Who will take over Congressman Serrano's seat?

BLAKE, DIAZ, SR., LOPEZ, MARK-VIVERITO, RODRIGUEZ & TORRES 

(in alphabetical order) Part 1 of 2

We are starting off with what seems to be the most contested race in the Bronx right now: who will be the next Congressmember representing the 15th District in 2020? 

After Congressman Jose Serrano announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2020, many candidates jumped in right away. Councilman (and Reverend) Ruben Diaz Sr., Assemblyman Michael Blake, Councilman Ritchie Torres,  Manhattan Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, Bronx activist & Co-Founder of Bronx Progressives Samelys Lopez, Tomas Ramos and former Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito are just a few. 

It is clear that the top three candidates are Reverend Diaz Sr., Torres and Blake. We could also add Samelys Lopez, who has close ties to Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) who, as we all know, has more political muscle than many if not all Bronx electeds put together. Should AOC throw her support for this young, passionate and clean activist, the scenario could be very different. 

In its first financial filing, Torres raised over $500K. Yes, over half a million dollars for a race where Serrano barely ever raised more than $10,000. Torres also has strong support from the LGBTQ community, probably given that he is the first and only gay elected official from the Bronx (that we know of). Most recently, Torres received the support of Bold PAC, "the fastest growing Democratic Political Action Committee dedicated to increasing the diversity of our leadership in the House and Senate. It champions progressive Democrats fighting for change." Important to note that Congressman Serrano is on the leadership of BOLD PAC, as well as Brooklyn Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. 

Torres definitely has an upper hand in the race and if he, like Blake, is able to build a strong team of activists - from the district - we could be looking at the next Member of Congress. 

Assemblyman Blake, who is known for his many appearances and speeches around the country, as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), seems to be behind Torres in terms of fundraising. He lacks support from the community and with a district that is predominantly Latino, his chances are not as good as Torres. However, if he's able to put together a strong team and use his money wisely, he could give Torres and Reverend Diaz a run for their money. 

Reverend Diaz is one who lacks in fundraising. However, everyone knows he already has what money will buy: name recognition. His anti-gay comments (repeatedly) is definitely something that has fueled the gay community to go all out for Torres. Diaz, Sr. has good support from local activists, primarily from Dominican livery drivers, which could be a problem for Ydanis Rodriguez (more on that in the next post). Worth noting that the Reverend does not have the support of his son, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, JR. Will the Reverend's "a votar, a votar, a votar" vans deliver for him the seat and be in Congress come 2020 remains to be seen. 

We will continue with this post later this week with the other candidates. Remember, your comments are welcomed. We will delete any comments with profanity language. 

GUSTAVO RIVERA IN HOT, HOT, HOT WATERS

Here at Changing Bronx Politics (CBP), we are not surprised to hear that the so-called 'beloved' State Senator from the NW Bronx, the Honorable Gustavo Rivera, is in hot waters with Bronx County Boss Carl Heastie and the Bronx Dems. 

BRONX DEMOCRATIC PARTY BOSS CARL HEASTIE: The Honorable Gustavo Rivera has had a tendency of going against the Party at every opportunity he gets. When Heastie and Bronx Dems. rallied behind Bill Thompson for Mayor last year, Honorable Rivera supported Christine Quinn, who came in 3rd place in the Bronx and citywide (Bill de Blasio came in first followed by Thompson). 

And as if that was not enough, Honorable Gustavo Rivera decided to 'stick his noses' in the Speaker's race and supported Melissa Mark-Viverito vs the County's pick, Dan Garodnick, who ultimately conceded to Mark-Viverito. Honorable Gustavo Rivera might have scored some brownie points with Mark-Viverito and some of the progressives who supported her candidacy but locally, he burned his bridges with Party Boss and the entire organization. And if Mayor de Blasio has any say, he might not be as nice as Speaker Mark-Viverito was with her foes.

JEFF KLEIN: As if having the Party not-against-you-but-not-with-you is not enough, the Honorable Gustavo Rivera has acted as the 'pitbull' with no mouthguard, 'el alcahuete' of the Senate Democrats, against his colleague State Senator Jeff Klein. The Honorable Gustavo Rivera may think he has more 'cojones' than Klein but he is forgetting who is Jeff Klein and the immense power and clout he has in NYS politics. As they say in his homeland Puerto Rico, Honorable Gustavo Rivera 'esta abombao'. Klein is ready to put his mighty war chest to oust the Honorable Gustavo Rivera.

REV. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: And let us add the Honorable Gustavo Rivera's latest insult to injury by mocking the heavy accent of another of his colleagues, outspoken Reverend State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. 

JOSE RIVERA: It is no secret that former Bronx Party Chair, known to many as 'El Padrino' of Bronx politics, Jose Rivera (no relation to the Honorable) has very little, if any, interest in keeping the Honorable Gustavo Rivera acting as if he's the Godfather of the NW Bronx. 

FERNANDO CABRERA: We al know that local Councilman Fernando Cabrera is no friend of the Honorable Gustavo Rivera. Both want to have control of the NW Bronx and both see each other as a threat, whether they admit it or not. Cabrera is even rumored to be one of the possible candidates looking to oust the Honorable Gustavo Rivera. Will Party Boss Heastie stay out it in this case? Remains to be seen.

