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The New York Observer

A Win for Labor

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September 16, 2005 | 1:17 p.m

They've finished counting ballots in that East Harlem City Council race, and the winner is Melissa Mark-Viverito.

The former 1199 staffer prevailed over Felipe Luciano by 84 votes.

Mark-Viverito's win, along with Darlene Mealy's win in central Brooklyn, is a mark of how powerful the "progressive" wing of the labor movement, and its agent, the Working Families Party, have become in local races that have dropped off the radar for unorganized citizens and other interest groups.

Some commentators, notably Fred Siegel, are dismayed at this trend, but at this rate, the City Council may just have to declare itself an 1199 local one of these years.

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