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An election was held on November 4, 1969 to elect the President of theNew York City Council. Democratic incumbent Francis X. Smith ran for re-election to a full term in office but was defeated bySanford Garelik, a police officer running on the Republican and Liberal lines. Although Garelik was a registered Democrat, this remains the last time a candidate on the Republican ticket won the election toNew York City's second-ranking office.
On December 31, 1968, incumbent Council PresidentFrank D. O'Connor resigned to serve on theNew York Supreme Court. At the behest of party leaders, the City Council elected Queens councilman Francis X. Smith on January 8, 1969 to complete O'Connor's term in office which was set to expire on December 31, 1969.[1]
Garelik, a registered Democrat, ran in both the Republican and Liberal primaries as the running mate of incumbent mayorJohn Lindsay.[2] Opponents challenged Garelik's legal right to run in the primary as a registered Democrat, but his eligibility was upheld by unanimously by the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court.[3]
Garelik won the nomination, despite Lindsay's loss to State SenatorJohn J. Marchi in the concurrent mayoral primary.[2] The Lindsay candidate for Controller, Vito B. Battista, also won.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sanford Garelik | 109,518 | 53.74% | |
| Republican | Robert F. Kelly | 94,280 | 46.26% | |
| Total votes | 203,798 | 100.00% | ||
All of the candidates except Low were aligned with a mayoral candidate.[6] Low and Carey initially ran for mayor themselves, but each dropped out after former mayorRobert F. Wagner Jr. entered that race.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Hugh Carey | 160,299 | 23.46% | |
| Democratic | Francis X. Smith | 160,127 | 23.43% | |
| Democratic | Robert A. Low | 125,503 | 18.37% | |
| Democratic | Elinor Guggenheimer | 90,709 | 13.28% | |
| Democratic | Jimmy Breslin | 75,480 | 11.05% | |
| Democratic | Charles B. Rangel | 71,139 | 10.41% | |
| Total votes | 683,257 | 100.00% | ||
Initial, unofficial results gave Carey a lead over Smith of only 172 votes, but the official count put Smith ahead.
At the start of the campaign, the unknown Garelik was given little chance of unseating the incumbent Smith.[7] Despite Lindsay's loss in the Republican primary, Garelik continued to campaign with him rather than Republican nomineeJohn J. Marchi and considered himself part of the Lindsay ticket.[2] Marchi attempted to force Garelik off the ticket by appealing to the Board of Elections for his removal, but the Board declined to do so.[8]
Owing to the candidates' backgrounds, criminal justice was a defining issue in the campaign. Although the office had no formal law enforcement role, Lindsay publicly said that he would use Garelik, as Council President, to design a comprehensive narcotics control program for the city.[2] Smith, a former assistant district attorney fromQueens, attributed crime to increased use of narcotics and advocated for the use ofmethadone to reduce heroin usage. He further called for the city to use state prisons to reduce "the intolerable overcrowding in city prisons," which he said was an obstacle to rehabilitation,[2] and the legalization of off-track betting to free up police resources.[2]
Garelik cited his career with the NYPD and defended Mayor Lindsay from charges that his policies were to blame for rising crime, which he called a threat to "the social fabric of our democracy."[2] Garelik called for severe penalties for drug dealers and racketeers and the creation of a special narcotics court.[2]
Kelly, a significant underdog, sought to appeal to conservative Republicans as the only "real" Republican candidate running.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Sanford Garelik | 730,755[a] | 35.15% | ||
| Republican | Sanford Garelik | 282,002 | 13.57% | ||
| Total | Sanford Garelik | 1,012,757 | 48.72% | ||
| Democratic | Francis X. Smith (incumbent) | 831,358 | 39.99% | ||
| NPCS | Francis X. Smith (incumbent) | 67,972 | 3.27% | ||
| Total | Francis X. Smith (incumbent) | 899,330 | 43.26% | ||
| Conservative | Robert F. Kelly | 166,602 | 8.01% | ||
| Total votes | 2,078,689 | 100.00% | |||
