A polarizing figure throughout his life, the death of Ramon Velez has proven to be no different, inspiring a wide range of reactions to the passing of the anti-poverty baron who ran the South Bronx political machine for more than a quarter of a century.

From fawning remembrances to more moderate recollections of the man once described by former mayor Ed Koch as a “poverty pimp,” politicians and journalists alike have weighed in on Velez’s passing.

Described as both corpulent and baby-faced in historian Jill Jonnes’ book South Bronx Rising, Velez’s figure was a caricature of the “macho male Latino.”  Born in the rural Puerto Rican village of Hormigueros, he came to New York in 1962 finding work as a welfare caseworker in Hunts Point. Velez rose to power through his control of the Hunts Point Multi-Service Center, where he provided jobs and services to many from the impoverished community, often in exchange for political patronage, while enriching himself with a share of the federal funding he was so successful at leveraging.

Called the “ironfisted godfather of Puerto Rican politics” in a recent Daily News column by Juan Gonzalez, Velez was regularly under investigation for corruption, yet never convicted of a crime — a fact, the Times reported in 2001, he wore as a badge of honor.  Writing recently in the Times, David Gonzalez recalled Velez’s empire as a “tangled and lucrative network of nonprofit groups receiving millions in government financing for services that regulators faulted for being shoddy or mediocre.”

From his fiefdom, an array of Puerto Rican politicians rose to prominence, including Congressman Jose Serrano, Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, and former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, among others. Recently, Serrano acknowledged the contributions Velez made as a community organizer to the rise of Puerto Rican participation in Bronx politics.

Citing increased voter registration, an increased respect for the city’s Spanish-speaking population, and his work at the Hunts Point Multi-Service Center, Serrano called Ramon Velez’s impact “unparalleled” in New York City. “He was a visionary and a talented organizer,” the congressman said in a statement. “Our community will miss this great man.”