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Christopher Marte

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Christopher Marte
Image of Christopher Marte

Candidate, New York City Council District 1

New York City Council District 1
Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

3

Predecessor
Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 7, 2023

Next election

November 4, 2025

Personal
Birthplace
New York, N.Y.
Religion
Catholic
Contact

Christopher Marte (Democratic Party) is a member of the New York City Council, representing District 1. He assumed office on January 1, 2022. His current term ends on January 1, 2026.

Marte (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) is running for re-election to the New York City Council to represent District 1. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. He advanced from the Democratic primary on June 24, 2025. The Working Families Party primary for this office on June 24, 2025, was canceled.

Biography

Christopher Marte was born in New York, New York. Marte co-founded the organization Neighbors United Below Canal, which describes its mission as to advocate “against Mayor de Blasio’s proposal to build the tallest jail in the world, standing 490 ft. tall at 124-125 White St.”[1] He has also been affiliated with the Grand Street Democrats and the Downtown Independent Democrats.[2]

Elections

2025

See also: City elections in New York, New York (2025)

General election

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for New York City Council District 1

Incumbent Christopher Marte and Helen Qiu are running in the general election for New York City Council District 1 on November 4, 2025.

Candidate
Image of Christopher Marte
Christopher Marte (D / Working Families Party)
Image of Helen Qiu
Helen Qiu (R / Conservative Party)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Christopher Marte in round 5 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.


Total votes: 24,545
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Republican primary election

Republican Primary for New York City Council District 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Helen Qiu in round 1 .


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Conservative Party primary election

Conservative Primary for New York City Council District 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Helen Qiu in round 1 .


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Working Families Party primary election

Working Families Primary for New York City Council District 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Christopher Marte in round 1 .


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2023

See also: City elections in New York, New York (2023)

General election

General election for New York City Council District 1

Incumbent Christopher Marte defeated Helen Qiu in the general election for New York City Council District 1 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Christopher Marte
Christopher Marte (D)
 
68.1
 
9,038
Image of Helen Qiu
Helen Qiu (R / Conservative Party / Common Sense Party / Arts and Culture Party)
 
30.9
 
4,102
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.9
 
123

Total votes: 13,263
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Christopher Marte in round 1 .


Total votes: 8,761
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Republican primary election

Republican Primary for New York City Council District 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Helen Qiu in round 1 .


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Conservative Party primary election

Conservative Primary for New York City Council District 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Helen Qiu in round 1 .


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Marte in this election.

2021

See also: City elections in New York, New York (2021)

General election

General election for New York City Council District 1

Christopher Marte defeated Maud Maron and Jacqueline Toboroff in the general election for New York City Council District 1 on November 2, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Christopher Marte
Christopher Marte (D) Candidate Connection
 
72.1
 
16,733
Image of Maud Maron
Maud Maron (Independent NY Party) Candidate Connection
 
14.1
 
3,265
Jacqueline Toboroff (R)
 
13.6
 
3,166
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
48

Total votes: 23,212
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Christopher Marte in round 8 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.


Total votes: 21,834
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Jacqueline Toboroff advanced from the Republican primary for New York City Council District 1.

Endorsements

To view Marte's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.

2017

See also: Municipal elections in New York, New York (2017)

New York City held elections for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, and all 51 seats on the city council in 2017. New Yorkers also voted for offices in their boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

Primary elections were scheduled for September 12, 2017, and the general election was on November 7, 2017. Under New York law, candidates who run unopposed in a primary or general election win the nomination or election automatically, and their names do not appear on the ballot.[3] Incumbent Margaret Chin (D) defeated Christopher Marte (Independence), Bryan Jung (R), and Aaron Foldenauer (Liberal) in the general election for the District 1 seat on the New York City Council.

