RODNEYSE BICHOTTE vs. L. RICKIE TULLOCH
Rodneyse Bichotte and L. Rickie Tulloch are facing off in the Democratic primary for the seat that longtime Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs is vacating with her upcoming retirement. Jacobs, who is Jewish, has spent 36 years presiding over an area that, thanks to redistricting, has become overwhelmingly African- and Caribbean-American. Both Democratic candidates have roots in Caribbean Flatbush and, while Tulloch has Jacobs’s stamp of approval, Bichotte is spending big and boasts the support of big-time city pols, including the mayor.
RODNEYSE BICHOTTE
DEMOCRAT, worked as a math teacher, an electrical engineer, and a Wall Street investment banker
Bichotte is currently a member of Community Board 17 and a female district leader for Assembly District 42, an unpaid party position. She lost big to the retiring Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs in 2012 despite enjoying major support among Haitian Americans. She was born in Brooklyn to Haitian immigrant parents.
41, single, no children
L. RICKIE TULLOCH
DEMOCRAT, deputy chief financial officer at Harlem Hospital Center
His public service record includes a stint as a board member of Community Board 17, vice chair of the West Indian Progressive Action Council, and chair of Assemblywoman Jacobs’s Community Advisory Council.
Tulloch’s previous foray into electoral politics was an unsuccessful challenge to Councilman Mathieu Eugene (D–Prospect Lefferts Gardens). Tulloch was born in Jamaica and moved to Flatbush as a young boy.
52, divorced, four adult children.
THE CAMPAIGN
Tulloch has the backing of the retiring assemblywoman, but Bichotte has received endorsements from a host of top city pols, including Mayor DeBlasio, Public Advocate Letitia James, and Comptroller Scott Stringer.
Both Tulloch and Bichotte have promised to fight for a minimum wage increase and affordable housing protections.
In the latest spending period, Bichotte has outspent Tulloch by more than $24,000, with Tulloch only shelling out $9,465 to Bichotte’s $33,735.
