Her departure comes as reformers and party leaders continue a dispute over control of the organization ahead of a scheduled chair election.
By Haitian Tribune Staff | September 29, 2026
Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn is stepping down as chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party after six years, according to a report by amNewYork and Brooklyn Paper. Her announcement comes as the party faces a closely watched contest over its leadership and rules.
Bichotte Hermelyn said it was time to hand leadership to someone new while remaining involved in the party in some capacity. She has not identified the candidate she is backing to succeed her.
In 2020, Bichotte Hermelyn became the first woman and the first Black woman to lead the Brooklyn Democratic Party. Her tenure included efforts to change how the party selects and endorses judges, as well as repeated clashes with reform advocates over the party’s leadership and internal procedures.
The latest dispute intensified after members of the New Kings Democrats won a majority of district leader seats in June’s primaries. Bichotte Hermelyn then proposed rule changes that would add dozens of voting members to the party’s executive committee. She said the changes would broaden participation. Reformers argued they could help the incumbent leadership retain influence despite the election results.
Reform advocates challenged the changes in court. Earlier this month, a Brooklyn Supreme Court justice struck them down, ruling that the meeting where they were adopted was improperly held and that outgoing committee members lacked authority to approve the amendments.
The party appealed. A temporary appellate court order allowed a county committee organizational meeting to proceed under the disputed rules. At that meeting, members supported the changes and voted in dozens of countywide officers, some of whom would become voting members of the expanded executive committee. They did not elect a new party chair.
The chair election is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 29. Reformers have backed longtime district leader Julio Peña III, setting up a contest over the party’s direction. The appellate court’s decision on the rules dispute is expected before the vote; its ruling could affect the committee’s composition and the election process.
Bichotte Hermelyn’s record also includes changes to the party’s judicial selection process. The party says it nominated more than 40 judges from diverse backgrounds between 2024 and 2026, including at least 11 state Supreme Court justices and six Civil Court judges.
The party also expanded its judicial screening panel to include permanent seats for several groups, among them the Caribbean American Lawyers Association and the Haitian American Lawyers Association of New York, alongside Jewish, Muslim and LGBTQ legal organizations.
Analysis: Bichotte Hermelyn’s departure signals a leadership transition, but the struggle over who controls the party’s rules and executive committee remains unresolved. The court’s decision and the outcome of the chair election may shape whether the recent gains by reformers translate into lasting influence within Brooklyn’s Democratic organization.
