Marte Wins Big in Contest for His Downtown City Council Seat

Christopher Marte speaks to supporters during his victory celebration Tuesday night. Photo courtesy of Christopher Marte

Christopher Marte kept his City Council seat in District 1 on Tuesday, overwhelming his closest Democratic Primary rival, Susan Lee, 63% (5,053 votes) to 30% (2,406 votes), with 92% of the ballots counted. Ursila Jung came in a distant third with about 5%. 

“It’s been a really long day, a really long two weeks but I’m happy to get across the finish line and have so much support from the community,” Marte said by phone from his victory celebration Tuesday night at Lee’s on Canal. “It feels like it’s a mandate to continue to advocate, to do the work that we’ve been doing for these 16 months and so it feels great.”  

Lee, a non-profit grant writer and community organizer, and Jung, a former private investor and education advocate, positioned themselves as more moderate alternatives to Marte, emphasizing public safety as their number one issue. Both said they would decline to join the Council’s Progressive Caucus. They did not respond to a request for comment about the election results.

As a newcomer, Marte came close to defeating incumbent Margaret Chin in 2017 and, with Chin term-limited, he returned in 2021 to win his seat in a crowded, competitive race. He called this victory “sweeter, because it was based on a track record.” (The period between the last election and this one was shorter due to census-based redistricting.) Marte gained wide support among communities fighting new developments, including a jail tower in Chinatown and a high-rise residential building at 250 Water Street in the South Street Seaport Historic District.