Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson announced on Monday, April 7, that Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero has resigned to focus on her family. The former deputy borough president has since announced that she has taken up a new role in government relations, and public/ private partnerships with Constantinople & Vallone Consulting.

The news follows the filing on March 28, as reported, of a lawsuit by a rival bidder, Agallas Equities, a Manhattan-based real estate firm, in which Peguero, Gibson, Andrew Kimball, CEO of New York City’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) are named, and which challenges the integrity of the bidding/request for proposal process surrounding the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory, as announced in January.

The winning bidder/chosen developer, 8th Regiment Partners LLC, a joint venture of Maddd Equities and Joy Construction, is also named in the lawsuit, as reported.

 

“It is with an emotional heart that I share the news of Deputy Borough President Janet Peguero stepping down from her position in our administration to focus on her family as a new mom,” Gibson said on Monday. “Although this transition may seem sudden, it has been influenced by her deep love and commitment to her daughter.” The deputy borough president gave birth to a baby within the last year.

 

The borough president continued, “Janet has made an incredible impact on our office and the Bronx over the past three years. As deputy borough president, she redefined the role, overseeing key units such as health and human services, borough operations, policy, and community services. She fostered vital partnerships, supported economic development, and advocated tirelessly for our immigrant communities, ensuring they were heard, represented, and supported.”

She added, “Janet’s efforts played a pivotal role in securing millions in federal funding for M/WBEs and empowerment zones, fostering greater community input and civic engagement from historically underserved populations, and advancing workforce development through the Hunts Point Forward Plan.”

 

Gibson said in addition, Peguero championed what the borough president described as “critical” public policy, and that her advocacy for improving maternal healthcare and her leadership in implementing parental paid leave policies demonstrated Peguero’s “deep” commitment to supporting mothers and families in the borough. “As the first Dominican American woman to serve as deputy borough president, Janet’s leadership was grounded in equity and compassion for all who call the Bronx home,” Gibson said.

 

The borough president concluded, “As Janet transitions into motherhood, we express our deep gratitude for her extraordinary contributions. Her legacy of dedication to equity, compassion, and excellence will continue to inspire our work in The Bronx. We wish her and her family all the best in this exciting new chapter, and I am forever grateful to call her my friend and my sister. Thank you, Madame Deputy, for your commitment and service to our team and to our Borough.”

 

In the lawsuit, representatives for Agallas Equities said in part that key “revelations” in the lawsuit allege that “political favoritism tainted the process” and that Peguero [allegedly] “improperly participated in the process.” According to a New York State Ethics Report for the filing period 2021-2022, and as reported by The City media outlet, Peguero was listed as a prior lobbyist for Maddd Equities.

While at least one social media post had been circulating online since March 28 that suggested the deputy borough president had resigned, her LinkedIn profile had remained unchanged until April 11. Meawhile, a footnote included in the filed lawsuit (complaint), a copy of which has been received by Norwood News, and as reported by The Bronx Times, alleged, “Notably, Ms. Peguero is set to return in April 2025 to work as a lobbyist at her former employer, Constantinople & Vallone Consulting, where she will work exclusively on the Kingsbridge Armory project.”

 

Norwood News had previously reached out to the Office of the Bronx Borough President for comment on both the the deputy borough president’s employment status, and on the lawsuit. We had also tried (initially unsuccessfully) to reach the deputy borough president, profiled by Norwood News in 2022, directly for comment.

 

On April 1, we received the following statement from the Office of the Bronx Borough President about the lawsuit. “It is not uncommon with large projects like this to have some litigation. There is a great deal of time and money invested in the bidding process, and only one applicant can be successful. Someone is always going to be unhappy. There have been no valid claims made involving The Office of the Bronx Borough President, and it is evident that the Office was named merely in an attempt to generate news and attention.”

 

It continued, “The redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory is a long-overdue investment in The Bronx, promising thousands of jobs, hundreds of affordable housing units, and numerous safe community spaces. Attempting to obstruct this development for selfish business and political reasons is nothing short of disgraceful.”

 

We also received the following statement from EDC on April 1. “After a rigorous evaluation of all proposals, NYCEDC selected El Centro Kingsbridge’s proposal, which is consistent with the values of the Kingsbridge Vison Plan and the requirements of the RFP,” the department wrote.

We were informed that due to pending litigation, EDC was unable to comment further. The department reiterated that the winning “El Centro Kingsbridge” proposal exemplified the “Together for Kingsbridge” vision plan and demonstrated the greatest ability to deliver on a diverse program, as broadly described in our earlier story, which can be read here.

Following news of Peguero’s announced resignation, Norwood News asked for clarification from the Office of the Bronx Borough President of its effective date. We did not receive an immediate response. However, after reaching out directly to Peguero again on April 7 to ask if it was true that she planned to return to work as a lobbyist for Constantinople & Vallone Consulting to work on the Kingsbridge Armory project now or in the future, we received the following statement on April 11.

 

“In February, upon return from maternity leave, I made the difficult decision to resign from my post as the Deputy Bronx Borough President, so that I could pursue other endeavors that would allow me to spend more time with my family,” Peguero said. “This decision was not made lightly, as it has been the honor of my lifetime to serve in this appointed position.”

 

She added, “Respectful of the time it takes to transition from a public post, I committed to ensuring and executing a transition strategy over several weeks to ensure continuity of services. I thank the Borough President for her leadership and for the opportunity to serve the borough I call home, alongside the committed public servants of Bronx Borough Hall.”

 

The deputy borough president concluded, “I am excited to rejoin Constantinople & Vallone Consulting now as their Chief Operating Officer. In this new role. I will be overseeing the daily operations and assurance of the firm’s goals and long-term strategy. I’m looking forward to this next step in my career and the opportunity to be of service to the City in a new capacity!”

 

Peguero has also since written on her Linkedin profile, “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Chief Operating Officer at Constantinople & Vallone Consulting!”

 

We have since reached out to the Office of the Bronx Borough President to ask who the new deputy BP will be, and will share any updates we receive.

 

We also reached out to Agallas Equities LLC, which filed the lawsuit, for comment and Manuel Tavarez, managing partner for the firm, responded, saying, “Dominicans breaking barriers in leadership is worth celebrating, but Janet Peguero’s resignation, amid corruption claims, isn’t surprising. It’s a wake-up call: representation must come with accountability. Our community deserves leaders who uplift, not undermine, the trust placed in them.”

 

Joy Construction has an address at Fulton Street in Manhattan, and Maddd Equities has an address on Long Island.

According to the lawsuit documentation, EDC is a domestic public benefit corporation organized under the not-for-profit corporation law of the State of New York, with a principal place of business in Manhattan.

 

Read our previous story in full on the lawsuit here.