What’s at stake for nonprofits in NYC’s primary election

New York City’s primary election is today, and there is no shortage of consequential races to pay attention to, starting with the Democratic primary for the mayoral race, whose winner is expected to become mayor starting next year and lead the city’s post-COVID recovery. 

The victor of the mayoral election will play a major role in determining funding for human services nonprofits in New York City and policies that affect areas they work in such as housing, child welfare and health care. Most mayoral candidates have pledged to get nonprofits contracting with the city paid on time and otherwise improve the contracting process. 

So far, polls have generally shown Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, former Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, and Maya Wiley, a civil rights attorney who previously served as Mayor Bill de Blasio’s counsel, as the leading candidates. But this is the first ranked-choice election in New York City, making it particularly difficult to predict who might win the crowded race. It also means the race’s official winner might not be declared until July.

Another notable citywide race with implications for nonprofits if that of comptroller, who oversees the city’s pension fund and has sway over the contracting process in the city and in auditing city agencies. Candidates in this race have also pledged to get organizations paid faster by the city, calling for the contracting process to be better streamlined.

There are also competitive races for borough president in four of the five boroughs (except for Queens); for Manhattan district attorney, which is not subject to ranked-choice voting; and for numerous City Council seats, analyzed in detail here.