Brad Hoylman (Photo: Facebook)

It's no surprise, but Brad Hoylman, the Chairperson of Community Board 2 in Greenwich Village, is formally a candidate for the State Senate district that Tom Duane is vacating this year.

"It’s official: I am running to be the next state senator," Mr. Hoylman wrote in an email to supporters today.

"Tom will truly be a hard act to follow, but I'm confident that I have the qualifications, experience and drive necessary to continue his tradition of progressive, activist representation," he continued. "I am pleased to report that others agree. In the past week, I have received the support of dozens of elected officials and community leaders from across the district."

With petitioning to get onto the ballot having already begun, there's not a lot of time for other contenders to leap in.

A lesser-known candidate, Tanika Inlaw, has announced, but with Mr. Duane all-but--assured to endorse him, Mr. Hoylman definitively starts out as the frontrunner in the race.

Read Mr. Holyman's full email below:

Dear Friend:

In the week since Tom Duane announced that he is not running for re-election this year, I have received overwhelming encouragement to run for his State Senate seat. As Tom will leave big shoes to fill, I have given this incredible opportunity deep consideration and have made my decision.

It’s official: I am running to be the next state senator to represent Greenwich Village, Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen, as well as parts of SoHo, NoHo, the Upper West Side, Midtown, the East Village, Alphabet City, and East Side neighborhoods including Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village, Waterside Plaza and Phipps Plaza.

Tom will truly be a hard act to follow, but I'm confident that I have the qualifications, experience and drive necessary to continue his tradition of progressive, activist representation. I am pleased to report that others agree. In the past week, I have received the support of dozens of elected officials and community leaders from across the district.

Nothing would make me prouder than to continue Tom’s legacy of being a champion for our community and for those who normally don’t have a voice in the halls of government. I hope I can count on your support in my quest.

While you’ll be hearing a lot more about my candidacy in the coming months, here are three things you should know about me:

I have strong local roots and a history of public service.
I have been a Democratic grassroots activist in Manhattan for more than twenty years. I am currently the Chair of Manhattan Community Board 2 covering Greenwich Village, SoHo, NoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown -- a position to which I have been unanimously elected three times. I am a Trustee of the Community Services Society of New York, the city’s leading anti-poverty organization, and am a former board member of the Empire State Pride Agenda, Tenants & Neighbors, Class Size Matters and Citizen Action. I’m a parent, too, and live in the Village with my longtime partner David and our 18-month-old daughter Silvia.

I have a proven record of progressive results.
As Chair of CB2 and a Democratic District Leader, I have helped secure two new public schools; won concessions from developers to scale back and mitigate inappropriate proposals; advanced landmarking and rezoning efforts that preserved historic buildings and neighborhoods; created an innovative legal defense fund for rent stabilized tenants; and brokered a deal that allowed for the long-stalled renovation of Washington Square Park.

I will be a reformer in Albany.
I will bring to Albany the same reform-minded approach that I have demonstrated in our community. Some of my top priorities are reforming campaign finance laws to provide public financing and spending limits; fighting for New York City’s fair share of education dollars and increasing parental involvement in school governance decisions; strengthening laws to protect rent regulated tenants; providing greater services to seniors; making the state tax system more progressive and eliminating real estate development loopholes; winning passage of the Gender Equality Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) so that our civil rights law finally protects transgender New Yorkers; providing greater support for homeless youth; and keeping transit fares low while improving maintenance and operations on the subways.

I promise you that if I am elected, I will serve the neighborhoods of the 27th State Senate District with the same passion for sound, progressive policies and community self-determination that were hallmarks of Senator Tom Duane’s tenure.

In order to do so, however, I need your help. I need to collect a minimum of 1,000 signatures on my nominating petitions from registered Democrats in the 27th State Senate District in the next four weeks to qualify to be on the ballot.

Please email hoylmanforsenate@gmail.com to volunteer your time or to make a financial pledge to help see me through to victory.

Look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail!

Sincerely,

Brad Hoylman