New York City Council, District 1 General Election, 2017
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Margaret Chin Incumbent 49.89% 11,905
     Independence Christopher Marte 36.68% 8,753
     Republican Bryan Jung 8.85% 2,111
     Liberal Aaron Foldenauer 4.44% 1,059
Write-in votes 0.14% 33
Total Votes 23,861
Source: New York City Board of Elections, "2017 General Certified Election Results," November 28, 2017


Incumbent Margaret Chin defeated Christopher Marte, Aaron Foldenauer, and Dashia Imperiale in the Democratic primary election for the District 1 seat on the New York City Council.[4]

New York City Council, District 1 Democratic Primary Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Margaret Chin Incumbent 45.76% 5,363
Christopher Marte 43.87% 5,141
Aaron Foldenauer 6.26% 734
Dashia Imperiale 3.92% 459
Write-in votes 0.19% 22
Total Votes 11,719
Source: New York City Board of Elections, "2017 Primary: Certified Results," accessed September 28, 2017

Endorsements

Marte's campaign website included the following endorsements:[5]

  • Downtown Independent Democrats
  • Village Independent Democrats
  • Village Reform Democrats Club
  • League of Independent Theaters
  • Small Business Congress
  • Run for Something[6]

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Christopher Marte has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Christopher Marte asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Christopher Marte, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 22,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

You can ask Christopher Marte to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing chris@votemarte.com.

