Photo courtesy of Dan Padernacht
City Council candidate Daniel Padernacht, lawyer and chair of Bronx Community Board 8’s Traffic & Transportation committee, has been endorsed by Local 46 of the Metallic Lathers Union and Reinforcing Ironworkers in his bid to win the District 11 City Council seat in the Northwest Bronx, for which a special election is taking place on March 23.
Union representatives said Padernacht will be an elected official that will understand his district’s needs and concerns and will do his best to address them. “Dan understands that good-paying jobs are the means to lift a community,” the statement read.
Reacting to the announcement on March 11, Padernacht said he was proud to receive the support of the union, whose hard-working members, he said, are key to helping build the great structures, highways, and other infrastructure of the city.
According to the press release dated March 11, the union added that Padernacht supports the bonding of capital funds for infrastructure projects to be built under the prevailing wage, and that city and state subsidies should be returned to communities where these projects are being built. “Dan will work on legislation and policies to increase the enforcement on contractors that commit wage theft, exploit workers, have unsafe work sites, and misclassify workers from their personal gain,” the union representatives said.
Meanwhile, Padernacht said that the great City of New York would be at a standstill without the individuals who facilitate every facet of its residents’ urban lives. “The labor force in our city must be supported,” said Padernacht. “I have pledged to apply my expertise in economics, negotiation, and contract law to advocate for the needs of labor and find common ground to create and maintain labor jobs in the City of New York.”
As reported by the Norwood News, Padernacht has previously received the endorsement of Bill Samuels, a business leader, lawyer, and founder of the Council on Economic Priorities, EffectiveNY, the New Roosevelt Initiative, and New Yorkers for a More Effective Constitution, former Assemblyman and DNC vice chair, Michael Blake, the Northwest Bronx Democrats and Dionel Then, who dropped out of the District 11 race last August.
According to Padernacht’s campaign, he is a third generation Bronxite and has been a leader on Bronx Community Board 8 for 12 years, serving as board chair from 2014 to 2017, chair of the Traffic & Transportation committee from 2011 to 2014, and again from 2017 to the present date, and as vice chair of the Land Use committee from 2017 to the present date. His candidacy was previously profiled by the Norwood News.
Because Padernacht held the position of vice chair of the Land Use committee, it’s likely and perhaps not unusual that he made connections in the real estate world. Though there is nothing illegal about this, and though the amounts concerned are not enormous (the maximum contribution being $2,000), it is worth noting there are a number of contributors to Padernacht’s campaign who have links with the real estate or construction sector, meaning anyone who either works directly with, or through their work, engages with those who work with property, land and buildings, whether in government or in the public or private sector.
These include Hiram Colon, a self-employed real estate worker, Harsimran Sabharwal, a self-employed real estate worker, Martin Zelnik a self-employed architect, John Rusk, a general contractor with Rusk Renovations Inc., John Knief, president at East Coast Mechanical (a home heating company), Leonard Knief, Robert Knief and Anthony Milanese, managers at East Coast Petroleum (affiliated with a gas dealership), John Schenone, a self-employed roofing contractor, Philip Paterra, a self-employed worker in real estate, Kenneth Stephens, a self-employed contractor, Bentzion Werzberger of Bentzys Construction, James Abenante IV, an engineer at Craven Management Corporation, Magalyne Benitez of The SNE Management Corporation, Avrohom S. Geller, an estimator at Benitez Roofing, Joseph Gordon a self-employed engineer, Joel Gross of Bentzys Construction, Brandon Hernandez from Procida Construction, Mendy Kahonov of Bentzys Roofing & Waterproofing, and Gregory Kalamaras, a self-employed contractor.
Additionally, they include Harry Klein a self-employed construction worker, Gunit Sabharwal of Gold Coast Property Management, Isabel Baez, office manager at Central Construction Management, Vincent Bonanno at Keller Williams real estate company, Michael Coratolo, a self-employed worker in the commercial real estate business, José Cruz, a self-employed worker in the real estate business, Cynthia Cunillera, a receptionist at Central Construction Management, Retro Diaz at The Link Condominium, Michael DiFonzo, a self-employed construction manager, Catalina Hidalgo, an expeditor at Central Construction Management, Damian McShane, a Port Authority engineer, Michael Patterson of Garden Homes, Christopher Lim, a building manager at Midas Property Management, Hasker Mitchell at The SNE Realty Corporation, Frank Esannason, a self-employed real-estate consultant, Jose Gary a superintendent at Midas Management, Michael O’Keefe a laborer at Local 18a Concrete & Cement, Gregory Tsoougranis, a realtor at Keller Williams Realty firm.
This represents approximately 38 donors out of a total of 320 donations.
Candidates in the District 11 special election race were required to gather a minimum number of signatures from local residents in order to qualify for the ballot in the special election. As reported by the Norwood News, that minimum had been 450 signatures until Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Jan. 7 that he was reducing it to 315.
Some candidates had raised concerns about the impact of the signature collection process on people’s health, and had called for for the minimum signature requirement to be waived amid fears of exacerbating the spread of the coronavirus through mass person-to-person contact. District 11 special election candidates, Mino Lora, and Jessica Haller, each announced at separate stages that they had each previously contracted the virus.
