Nicole Paultre-Bell, the young woman who lost her unarmed, would-be husband Sean Bell on the day before their nuptials nearly four years ago in an out-of-control hail of police bullets, is mulling over possibly running for the position of Queens City Council member.
The seat of the late Councilman Thomas White, Jr. (who represented the 28th council district in Queens which incorporates Jamaica, Rochdale Village and Richmond Hill) became open when White recently died after a long illness. Reportedly, nearly a dozen candidates are scrambling for the vacant political seat.
Although the young woman has not publicly announced her plans to run for office, sources say that she is on the verge of making a decision toward hitting the campaign trail. Paultre-Bell currently lives outside of the district in Far Rockaway but is still registered to vote via her mother's house located in Suffolk County.
State election law mandates that Paultre-Bell would have to move in to the district by election day and obtain 899 registered-voter signatures on a nominating petition in order to be seriously considered as a viable candidate.
The Mother of Sean's two children has remained in the public eye since that fateful day when her fiance was killed in a 50-bullet police shooting. She has oftentimes stood side-by-side with activist Rev. Al Sharpton. The young Mom has also involved herself with the political advocacy organization headed by Sharpton, the National Action Network.
No one can predict how Paultre-Bell would make out running against more seasoned candidates. The November 2nd elections are nonpartisan with no primary, so time will tell.