Mamdani accuses BK Dem leader of attempting to bypass will of voters, jumping into partys internal feud

Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused the leader of the Brooklyn Democratic Party of trying to “circumvent the will of voters” — as she proposed last-minute rule changes that could help her hold onto power.Chairwoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, a state Assemblywoman representing Central Brooklyn, is pushing a proposal to dramatically boost the number of voting members who will choose the party’s leader in the fall.It comes after a group of reform-oriented Dems won a swath district leader seats in the June primary — enough to oust Bichotte Hermelyn from her longtime leadership role at next month’s party convention.“I very much oppose these proposed changes, by the current Brooklyn Democratic Party chair,” Mamdani said Monday.

“I oppose them because they are an attempt to circumnavigate the will of voters.”The reformers, New Kings Democrats, are suing Bichotte Hermelyn over her attempt to rewrite the party rulebook, demanding a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge halt the move ahead of a critical Tuesday night meeting where the changes will be voted on.Brooklyn Dem voters elected 22 new district leaders from the reform group, giving them enough votes to cast off the party machine’s long reign.But the rule changes would all but assuredly cancel out those results, argues the suit, filed by district leader Julio Peña III — the head of the reform-minded Dems and presumed next party chair.“Brooklyn can’t turn back to bossism and the worst days of Vito Lopez,” Peña said last week, referring to the late, disgraced Brooklyn Dems party chair who tried to pull off a similar “packing” move in 2010, but at a smaller scale.Bichotte Hermelyn put out a bizarre video unveiling the last-minute rule changes last week, and claiming they were about “expanding participation.”“We want to create a perception of inclusiveness,” she told NY1.Dems at all levels of local government have slammed the move, including state Party Chair Jay Jacobs.New York Attorney Gen...