Email

2023

Christopher Marte did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

Candidate Connection

Christopher Marte completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Marte's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Christopher Marte is the Democratic nominee for City Council in District 1. Born and raised on the Lower East Side to immigrant parents, Marte grew up stacking cans in his father’s bodega. Like many of his neighbors, rising rents forced the family business to close, and relatives to move out of the neighborhood. Marte studied abroad for college, spending two years in China, before coming back home and beginning a career in finance. He always remained active in his community, volunteering as a basketball coach and participating in community gardens. Through community organizing, he learned how much the City seemed to be working to support developers, and not regular people. This spurred him to run for City Council in 2017, where he lost by just 222 votes. He stayed involved in politics, serving as the New York State Director for Arena, where he trained hundreds of young people how to run for office and learn the skills needed for campaigning. During the pandemic, Marte coordinated the distribution of thousands of meals to communities that were slipping through the cracks, and helped small businesses apply to aid programs. In the June 2021 primary, Marte won nearly every Election District, showing his campaign’s unique ability to bring people from diverse neighborhoods together with a common platform.
  • Reclaim the affordability of our neighborhoods: Lower Manhattan was once a welcoming home to immigrants and working class families. Now luxury developers are looking to make a profit from the neighborhoods we created, at the cost of pushing out tenants and small businesses. Through community-based land use plans, we can put in protections to defend the affordable housing we do have, and create even more so that we can once again welcome new residents and small businesses to our diverse district.
  • Address climate change: We are already starting to live through the effects of global warming. We must immediately implement strategies to decrease the urban heat island effect, planting more trees, less black surfaces, and protecting our precious green spaces. Flood protection plans must prioritize at-risk neighborhoods, efficacy over cost, and have vigilant public oversight and control where possible.
  • Support small businesses and workers: Through community-based rezoning we can limit the speculation that drives up small businesses’ rents. We must pass legislation that reforms out-dated fine structures and works with businesses to bring them into compliance, instead of punishing them for rules they did not know about. We must close loopholes that allow criminal bosses to get away with wage theft and mandated, unpaid overtime.
I am running for City Council because I am passionate about land use. For years, I have worked as a member of coalitions fighting for protective and community-based rezonings that will expand the affordability of our neighborhoods. Zoning affects almost everything we interact with on a daily basis: the kinds of buildings that surround us, how much we pay in rent or property tax, our access to parks, public space, and public education. I am inspired by community organizers who have put together plans based on what communities want, instead of what will make developers the most money. I am committed to passing the entire Chinatown Working Group Plan, which will protect Chinatown and the Lower East Side as affordable neighborhoods, ensure that NYCHA’s land is not sold off to private development, limit the amount of luxury hotels, and set affordability levels for new developments to reflect local incomes.
The City Council has the power to change the day-to-day lives of all New Yorkers. However there are certain communities that need that change more desperately than others. As a City Council member, I will not just make decisions based on who has the privilege of being in the room, but I will do the work to bring in voices who have never sat at the table before. In my district, there are neighbors who track and study traffic and congestion from their fire escapes. There are tenant leaders who are in constant conversation with NYCHA to fight off privatization. Community organizations should not need to hire lobbyists or consultants to have their voices heard. I will have an open office because I believe our community knows how to save itself, and does not need top-down solutions.
When I was a kid, my dad would always make three pots of pasta. One was for the family, and the other two were for our neighbors. My dad would stand on the street corner and give out bowls of food to whoever was in need. During the pandemic, my brother and I stood on the same corner and handed out meals to people who were struggling to make ends meet. My dad quickly joined us and went door to door to deliver more food to our neighbors. My dad is the first community leader I saw in my life. When the Archdiocese threatened to close our local church, Nativity Church, he mobilized with neighbors to try to stop it. This is the characteristic I hope to emulate as a City Councilmember, to put my neighbors before myself and to make sure all of our needs are met.
I believe the core responsibilities of someone elected in City Council is to represent the most vulnerable. In District 1, there are vast income inequalities, from millionaires who own properties all over the city to homecare workers fighting for fair wages. Oftentimes, politicians listen to those who have the most money and power. My campaign has united people from all socioeconomic backgrounds from all corners of the District. As a City Councilmember, I believe my core responsibility is to fight on the ground for our people’s demands, and fiercely advocate for these demands when I am in City Hall. Problems in my district have been exacerbated over the past decade because politicians keep ignoring our communities’ most vulnerable. When I am in City Council, my priority is to vote on legislation that would benefit my entire District as a whole.
I’d like to leave my community with a renewed sense of faith in our local government. For decades, the demands of residents in District 1 have been ignored and put on the back burner. If I am lucky enough to be the next City Councilmember, I plan on starting a “Text Your Councilmember” program, to be as accessible as possible to my constituents. I also plan on renting out an office space right in the heart of the Lower East Side and Chinatown, where constituents are welcomed to come meet with staff and talk about any issues they are having. After my term ends, my constituents know that City Councilmembers should always serve and prioritize them, the people.
The City Council office has the most power when it comes to land use and development in one’s district. District 1 is being attacked by real estate developers, and small businesses and long time residents are being replaced by unaffordable luxury towers. Although displacement affects everyone, many people in my district do not have the resources and social capital to fight against it. As a City Councilmember, I hope to advocate for more equitable land use, whether it is against a luxury tower proposal that would release mercury and toxic chemicals into the air, or towers on the waterfront that would block out sunlight for an entire neighborhood.
No. Having different amounts of experiences and a diverse City Council will better serve more people. Although I have not held any previous office positions, my role as a community organizer has activated many of the existing relationships I have with community leaders. Throughout the years, I worked with life-long organizers to

Through this organizing, I learned the ins and outs of the neighborhood and became somewhat a policy wonk

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2017

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Marte participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates.[7] The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

Community-based zoning - We need proactive zoning to protect residents from displacement caused by overdevelopment. Community activists and leaders, and on the ground knowledge, must be an integral part of creating land use policies.[8]
—Christopher Marte (September 2, 2017)[9]
Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's
ranking
Issue Candidate's
ranking
Issue
1
Housing
7
Unemployment
2
Government transparency
8
City services
3
Environment
9
Public pensions/retirement funds
4
Homelessness
10
Crime reduction/prevention
5
K-12 education
11
Civil rights
6
Transportation
12
Recreational opportunities
Nationwide municipal issues

The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.

