New York State Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, R-Brooklyn, has accused House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and local Democratic operatives of political misconduct over the use of deceased community leader Mark Gevertzman’s name on petition filings tied to Jeffries’ re-election effort in southern Brooklyn.
Gevertzman was a deeply respected, longtime community leader and activist in southern Brooklyn. He passed away in March 2025 at the age of 76.
Because he successfully cleared the petition-checking process despite being deceased, local critics have accused the Democratic Party of using his beloved reputation to deceptively harvest signatures from conservative-leaning Brooklyn voters to bolster Jeffries’ re-election ballot access.
Novakhov told reporters that the controversy reflects broader concerns about entrenched Democratic political operations in New York, criticizing what he described as machine-style politics and voter manipulation surrounding the petition process.
“Running dead people shocks the conscience, and so does lying to and misleading the voters about which party you represent. It is disgraceful, dishonest, and an insult to the voters of this district and to the Gevertzman family,” Novakhov stated.
Jeffries declined to comment on the report.
Brooklyn Democratic Party District Leader Joey Cohen-Saban insisted that placing Gevertzman on the petitions was “nothing more than a clerical error” that the party deeply regrets.
“They didn’t know that someone could run on more than one line,” Cohen-Saban said. “It [has since been] made clear to these petition circulators that they are collecting third-party-signatures for candidates that are already on the Democratic line.”
Novakhov also alleged that Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairperson and state Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn was involved in the alleged effort to mislead voters.
Brooklyn Republican Party Chairman Liam McCabe labeled Jeffries’ accusations of Republicans “needing to cheat to win” as hypocritical, stating: “we literally have found multiple examples of Democrats in his own Congressional district cheating and lying to win including with petitions with his name at top. Unfortunately, the joke is on us.”
