Bill Perkins (politician)
{{Short description|American politician (1949–2023)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Bill Perkins
| image = Bill Perkins NLN (cropped).jpg
| caption = Perkins speaking in 2008
| state_senate3 = New York State
| predecessor3 = David Paterson
| successor3 = Brian Benjamin
| district3 = 30th
| term_start3 = January 1, 2007
| term_end3 = February 28, 2017
| party = Democratic
| office = Member of the New York City Council
from the 9th district
| term_start = March 1, 2017
| term_end = December 31, 2021
| predecessor = Inez Dickens
| successor = Kristin Richardson Jordan
| predecessor2 = C. Virginia Fields
| successor2 = Inez Dickens
| term_start2 = January 1, 1998
| term_end2 = December 31, 2005
| birth_date = {{birth date|1949|04|18}}
| birth_place = Manhattan, New York, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|05|16|1949|04|18}}
| death_place = Manhattan, New York, U.S.
| alma_mater = Brown University
| residence =
}}
William Morris Perkins (April 18, 1949 – May 16, 2023) was an American politician from the state of New York. A Democrat, he served in the New York City Council from the 9th district from 2017 to 2021. The district includes portions of Harlem in Manhattan. Perkins formerly represented the same seat from 1998 to 2005, and was a member of the New York State Senate for the 30th District from 2007 to 2017.
Early life and education
Perkins was born and raised in Harlem, a neighborhood in Manhattan. He attended Collegiate School{{Cite web|url=https://www.collegiateschool.org/news-detail?pk=671455|title=Winter Convocation Honors the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.|date=January 28, 2013|website=Collegiate School}} on a scholarship before receiving a scholarship to Brown University.{{cite web |url=https://council.nyc.gov/bill-perkins/pb/9/ |title=- Bill Perkins |website=council.nyc.gov |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811005922/https://council.nyc.gov/bill-perkins/pb/9/ |archive-date=August 11, 2020}} He graduated from Brown in 1972.https://council.nyc.gov/bill-perkins/pb/9/ "He...was awarded a scholarship to Collegiate Preparatory School in Manhattan and later a scholarship to Brown University. After graduating from Brown in 1972...Bill returned to New York" (Bill Perkins' biography on the NY City Council website)
Political career
=New York City Council (1998–2005)=
In 1997, Perkins was first elected to the New York City Council, winning the seat easily after losing the Democratic nomination for the Council three times previously.{{cn|date=May 2023}} On the Council, Perkins served as Deputy Majority Leader, and championed the lead paint laws that required New York City residences to be tested for hazardous conditions.
{{cite web | title = Bill Perkins wins District Council #9 special election| date = February 16, 2017 | url = http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2017/feb/16/bill-perkins-wins-district-council-9-special-elect/ | access-date = March 10, 2017 }} He also ran for Manhattan Borough President in 2005, and lost the primary to Scott Stringer.{{Cite news |last=Cooper |first=Michael |date=September 14, 2005 |title=Scott Stringer Wins a Crowded Primary and a Likely Election as Borough President |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/14/nyregion/metrocampaigns/scott-stringer-wins-a-crowded-primary-and-a-likely.html |access-date=May 17, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}
=New York State Senate (2007–2017)=
Term-limited from the Council in 2005, Perkins opted to seek election to the New York State Senate in 2006, where he won.
{{cite web
| title = Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 30 Race - Nov 07, 2006
| url = http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=311461
| access-date = March 10, 2017
}}
Bill Perkins endorsed United States Senator Barack Obama over U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries.{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=2023-05-19 |title=Bill Perkins, Defender of His Harlem Constituents, Dies at 74 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/nyregion/bill-perkins-dead.html |access-date=2023-06-15 |issn=0362-4331}}
He was re-elected five times and served for more ten years before resigning to retake his seat on the New York City Council. Perkins also ran briefly to succeed Charles Rangel in the United States House of Representatives in 2016, but later dropped out.
{{cite web
|title = Harlem Community Board Chairman Eyes Vacant State Senate Seat - Central Harlem - DNAinfo New York
|url = https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170306/central-harlem/brian-benjamin-bill-perkins-state-senate-community-board-10
|access-date = March 10, 2017
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170312073412/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170306/central-harlem/brian-benjamin-bill-perkins-state-senate-community-board-10
|archive-date = March 12, 2017
}}
In 2015 Perkins, was one of a number of Black activists who met with Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, in Harlem. He was quoted as saying, “We recognize that in the person of Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, we have an exceptional leader!”{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/black-activists-nicolas-maduro-harlem_n_560a836fe4b0af3706ddc573|title=Black Activists Honor Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro In Harlem|first=Roque|last=Planas|date=September 29, 2015|website=HuffPost}}
Perkins was one of the few New York lawmakers who endorsed Bernie Sanders and not Hillary Clinton, in the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries.{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/king-senators-harlem-queens-support-sanders-exclusive-article-1.2480639|title=KING: Senators in Harlem, Queens support Sanders — EXCLUSIVE|website=New York Daily News|date=December 30, 2015 |access-date=January 24, 2017}}
{{expand section| accomplishments during his decade in the state senate|date= May 2023}}
=New York City Council (2017–2021)=
In 2016, Councilmember Inez Dickens, who had succeeded Perkins on the New York City Council, announced that she would forgo her last year on the Council to run for a vacant seat in the New York State Assembly.
