Arlene Kayatt

2 months ago | otdowntown.com | Arlene Kayatt

Hard to imagine that there would be any real surprises coming out of the local City Council District 4 and 5 races. But there was. In the District 4 race to succeed Keith Powers, the six candidates-Vanessa Aronson, Faith Bondy, Lukas Florczak, Virginia Maloney, Rachel Storch, Ben Wetzler-were amazingly collegial. No nastiness. No allegations. No petition challenges, which means that all candidates will be on the June 24 primary ballot. Ready to be ranked.

2 months ago | otdowntown.com | Arlene Kayatt

By Arlene KayattA complete unknown-Hard to imagine that there would be any real surprises coming out of the local City Council District 4 and 5 races. But there was. In the district 4 race to succeed Keith Powers, the six candidates-Vanessa Aronson, Faith Bondy, Lukas Florczak, Virginia Maloney, Rachel Storch, Ben Wetzler-were amazingly collegial. No nastiness. No allegations. No petition challenges, which means that all candidates will be on the June 24th primary ballot. Ready to be ranked.

2 months ago | otdowntown.com | Arlene Kayatt

The race is on-Not for Mayor. Or Comptroller. Or City Council-but to fill the three open seats on NY County's Supreme come November. Two of the three judges are up for certification at 70 and one judge is retiring. And like any good race, there are more than three contenders for the seats. Top contenders to date, in alphabetical order, are Judges Suzanne Adams, Shahabudden "Shah" Ally, Jim Clynes, and Judy Kim.

2 months ago | otdowntown.com | Arlene Kayatt

The Power's on: In 2017 Keith Powers, CD4's current Council member, ran in a primary against a crowded field of eight candidates, including him, and he prevailed. Now, five years later, Powers is term-limited and running against State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal for Manhattan Borough President, leaving the CD4 seat up for grabs.

Mar 14, 2025 | otdowntown.com | Arlene Kayatt

Cherry blossoms the NY way- South Street Seaport's Watermark venue at Pier 15 has a spectacular Cherry Blossom Festival through April 30th. It's a wonderland of Pink everything-pink drinks, pink apps, pink sliders, and other pink-y creations. My friend Marlena Brauer attended the fest's opening night in my stead. And, celebrant that she is, posed for a photo op in an old-fashioned phone booth festooned with cherry blossoms. Marlena's transition to iPhones and texting was a no-brainer.