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An election was held on November 5, 1989 to elect the President of theNew York City Council. Democratic incumbentAndrew Stein was re-elected to a second term in office over token opposition in the Democratic primary and general election.
This was the final election for New York City Council President, as the office was split into the offices ofNew York City Public Advocate andSpeaker of the New York City Council following the 1993 elections.
The New Alliance Party put forward Rafael Mendez as a candidate, seeking to exploit ethnic divisions in the city. WithDavid Dinkins challengingEd Koch in the concurrent mayoral primary, New Alliance Party members unsuccessfully demanded that Dinkins endorse Mendez to demonstrate his support for the city's Hispanic community. Mendez was critical of "big-money interests that control the political process."[1]
The New York Times endorsed Stein on August 31, claiming Mendez had not "run a credible campaign."[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andrew Stein (incumbent) | 593,101 | 75.37% | |
| Democratic | Rafael Mendez | 193,842 | 24.63% | |
| Total votes | 786,943 | 100.00% | ||
Without a Republican opponent in the general election, Stein was considered assured of re-election, setting him up to run for mayor in 1989 or thereafter. A week before the election, Stein admitted, "I'm not doing the kind of campaigning I would do in a real race. ... Obviously, I have an interest in becoming mayor some day."[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andrew Stein (incumbent) | 1,207,493 | 92.58% | |
| Conservative | Richard F. Birmingham Sr. | 70,206 | 5.38% | |
| Right to Life | Barbara Bollaert | 20,093 | 1.54% | |
| Total votes | 1,304,231 | 100.00% | ||