{{cite web
| title = Bill Perkins Reclaims Harlem City Council Seat. What Next?
| website = HuffPost
| date = February 23, 2017 | url = https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-perkins-reclaims-harlem-city-council-seat-what_us_58a66f0ce4b026a89a7a2920
| access-date = March 10, 2017
}}
After Dickens won the Assembly seat, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called a February 14, 2017, special election to fill her vacated seat on the City Council. Perkins announced that he would be a candidate and won the election with over 33% of the vote. He was sworn into office on March 1, 2017.
{{cite web
| title = Our Campaigns - New York City Council 09 Special Race - Feb 14, 2017
| url = http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=827482
| access-date = March 10, 2017
}}
Perkins won a full four-year term in the November 2017 general election.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/new-york-general-elections|title=Election Results: De Blasio Wins Second Term as New York City Mayor|work=The New York Times |date=December 20, 2017|via=NYTimes.com}}
On January 31, 2019, Perkins was transported to a hospital by authorities "after neighbors called the police on him for acting erratically in his Manhattan home". At the time, the Daily News reported that Perkins was receiving treatment for colon cancer and that various constituents and colleagues had expressed concern about his health and his continued fitness to hold public office.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-pol-bill-perkins-nypd-custody-20190201-story.html|title=NYC Councilman Bill Perkins taken to hospital after neighbors called police on him for acting erratically|first=Jillian Jorgensen, Mikey|last=Light|website=nydailynews.com|date=February 2019 }} In June 2021, Gothamist published a piece on Perkins entitled "As Worries Persist Over Harlem Lawmaker's Health, Elected Leaders Stay Mum".{{Cite web|url=https://gothamist.com/|title=As Worries Persist Over Harlem Lawmaker's Health, Elected Leaders Stay Mum|first=David|last=Cruz|date=July 22, 2021|website=Gothamist}}
Perkins sought re-election to the City Council in 2021. The June 22, 2021, Democratic primary{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2021/06/2021-new-york-city-council-primary-election-results/182745/|title=2021 New York City Council primary election results|website=City & State NY|date=June 23, 2021 }} in Council District 9 was so close that a recount was held. On August 9, 2021, Perkins conceded the primary election to Kristin Richardson Jordan, a democratic socialist, and announced that he would retire at the end of the year.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2021/08/09/results-of-nyc-primary-2021-2021-nyc-election-results-bill-perkins-concedes-kristin-richardson-jordan-will-retire|title=Bill Perkins concedes Council primary, will retire at end of year|website=www.ny1.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://citylimits.org/2021/08/13/results-of-recounted-nyc-council-races-to-be-certified-tuesday-as-bill-perkins-concedes-defeat-in-harlem/|title=Results of Recounted NYC Council Races to be Certified Tuesday, As Bill Perkins Concedes Defeat in Harlem|first=Ese|last=Olumhense|date=August 13, 2021|website=City Limits}}
=Electoral history=
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2023}}
| class="wikitable collapsible" |
| valign=bottom
! colspan=4 | Election history |
| valign=bottom
! Location ! Year ! Election ! Results |
| NYC Council District 17 | 2017 | {{party shading/Green}}|Non-partisan special election | √ Bill Perkins 33.95% |
|---|
| NYC Council District 17 | 2017 | {{party shading/Democratic}}|Democratic Primary | √ Bill Perkins 49.87% |
| NYC Council District 17 | 2017 | {{party shading/hold}}|General | √ Bill Perkins (D) 78.17% |
{{expand section| elections involving Bill Perkins but not held in 2017 |date= May 2023}}
Death
Perkins died in New York City on May 16, 2023, at the age of 74.{{cite news |last1=Saltonstall |first1=Gus |title=Bill Perkins, Longtime Harlem Elected Official, Dead At 74 |url=https://patch.com/new-york/harlem/bill-perkins-longtime-harlem-elected-official-dead-74 |access-date=May 17, 2023 |publisher=Patch |date=May 16, 2023}}
See also
Further reading
- Paterson, David "Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity." New York, New York, 2020
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://council.nyc.gov/district-9/ New York City Councilmember Bill Perkins (official site)]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20170311115645/http://www.billperkins.org/ Bill Perkins for City Council (campaign site)]
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{{succession box|title=New York City Council, 9th district|before=Inez Dickens|years=2017–2021|after=Kristin Richardson Jordan }}
{{succession box|title=New York City Council, 9th district|before=C. Virginia Fields|years=1998–2005|after=Inez Dickens }}
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{{s-bef|before=David Paterson}}
{{s-ttl|title=New York State Senate, 30th District|years=2007–2017}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Bill}}
Category:Democratic Party New York (state) state senators
Category:New York City Council members
Category:African-American state legislators in New York (state)
Category:Brown University alumni
Category:Collegiate School (New York) alumni
Category:African-American New York City Council members
Category:21st-century African-American politicians
Category:20th-century New York (state) politicians
Category:20th-century African-American politicians
Category:Politicians from Manhattan
Category:21st-century members of the New York State Legislature