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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline February 05, 2021 | The Indian Eye 26

nYc counciL district 24 eLection

no negative adverts:

radio Zindagi takes ethical

stand on campaign

Our Bureau

New York, NY
his year’s special elec-
tion held on February
T2nd for Council District
24th seat was very unique with
six of those running were South
Asians, a community that has
never had one of its members in
the Council. It was a tough race
as the community in New York
City is hundreds of thousands
strong, but it has struggled to
secure political representation
in the city council. It is also a
major shift in South Asian com-
munity which is known more to
support mainstream candidates
with larger donations.
The campaigning was tough
too, expensive and very com-
petitive. And then it turned
negative.
The special election attract- she saw the efforts by Common reach within South Asian com-
ed big donors, with Common Sense NYC as part of a strate- munity in New York city, and
Sense NYC, Inc., an indepen- gy to “instill fear and division Long Island,
dent expenditure committee, among neighbors in District In the report, Common
spending $221,000 in the race. 24”. Sense pointed out that all its ad-
Almost half the money went to Even as huge amount of vertisements are publicly report-
adverts and phone calls in sup- money was being spent on ad- ed with the NYC Campaign Fi-
port of James Gennaro. vertising, Radio Zindagi Net- nance Board, as required by law.
As per reports in local me- work took a principled stand. As per the results, Genarro
dia, another $95,000 was spent Sunil Hali, the promoter of the has secured about 60% votes
on negative ads against Mou- biggest and only South Asian and is a certain winner. He will
mita Ahmed, a community or- radio network in the US de- be on the ballot again in June,
ganizer who was supported by clined a proposal from Com- when there will be a citywide
Senator Bernie Sanders and mon Sense NYC seeking air sunil hali primary for the same Council
apparent leading candidate time to run an advertisement on seat. Ahmed told Gothamist/
amongst South Asian candi- Election Day, even though they vet the advertisement and also WNYC that the special election
dates. offered to pay an amount worth because it was negative. “I don’t experience has shaken her.
“They exploited people’s a month’s ads for just one day. want to malign the other side,” “As much as I loved fighting
fear of the other to divide us According to Sunil Hali, he said. “But they could do bet- for my community, it’s also a lot
when in reality the policies my who is also the publisher on The ter by running positive ads,” to have to put myself out there
campaign put out were inclu- Indian EYE Newsweekly, he Hali was quoted as saying in a like that,” she said, adding that
sive of everybody,” Ahmed told didn’t accept the because there report by Gothamist/WNYC. she wasn’t sure she would run
Gothamist/WNYC, adding that wasn’t enough time to properly Radio Zindagi has a huge again.

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