November or bust for city council race?

All signs seem to be pointing toward a potential special city council race in the near future — especially if Councilman Andrew Cohen gets the nomination to the bench he seeks.

So far, the only two candidates who have announced for Cohen’s seat are longtime Community Board 8 member Dan Padernacht, and school teacher Eric Dinowitz.

According to the Norwood News, if Cohen were elected to  a judgeship, he could serve as a councilman until the end of the year, setting up a February special election.

But if the council race is going to happen anytime before 2021, two people close to the campaigns tell The Riverdale Press that it would have to take place in November. That means Cohen would have to step down before he’s officially voted in as a judge.

Why the short timeframe? There is reportedly some concern that putting two Dinowitz candidates on the ballot in the same year might hurt Eric Dinowitz’s campaign. Eric’s father, Jeffrey Dinowitz, is expected to be defending his longtime Assembly seat during the September primary, and would still have the general election in November.