Question Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?
Answer options: Not important; Not important, but required by state law; A little important; A little important, but required by state law; Important; Very important
Very important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?
Answer options: None, Local, State, Federal
Federal
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development?
Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Changing zoning restrictions, Create a more competitive business climate, Focusing on small business development, Instituting a citywide minimum wage, Recruiting new businesses to your city, Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform
Changing zoning restrictions
What is the one thing you’re most proud of about your city?
Resiliency - The City's ability to stand up to anything makes me proud to be a born and raised New Yorker.
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your city?
Affordability - Many of the residents, particularly seniors, who helped create this City are now being priced out. We have to take control of New York's affordability crisis to stop this displacement and keep families and communities together.
Do you approve of the city's approach to policing and public safety? What changes, if any, do you think the city should make?
I believe we still have to improve. We have to work to increase the education and engagement officers have with the communities they are policing.
Do you approve of the city's sanctuary policy? What changes, if any, do you think the city should make?
I approve of the City's sanctuary policy, and support protecting the IDNYC program from misuse.
Do you approve of the city's approach to public transportation? What changes, if any, do you think the city should make?
I do not. We need to invest in public transit that is more environmental, more accessible to people with disabilities, and more affordable to the people who use it the most.
Do you approve of the city's approach to housing policy? What changes, if any, do you think the city should make?
I do not. There is no one size fits all approach for affordable housing across the City. Local representatives, and the voices of their constituents, need to havea bigger role in shaping housing policy.


Additional themes

Marte's campaign website included the following themes:

GOOD GOVERNANCE & TRANSPARENCY
From an overnight deal that sold the Rivington House, a senior healthcare facility, to private developers, to using $250,000 in Super PAC money from developers to run her last campaign, to not hosting one Town Hall meeting in the eight years she’s been in office, our current Councilperson has run an office where decisions are too often made behind closed doors.

WHAT CHRISTOPHER WILL DO:

  • Host regular Town Hall meetings, giving residents a platform to voice their concerns
  • Pass campaign finance reform legislation so that those with special interests cannot use their wallets to choose candidates
  • Enact Participatory Budgeting, which allows members of the community to submit proposals and then vote on how a portion of the budget for the District is allocated
  • Integrate technology so that there is greater transparency in the legislation, land use, and budgeting process in the City Council

LAND USE & PRESERVATION
The influence of large-scale developers often overrides the interests of the community. Buildings that are out of scale and out of character with the District are popping up on every corner.

WHAT CHRISTOPHER WILL DO:

  • Fully implement the Chinatown Working Group Plan, placing height limits and protective zoning that will preserve the affordability for residents and small businesses
  • Protect current community-based zoning, acting as a forceful defender for the Special Little Italy District and the Artists in Residence zoning law in SoHo and NoHo
  • Increase the livability of Lower Manhattan by preserving open space, small businesses, and quality of life through pro-active legislation and community initiatives

EDUCATION
Strengthening the community begins with the education of its children. Christopher will prioritize the resources and services our schools need to help our children thrive.

WHAT CHRISTOPHER WILL DO:

  • Deliver on the promises made to the Village, Lower East Side, and Financial District to build more schools
  • Address the enrollment issues in Education Council District 1 to ensure the diversity in schools accurately reflects the neighborhoods they serve
  • Advocate for lower student to teacher ratios, so that our students are receiving the personalized time that they deserve[10][8]
—Christopher Marte (2017)

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Neighbors United Below Canal, “About NUBC,” accessed October 5, 2021
  2. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 4, 2021
  3. New York Election Law, "Sec 6-160. Primaries," accessed July 14, 2017
  4. Ballotpedia staff, "Email correspondence with the New York City Board of Elections," July 14, 2017
  5. Marte for NYC, "Endorsements," accessed August 8, 2017
  6. Run for Something, "The Run for Something Candidates," accessed August 18, 2017
  7. Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  9. Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Christopher Marte's Responses," September 2, 2017
  10. Marte for NYC, "Good Governance & Transparency," accessed August 8, 2017

Political offices
Preceded by
Margaret Chin (D)
New York City Council District 1
2022-Present
Succeeded by
-