Meanwhile, social worker and adjunct Columbia professor, Abigail Martin, and district leader in the 80th Assembly District, Marcos Sierra, announced in January that they had dropped out of the March special election, citing health related risks linked to the coronavirus, but said they still plan to participate in the June primary.
A Board of Elections public hearing was held on Feb. 4 to assess which candidates had collated the minimum number of signatures needed to proceed. Besides Padernacht, according to the New York City Board of Elections, there are five other candidates in the District 11 special election race.
These are retired NYPD detective, Carlton Berkley, teacher and male district leader in the 81st Assembly District, Eric Dinowitz, Haller, an environmentalist and tech entrepreneur, Lora, executive director and founder of the People’s Theater Project and freelance filmmaker, Kevin Pazmino.
In terms of the latest campaign contribution filings in the special election race, according to the New York City CFB, Haller leads with $79,117, followed by Dinowitz with $72,062, Padernacht with $42,446, Lora with $35,910, and Berkley with $10,301. For the District 11 special election, the most recent disclosure period ran from “Beginning of Fundraising” to Jan. 11, 2021. There was no information available for Kevin Pazmino on campaign contribution filings with the CFB.
In accordance with the matching funds program, each dollar raised between $10 and $175 from New York City residents is matched 8 times using public funds. For the special election, the maximum payout from the matching funds program is $142,500, and spending is capped at $190,000.
The nonpartisan special election in District 11 was called by the mayor on Jan. 4 to find a replacement for Cohen, who was elected as a judge to the Bronx Supreme Court in November and resigned from his City Council seat on Dec. 31.
BronxNet aired the first of a series of debates between the District 11 City Council candidates on Feb. 2, and that debate can be viewed online here. The Norwood News later provided a brief recap of the debate.
Northwest Bronx Indivisible and Riverdale Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture hosted a further virtual debate among the candidates on Feb. 7. That debate can be viewed here.
Another debate was hosted by the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition in conjunction with LAAL, a nonprofit supporting Bengali women in the Norwood section of the Bronx on Feb. 10. That debate can be viewed here.
A further debate hosted by City Limits was held on Feb. 14. That debate can be viewed here. A Woodlawn Candidate’s Forum was held on Feb. 15, moderated by BronxNet’s Gary Axelbank. That forum can be viewed here.
A City Council Town Hall, presented by the SAR High School EPG Club, based in Riverdale in the Northwest Bronx, was held on Feb. 17 and can be viewed here.
A further District 11 City Council candidates’ forum was held on Feb. 22, hosted by the Fort Independence Park Neighborhood Association. This can be viewed here.
Riverdale Nature Preservancy has also hosted a virtual conversation with the District 11 special election candidates. Those conversations can be viewed in two parts, here and here.
A second BronxNet debate will be hosted by BronxTalk host, Gary Axelbank, and will be aired on Monday, March 15, at 9 p.m. on Optimum channel 67, and Fios channel 2133.
The District 11 race is one of the first two elections in the Bronx which will incorporate the new method of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), the other being District 15. RCV is a voting method whereby voters can rank up to five candidates in order of preference, instead of choosing just one. If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, that candidate is the winner. If no candidate earns more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, then counting will continue in rounds. At the end of each round, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated.
If a voter ranked the eliminated candidate first, then the next highest ranked candidate on the voter’s ballot will be taken into account in the next round of counting. The process continues as such until there are two candidates left. The candidate with the most votes wins. For official information on ranked choice voting, go to the NYC Campaign Finance Board FAQ page or the New York City Board of Elections website.
The Bronx Democratic Party hosted an informational session on Ranked Choice Voting which can be viewed here in conjunction with the group, Rank the Vote NYC. Norwood News checked with the City’s Campaign Finance Board about the expertise of Rank the Vote NYC and were advised that the group is a reputable source on the topic and is a voter education campaign that is run by Common Cause NY.
Important dates relating to the March 23 special elections for District 11 [and District 15] are outlined below.
Image courtesy of the New York City Board of Elections
The Bronx Board of Elections confirmed that it is accepting applications for absentee ballots from voters in District 11 (and in District 15) who wish to vote by mail. Further information can be found here or by calling the Bronx Board of Elections at (718) 299-9017 and selecting Ext. 1875. Polls are open on election day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Early Voting Period is from March 13, 2021 to March 21, 2021. Voters must vote at their assigned early voting site.
Early Voting Hours
| Saturday | March 13, 2021 | 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Sunday | March 14, 2021 | 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Monday | March 15, 2021 | 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM |
| Tuesday | March 16, 2021 | 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM |
| Wednesday | March 17, 2021 | 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM |
| Thursday | March 18, 2021 | 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM |
| Friday | March 19, 2021 | 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM |
| Saturday | March 20, 2021 | 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Sunday | March 21, 2021 | 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
Find your poll site and view a sample ballot here: https://findmypollsite.vote.nyc/.
District 11 includes Kingsbridge, Norwood, Van Cortlandt Village, Wakefield, Riverdale, Woodlawn Heights and part of Bedford Park. Whoever wins the March 23 special, nonpartisan election will serve until Dec. 31, 2021. Future representation in the District beyond that point will likely be determined via a June 2021 primary and a November 2021 general election.
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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.
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