Politics

D11 June Primary Race: Jessica Haller Drops Out, Assumes New Role Supporting Female Candidates

By SÍLE MOLONEY, DAVID GREENE, JOSÉ GIRALT & MICHAEL HOROWITZ
Jessica Haller, tech entrepreneur and environmentalist who recently finished in third place in the March 23 District 11 City Council special election, announced on Friday, April 16, that she will not be running in the District 11 Democratic June primary race. “After taking some time to reflect on the results of the special election, I am writing to share that our grassroots campaign has come to an end, and I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the June primary election,” Haller wrote in a press release.    “I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart


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Espaillat Praises Biden’s 2022 Congressional Discretionary Funding Request

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who represents New York’s 13th congressional district (NY-13) which includes parts of The Bronx and Manhattan, and who is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, released a statement on April 10 praising U.S. President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2022 discretionary funding request, which aims to reverse decades of disinvestment and prioritize initiatives that the congressman said will help working families and the vulnerable.   “The coronavirus pandemic has exposed serious needs in New York and across the country. President Biden’s funding request takes important steps to meet these needs and set our nation on a


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Update: And Then There Was One…Oswald Feliz is Elected as the Next District 15 City Council Member

By DAVID GREENE, JOSÉ GIRALT & SÍLE MOLONEY
Oswald Feliz has been elected as the new New York City Council member for District 15 in the Bronx, following the non-partisan special election held on March 23, and the conclusion on Monday evening, April 12, of Round 10 of the ranked choice voting count, after which Feliz accumulated 1,766 votes out of a total of 3,976. He is now, at age 30, the youngest council member elected to the current New York City Council.   Feliz continues a legacy of young candidates getting elected to the same city council district. Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres was elected to City Council


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Update: D11 City Council Special Election: Eric Dinowitz Elected as Next City Council Member

By SÍLE MOLONEY
This article was updated as the count progressed.   After the first count of all first choice ranked votes was concluded in the District 11 City Council special election race by the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) on Sunday, April 11, Eric Dinowitz maintained and increased his lead in the race with 4,401 votes. This represents 46.05 percent of all first-choice, ranked votes. To win, a candidate requires 50 percent plus one.   Following the tallying of the total first choice, ranked ballots, which includes election day ballots, early ballots, military ballots and absentee ballots, Dinowitz picked up


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Update: D15 City Council Race: Oswald Feliz Maintains Lead as the Count Continues

Ahead of the US. Census Count, Bronx Democrats Form Club to Ensure a Proper Tally
By SÍLE MOLONEY
Oswald Feliz maintained his lead in the March 23 District 15 City Council special election, following three completed rounds of ranked choice voting counts by the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) on Sunday, April 11. However, to date, he has not reached the required 50 percent plus one share of the overall vote to declare himself the winner.   The votes tallied now include the total of voters’ ranked choice votes based on election day ballots, absentee ballots, early voting ballots and military ballots. The ranked choice process began on Sunday, April 11, and after round one, 12


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Update: Fernández on NYS Budget: No Cuts to Health, Additional Funds for Schools, Gun Violence Prevention & Parks

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York State Assemblywoman for the 80th Assembly District, Nathalia Fernández, said the latest New York State Budget of $212 billion, the largest in the State’s history, invests in the future of The Bronx. Fernández released a statement on Thursday, April 8, describing the new budget as “bold and progressive,” one that will bring much-needed aid to Bronxites and galvanize the state’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. “These critical investments in our infrastructure, small businesses, schools, and health care services will strengthen our borough’s response, and most importantly, help people get back to work,” she said, acknowledging that the COVID-19


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City Comptroller Candidate, Zach Iscol, Supports Bill Aimed at Sex Trafficking Prevention

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Candidate for New York City Comptroller, Zach Iscol, voiced his support, on Tuesday, April 6, for the passage of New York State Senate Bill S6040, the Sex Trade Survivors Justice and Equality Act.   Among other things, the bill would decriminalize people in prostitution, mandate that they receive access to necessary social services, strengthen laws against sex trafficking, and advance criminal justice reform. This approach is known in some circles as partial decriminalization of the sex trade or the equality model.   Advocates for the model say it is a survivor-centered approach, where the focus is on harm reduction and


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Update: District 15 City Council June Primary Race: Elisa Crespo Drops Out

By SÍLE MOLONEY
With the results of the March 23, District 15 (and District 11) City Council special election still not yet known, and as candidates gear up for the June City Council primaries, District 15 candidate, Elisa Crespo, announced on Tuesday, April 6, that she will not be running in June. Crespo issued a statement on Twitter announcing her decision but did not give any specific reason for not running again.   As reported by Norwood News, Crespo, an education liaison to the Bronx borough president whose candidacy we previously profiled, won 15.08 percent of the vote in the special election, based


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Op-Ed: Passover, An Extremely Meaningful Time of Year

By MICHAEL HOROWITZ
Passover, which started on the evening of March 27, is one of the most meaningful times of year for Jewish people throughout the world. The holiday, which will conclude on Sunday night, April 4, combines what is important for families with what is important for Jews as a distinct people.   The holiday, in a more modern context, links Jews to struggles for liberation and freedom in our country and throughout the world. On a very personal level, Passover is a time for my family and other families to get together for very special Seder meals that are very rich


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