This past Saturday, Congressman Charles Rangel was in the Bronx, meeting and seeking the support of the William Jefferson Clinton Democratic Club, relatively unknown political club that once was led by disgraced Bronx (former) Assemblyman Nelson Castro and his associates.
Rangel was accompanied by Councilwoman Inez Dickens, which leads us to believe that maybe the Congressman is prepping Dickens to take over the seat when he retires, assuming he wins the upcoming June primary against his strongest challenger, State Senator Adriano Espaillat.
The meeting was held at the residence of community activist David Williams on Creston Avenue and was led by former Castro staffers, current NW Bronx District Leader Steve Santana and former district leader Yocasta Polanco. Castro's former Chief of Staff, Krystal Nieves was also one of the coordinators. Many political operatives we talked to, said that it would be of no surprise if Castro himself is playing an active, yet behind-the-scences role in the district. Some have seen the former Assemblyman holding bi-weekly meetings in an undisclosed location on the Grand Concourse.
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Congressman Charles Rangel with District Leader
Steve Santana and Manny Tavarez |
It caught our attention the presence of Manny Tavarez, who challenged State Senator Gustavo Rivera in 2012 and despite coming up short, many were surprised he obtained over 35 percent of the votes. Word in the street is that Tavarez is eyeing another run against Rivera. This could prove to be an uphill battle as NW Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera is seriously considering challenging Rivera. Another possibility for Tavarez would be running for State Assembly and challenging Victor 'Levergate' Pichardo. This would put Tavarez on a collision course with Hector Ramirez, who came in a close second in last year's election. We also hear that former Obama campaign staffer and candidate himself, Haile Rivera (
no relation to Senator Rivera) will be supporting Ramirez in September and will run as District Leader. No word on Yudelka Tapia and her political ambitions but when we consulted with the City's Campaign Finance Board, Tapia's $108,000 debt remains unresolved.
While only a group of 15-20 residents were on hand for the meeting, it is clear that Congressman Rangel is seeking support from anyone and everyone who can help him in his re-election efforts. Without Castro, it is questionable how much influence or political muscle this club has in the district.
No official word on what Espaillat's Bronx outreach efforts may be. Our 'consultants' do tell us that it is highly unlikely, and a major mistake for Espaillat to be involved with this group given their close ties to Castro (who remains to be sentenced for perjury charges).
CBP will remain vigilant and post any updates as we receive information. Stay tuned ...
Counted by the attendance sheet that was taken, there were 50-75 people present...fyi! I wouldn't call that a small crowd...
ReplyDeleteI was unaware that Yocasta Polanco was a district leader... To my knowledge, she is the former state committeewoman... She was never district leader; I did hear, however that she is thinking about running for district leader in this upcoming elections
ReplyDeleteTavarez did receive 35% plus with no resources and the Bronx machine against him. This time around he will definitely take Rivera out if he runs. Furthermore, if Tavarez runs for the Assembly, Ramirez will NOT have any support within the community and would be forced to dropout.
ReplyDeleteI for one hope that Tavarez runs for the senate.
Word!!! In whatever race Manny goes into, he'll definitely win!!! He's gained A LOT more support in the last 2 years.
ReplyDeleteTavarez can wipe the floor with both Ramirez and Pichardo if wanted to.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, word on the street is that Yocasta is considering a run for female District Leader in the 86th AD;
ReplyDeleteAs per the NYC BOE Statement and Return Report for Certification Primary Election - 09/13/2012 Bronx County - Democratic Party Democratic State Senator 33rd Senatorial District election, Tavarez secured: 2193 of the votes and Rivera secured 4988 of the votes thus yielding a 31% to 69% outcome in favor of Rivera. If more than 2 Latino male candidates run for either the: 33rd Senatorial District and or the Assembly District chances are that the incumbent(s) wins. The exception to either scenario is if a viable female or a non Hispanic male run then it could get quite interesting;
Lastly, although popularity can be helpful in a campaign, candidates need $$$ and an issue / solution based platform to win.
Manny Tavarez is cut from the same corrupt mold as Pedro Espada. He flouted campaign finance rules by filing incomplete papers late. He held giveaways just like Espada and there is nothing in any of his filings to show how he paid for the goodies he gave away. Also -- where in the world are you coming up with this assertion that Tavarez got over 35% percent of the vote in the 2012 primary? He got 30.4% of the vote -- thanks mostly to Ruben, Sr. strong-arming his evangelical allies. Tavarez is a corrupt, anti-gay and anti-woman. Rangel should be ashamed to be in a photo with him. Espaillat, who beat Rangel in the Bronx, would be smart to exploit that photo.
ReplyDelete