of lawmakers who collect 'lulu' bonuses for doing little". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
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