Later, the assemblyman thanked everyone for joining the event on what was a cold day. “I am running and I’ve run a number of times and why am I doing this?” he asked. “A lot of other people at this stage of the game might say, ‘Ah, you’ve served a long time!’ I love my job. I love doing this. I love being in the neighborhood. I love working with our community. I love it, and I always have,” he said.

The assemblyman went on to say that he started his political career before he could vote, volunteering and working on housing-related issues. “It was a tough time,” he said. “I volunteered on political campaigns and so the two things kind of merged for me… working both in the community and for good candidates for what we called, at the time, liberal Democrats. I don’t think people use that word anymore but I do.” Amid one or two laughs from the crowd, he added, “Woke schmoke.” He said he continued the work of Liberal Democrats over the years because he wanted to make sure his neighborhood was the kind of neighborhood where his kids would want to raise their kids.

Gesturing to his grandchildren, the councilman’s two boys, who were present, amid applause, the assemblyman said, “And one of my kids is raising his kids here because it’s a great community.” He went on to talk about prior rough times that The Bronx went through saying, “Many people left The Bronx. We stuck it out. We stayed here because this is our home, and now I like to feel like I was part of what I call The Bronx Renaissance.”

He added that the borough was now “doing amazingly well.” He continued, “We can always do better. There are many things we have to improve but I’m never going to stop fighting for The Bronx and certainly for the community that I have lived in all of my life.” He then explained that many constituents were unfamiliar with the work carried out in Albany, saying more seniority ensured more of an ability to chair “better” committees. He said he was chair of the codes committee, which he explained has a wide jurisdiction and is probably second only to the ways and means committee [in terms of importance / prominence.]

Jeffrey Dinowitz said one of the benefits of chairing committees was the ability to get things done more easily, “if you know how to get things done,” he added. He cited the eviction moratorium as an example. “During the pandemic, tens of thousands of New Yorkers might have been evicted,” he said. “Many people couldn’t pay their rent, a lot of people were out of work, they just didn’t have the money.

He continued, “Some people were still working but only part-time. It was a horrible time for a lot of people. We passed, and it covered over a year, what was called the Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium, and that law prevented probably tens of thousands of people, certainly thousands, from being evicted and put out on the street during the pandemic.”

He went on to say that he “stood up to the landlords,” and “the industry” and “got it done” despite what he said was opposition from the likes of now-Republican Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17). He questioned how many people might have died had they been thrown out of their homes amid the pandemic. “I mean look what’s happening now because of a cold,” he said. “Many people who are homeless have died just because of this cold wave.”

The assemblyman also talked about his work sponsoring the bill (now law) that eliminated non-medical exemptions for vaccine requirements for kids in public schools which he said had started prior to the pandemic, adding that at the time, there had been an outbreak of measles in California. “There’s something called the religious exemption which meant that people could just say, ‘Oh, it’s against my religion!’ which it almost never is and so we put in legislation,” he said.

The assemblyman said vaccination rates subsequently went up in New York State, and he compared this with what is happening now in South Carolina, Texas, and Florida, all red States, where there are measles upticks. “I guarantee you that at some point, somebody’s life or lives will have been saved because of this law,” he said. “We’ll never know who they are.” He said it wasn’t an easy thing to do either. “Why? I have never been the target of so much hate, threats, intimidation,” he said.

Some in-jokes followed before the assemblyman acknowledged that Torres also knew a lot about threats and intimidation. As reported, the congressman has been the target of several protests wherever he goes due to what many consider to be his controversial stance on the war in Gaza, and the extent of the campaign contributions he has received from AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee].

The assemblyman went on to talk about the Climate Change Superfund Act, which he said he never dreamed would get passed as quickly as it did, adding that some amendments to it were requested by Gov. Kathy Hochul. He explained how it imposes a fee on the worst polluters among the fossil fuel industry, and estimated it will raise $3 billion a year for 25 years, without raising taxes for any New Yorkers.

He said it was not an easy bill to pass, saying there was pushback from both oil company lobbyists and Republicans. “Every Republican except one in the State Assembly opposes it, everyone, even though it was in their own constituents’ interests to support it,” he said. He added that Trump and some Republicans in red states were also now trying to challenge it in the courts. “I’m confident that we will win and then this money will start pouring in and it will be a big help to New York,” he said.

The assemblyman moved on to the topic of immigration saying that what was happening in terms of ICE activity across the country was “kind of scary.” He added, “If people weren’t as angry and concerned before, they should have been once Renée Goode was shot dead by them.” He went on to describe the killing of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents as an execution, adding, “He was tackled, he was put to the ground, they took his legal gun, which people like that always support, took it away from him, and then he was shot. That stuff is threatening to our democracy so we have a big fight on our hands and I think we have to all stand up.”

He said for this reason, after the primaries, he planned to spend more time in the 17th congressional district campaigning [against Lawler]. “I didn’t spend all these years in politics just to see the hard work of me but of lots and lots of other people, the work that we’ve done, become undone because of Trump and his mindless followers,” the assemblyman said. Later, saying the Trump administration had set its sights on New York, the assemblyman added, “I have the experience and determination to effectively fight back.”

He also commended Torres, acknowledging the scope of his district and adding, “They love him. What’s not to love?” Torres then joked, “I can introduce you to a few people who don’t love me.” The assemblyman responded, saying, “It wouldn’t be fun if we didn’t have a few. We have to stand up to something.”

He also thanked the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club. “I want to thank my family, my wife of 47 years, Sylvia Gottlieb, a saint, 47 years, of course, Eric, and two of my favorite grandsons. Thank you everybody and let’s work together.”

The assemblyman continued in part, saying, “It is an honor to fight for our community in the State Assembly, and I’m committed to continue advocating and delivering for Bronx families.” Referring to the various threats he said he experienced over his vaccine legislation, the assemblyman said, “One thing I’ve learned in politics is never back down from things like that. Never give in. Never give up. Always stand your ground. It’s the only way to get things done.”