Dinowitz introduces Ben Franklin club slate

Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz announced a slate of Ben Franklin Reform Democratic Club-endorsed candidates up for local and state party roles on Feb. 8 — including Virginia Krompinger for female district leader, challenger to four-year incumbent Abigail Martin.

Dinowitz, who has held the seat for 32 years, is running for re-election against teacher and disability advocate Morgan Evers. State committee members Michael Heller and Johanna Edmondson, as well as male District Leader Ben Jackson, are also relaunching their campaigns.

The Ben Franklin club has been embedded in the community since 1960. For June’s Democratic primaries, several candidates tied to the Unity Democratic Club — the northwest Bronx’s other dominant political group — are looking to unseat Ben Franklin’s incumbents, the latest in a years-long fight for political influence in Assembly District 81.

Dinowitz has the endorsements of Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Rep. Ritchie Torres, Rep. Adriano Espaillat and Council Member Eric Dinowitz, all officials the Ben Franklin club has backed in the last year.

Gibson said she stands with Dinowitz, and although newer and younger populations may run for office, she is a firm believer in legacy.

“Consistent leadership is sustainable,” Gibson said. “It’s stable. It’s reliable. It always shows up no matter what … Don’t let anyone ever tell you that the leadership we have today is not the leadership that we need for tomorrow.”

The assemblymember said his decades of political involvement are rooted in a love of being in the neighborhood and working with the community.

“One thing I’ve learned in politics is never back down,” Dinowitz said, citing several accomplishments throughout his time in office. “Never give in. Never give up. Always stand your ground. That’s the only way to get things done.”

State committee and district leader are both volunteer roles made to better represent a community’s needs to elected officials. District leaders connect neighborhoods to Bronx County Democrats, and state committee members to state Democrats. One male and one female representative are elected every two years.

Virginia Krompinger is the president emerita of the Ben Franklin club, a lawyer and an activist. She said she wants to make local and national issues heard, from empty storefronts on Knolls Crescent to the Trump administration, which she described as a “threat to our democracy.”

Krompinger said she was part of the team that helped secure a Fine Fare Fresh Supermarket at 5661 Riverdale Ave. after the Key Food shut down. She and Ben Jackson also recently volunteered as attorneys on standby for Minnesota residents to call if they had legal concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, presence.

Jackson has been a district leader for two years, and said he has spent his term organizing and campaigning for Democratic candidates such as the Dinowitzes, Gibson, Torres, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine and former presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

“I focus on one thing as a district leader, and that’s turning democratic values into democratic victories,” he said.

Johanna Edmondson is the founder of fitness studio Female Fight Club and board member of the Riverdale Main Streets Alliance. She was elected to the state committee in 2024.

Edmondson was not present at the campaign kickoff due to a family emergency, but later told The Press that as a 25-year resident, she is committed to serving the neighborhood. She also mentioned her role in renaming W. 251st St. and Manhattan College Parkway to Betty and Lloyd Adams Way in honor of the Lloyd’s Carrot Cake founders.

“I look forward to continuing to advocate for our community, addressing local issues and working together to build a stronger future for all residents,” Edmondson said.

Michael Heller was elected as a member of the state committee in 2022. He is the former president of Ben Franklin, has served on Bronx Community Board 8 and in several other public affairs roles at city hospitals.

He said he recently attended the state Democratic convention, where the party renominated incumbents for re-election, such as Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Challenging Heller is Unity Democratic Club member Bereket Ghebremedhin, against Edmondson is cofounder of activist group Northwest Bronx Indivisible Betsey Knapp, and for Jackson’s seat is nonprofit Theory 9 cofounder Izaiah Barrow.

New York’s Democratic primary election will be held June 23.