The city's most diverse borough needs a new president. A date has been set. And the candidates are off to the races.

It's a contest between current and former members of the City Council all vying for a chance at becoming the chief cheerleader for the most diverse county in the world. Housing, transportation, climate, immigration and criminal justice are all top line issues.

There are also some newcomers to the world of politics, including Anthony Miranda, a former police officer who helped create the National Latino Officers Association.

"Let's say I'm a candidate of the people. The people's voice is what matters," Miranda said.

The Queens County organization announced its support for Donovan Richards at an early morning meeting that was called with little notice, drawing criticism from progressive groups who say the organization hasn’t been transparent enough.

"It's a process by county, that's supported by county, and it's part of the process to reinforce themselves," Miranda said.

Richards dismissed the criticism.

"The people criticizing the process were district leaders and a part of that process for decades," Richards said. "I'm not trying to get into this thing, the establishment. We’ve done the work."

For now, the race is shaping out to be a contest between the progressive wing, the pro-Amazon candidates and those who think it's time a non-politician took over at Borough Hall.

The candidates have 12 days to gather at least 2,000 signatures to get their names on the ballot. The special election will be held Tuesday, March 24, to fill the seat until the end of the year.