Politics

District 15 City Council Race: Ariel Rivera-Diaz on People Power, Education & Food Insecurity

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Ariel Rivera-Diaz is one of ten candidates running in the District 15 City Council race for which a special election is being held on March 23. He is a former finance clerk with the City’s Board of Elections, former official at the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, and currently works at the Board of Education in the Bronx.   Norwood News reached out to Rivera-Diaz to interview him for a profile piece but we were unable to reach him. Here, we present a brief overview of his campaign platform based on his website, social media posts and other quotes in the


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District 15 City Council Race: José Padilla on Fighting Corruption, District Stress Points & Pragmatic Solutions

By MICHAEL HOROWITZ
José Padilla Jr., one of nine candidates seeking office in the District 15 City Council special election race, said he is someone who offers pragmatic solutions to problems, rather than ones that stress ideological approaches to issues. The special election takes place on Tuesday, March 23.   Speaking with the Norwood News by phone, Padilla said the district desperately needs someone who will focus on the community’s needs, rather than special interests. The candidate said that the district has been victimized by corrupt, elected officials in the past, citing as examples, former Assemblyman Eric Stevenson Jr., former Assemblywoman Gloria Davis,


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D11 City Council Race: Eric Dinowitz Endorsed by Corey Johnson, Carpenter’s Union, Others

By SÍLE MOLONEY
City Council Speaker, Corey Johnson, became the first citywide leader to endorse Eric Dinowitz in the District 11 City Council race on March 11. Dinowitz, a teacher and district leader in the 81st assembly district and son of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, earned Johnson’s support 11 days ago, giving his campaign another boost ahead of Election Day, March 23.      Johnson, who also represents Manhattan’s City Council District 3, which includes Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Greenwich Village, West SoHo, Hudson Square, Times Square, Garment District, Flatiron, and the Upper West Side, said he was excited to endorse Dinowitz who he said, over


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Update: District 11 City Council Race: Biaggi, Rivera, Working Families Party Canvass with Mino Lora in Norwood

By SÍLE MOLONEY & MIRIAM QUIÑONES
Mino Lora, candidate in the District 11 City Council race, stepped up the intensity of her campaign in the Norwood section of the Bronx in the final days of the campaign before the District 11 special election on March 23. On Friday, March 19, campaign surrogates were seen handing out pink flyers on Lora’s behalf at the 206th Street subway exit on Bainbridge Avenue, as well as in Williamsbridge Oval Park, and on Sunday, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera and State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, both of whom have previously endorsed Lora’s candidacy, joined her in Norwood for a campaign rally.  


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City Comptroller & Bronx BP Races: Four Candidates Cross-Endorse Each Other

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
During back-to-back campaign events in the Bronx last Friday and Saturday, two pairs of candidates running for elected office cross-endorsed each other ahead of the Democratic primaries in June. On March 12, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson endorsed fellow council member, Vanessa Gibson, for Bronx borough president, since incumbent, Ruben Díaz Jr., announced last year he was not seeking re-election. The following day, March 13, State Sen. Brian Benjamin endorsed Assembly Member Nathalia Fernández, also for the Bronx borough presidency. In return, Gibson and Fernández endorsed Johnson and Benjamin, respectively, for the position of city comptroller.   During the first event,


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District 15 City Council Race: Altagracia Soldevilla on Fighting for Her Neighbors & Being the Anti-Establishment Candidate

By MICHAEL HOROWITZ
Altagracia Soldevilla is proud to be labeled an anti-establishment candidate in the upcoming District 15 City Council special election. She stresses that her only allegiance is to the people in the largely Latino district. “If I am elected to the City Council on March 23, I will be fighting for my neighbors and others in the district, many of whom are struggling to survive, especially in the midst of the pandemic,” Soldevilla said, in a telephone interview with the Norwood News.   Soldevilla, who works as an adjunct at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, traces her political philosophy to


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UPDATE: Northwest Bronx Democrats Endorse Fernando Cabrera for Bronx Borough President 

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition in which Norwood News takes a closer look at some of the candidates endorsed by the Northwest Bronx Democrats over the years, including one who attended a Proud Boys rally.   Local political organization, the Northwest Bronx Democrats (NWBx Dems), announced on March 16 that they have chosen their candidate for the position of Bronx borough president, and have thrown their support behind the city councilman for the 14th District, Fernando Cabrera.   Anthony Rivieccio is the founder of the organization which has approximately


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Update: District 15 City Council Race: Bernadette Ferrara on Housing, Policing & Economic Development

By SÍLE MOLONEY
A lifelong resident of Van Nest, founder of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance, and a Bronx Community Board 11 (CB 11) board member since 2011, Bernadette Ferrara is one of ten candidates in the District 15 City Council District race, aiming to fill the seat vacated by former councilman and now Congressman Ritchie Torres.   Though Norwood News requested an interview with Ferrara, time did not allow for this finally, and so, here, we present a profile of Ferrara’s candidacy based on her campaign platform, and on her public comments during recent interviews and debates on three areas: housing, policing,


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Home Care Workers Demand Fair Pay

By DAVID GREENE
  A few dozen home care workers held a rally in the Bronx on Friday, March 12, to push for the passage of the “Fair Pay for Home Care Act,” which aims to guarantee workers better conditions. Low wages and poor conditions have been causing a mass exodus from the profession, affecting both elderly and disabled people, who are usually cared for in their homes by such workers. However, due to the shortage, seniors and people with disabilities are increasingly being forced to enter already overburdened nursing homes.   The Fair Pay for Home Care Act (S-5374) was introduced on


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