With the crowded race for mayor beginning to pick up steam this spring, Bronx elected officials are starting to divide into separate Democratic camps. So far, mayoral hopefuls Christine Quinn, Bill de Blasio and Bill Thompson have each received public support from Bronx politicians.

On April 11, State Senator Gustavo Rivera announced that he was backing City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who’s been beat up by other Democrats in the race for her cozy relationship with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and refusal to support legislation backed by labor groups, including a bill that would provide mandatory paid sick leave for employees. (After three years of blocking the legislation, Quinn cut a deal to bring it to a vote this spring.)

But Rivera, who considers himself as progressive as they come, says Quinn is the right woman for the job and spent a Sunday last month walking around his northwest Bronx district with her.

“Speaker Quinn, throughout her career, has consistently fought for New Yorkers from all walks of life – particularly working class and low-income families,” Rivera said in statement. “She has made it her mission to expand access to quality education, child care and after-school services, as well as to expand and prioritize affordable housing projects.”

Meanwhile, two other Bronx Democrats, State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson (who now represents Norwood and Bedford Park, Rivera’s former territory before redistricting) and Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, have thrown their support behind Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.

“From fighting for an uncompromising paid sick leave bill to pushing for true universal early education, Bill de Blasio has consistently stood for progressive values that will help all New Yorkers,” Hassell-Thompson said in a statement, clearly making a swipe at Quinn. “We can’t afford to have a mayor that only listens to the needs of one borough.”

Without mentioning her by name, Sepulveda also took the opportunity to point out how Quinn watered down “living wage” legislation born out of the fight for community benefits at the Kingsbridge Armory in 2009 (see front page story).

“From protecting New Yorkers against powerful slumlords to advocating for a real living wage to reforming Stop and Frisk, Bill has consistently stood on the side of our city’s working people,” Sepulveda said in a statement.

CAP: Last month, Bronx State Senator Gustavo Rivera walked around his district with Speaker Christine Quinn, who he endorsed for mayor.
Photo courtesy Quinn2013

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.