DOMINICANS: The district which the Honorable Gustavo Rivera represents has a high concentration of Dominicans and while he does not like to admit it or has no interest in acknowledging this fact, they do matter. The Honorable Gustavo Rivera relied on former Assemblyman Nelson Castro (see below) to make him appeared Dominica-friendly, the Honorable Gustavo Rivera has very little respect for this group and we believe the feeling is mutual. He takes his Puertorican pride to a level we all know as arrogant. This will come back to haunt him. 

ADRIANO ESPAILLAT: With State Senator Adriano Espaillat's likely challenge against Congressman Charles Rangel, we could safely assume that Senator Espaillat will need, seek and welcome the support of the Honorable Gustavo Rivera, who in turn, also needs Espaillat to again, re-introduce him as Dominican-friendly. In 2012, when Espaillat challenged, and almost won, Congressman Rangel, the Honorable Gustavo Rivera, once again, defied Bronx Party Boss Heastie who were supporting Rangel, and supported Espaillat for Congress. Word on the street was that the Honorable Gustavo Rivera only showed face when the candidate was in the area but the folks doing the hard work were Nelson Castro's team. We can attest that for better or worse, Castro himself was very active and visible in their efforts to elect the first Dominican-American to Congress. The Honorable Gustavo Rivera was, well, around. 

NELSON CASTRO & VICTOR 'LEVERGATE' PICHARDO: Disgraced Assemblymember, who represented the NW section of the Bronx, was Rivera's base. While the Honorable Gustavo Rivera would probably deny it,  it is of no secret that he never had or has a base established in the district he represents. The recent, and questionable, election of his protege Victor "Levergate" Pichardo means nothing since Pichardo is a newbie to Bronx politics and lacks a base as well. 

PEDRO ESPADA: The Honorable Gustavo Rivera may not like to mention his name but we all know that even if a dog ran against the former, and imprisoned Senator, he (dog) would have won. So we urge the Honorable Gustavo Rivera to not think of himself so high and to make sure he knows he walks the same streets we do and lives on the same planet. Or does he? 

It is clear that his days as the Honorable State Senator from the NW Bronx are numbered.  Maybe he should start looking at trying out for American Idol.

Honorable Gustavo Rivera, our best wishes!

Palma Betrayed by Her Own Party? King Left Out; Torres New Bronx Star

So, how did the Bronx Council delegation do with Speaker Mark-Viverito’s committee assignments? Not so good.

First, keep in mind that the Bronx Democratic Party, except freshman Councilmember Ritchie Torres, supported Mark-Viverito-s rival, Dan Garodnick.

The only two Councilmembers who did not get a piece of the pie were Andy King (Co-op City) and Annabel Palma, who also ran for Speaker.

After the assignments, Palma went on the offensive, bashing Speaker Mark-Viverito and called it “politics as usual” and stating “a blind man can see that this is political retribution.” This argument falls short as the Speaker even appointed her strongest rival (Garodnick) Chair of the powerful Economic Development Committee.  Palma further stated that “nothing has changed.” However, many political observers have commented that the new Speaker’s assignments demonstrate strong leadership on the part of Mark-Viverito.

When questioned by reporters about Palma’s comments, Speaker Mark-Viverito simply responded that “unfortunately, that’s the interpretation of our colleague. I respect the position but I differ with it.”

In his weekly appearance on NY 1’s Inside City Hall, political commentator Gerson Borrero said that Palma “was sold out by her own people” and challenged Palma to questioned “the deal” that Bronx Part Dem Chair Carl Heastie brokered with the Arroyo family. South Bronx Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo was selected to Chair the Community Development Committee.

It remains to be seen what political effect this may have on the leadership of Chairman Heastie, whose leadership has been put in question as a result of several recent political scandals in the Bronx.

Andy King, surprisingly, was also excluded from any committee chairmanship. This was a surprise to many since he was not publicly bashing Mark-Viverito during her race.

NW Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera was assigned Chair of Juvenile Justice. This came as a surprise given Cabrera’s opposition to Mark-Viverito’s race for Speaker. Further, minutes after Mark-Viverito’s historic election, Cabrera left a cloud of doubt when asked about Mark-Viverito’s election by Spanish newspaper (El Diario/La Prensa) and stated that “now let’s see if she really does what she said she would do and if the Council is really united under her leadership.” Seems like these comments were irrelevant to Mark-Viverito’s decision to designate Cabrera as Chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee.

The real winner in the Bronx is newly-elected Councilmember Ritchie Torres, who defied Chairman Heastie and supported Mark-Viverito early on. He will Chair the Public Housing Committee. Many observers say that Torres represents the future of Bronx politics, with a new era of progressives running for office. 

It remains to be seen how much ‘lulus’ each of the Bronx Councilmembers will receive when they are doled out in the new few months. Each Councilmember can receive from $200,000 to millions, depending of course, on their relationship with the Speaker.

As Assemblyman Jose Rivera, a staunch supporter of Mark-Viverito, wrote in his Facebook page that “If you were one of those who saw this train "Stop" at your local train station while the conductor was saying, "ALL ABOARD!" and did not jump on, don't blame Melissa blame yourself.”