On Monday, Feb. 15, Rev. Ian Harris announced in a campaign video that he was looking to become the next state senator of the 32nd senatorial district, a seat currently held by State Sen. Luis Sepúlveda, who, last month, was arrested on charges of allegedly attempting to choke his estranged wife. As reported by the Norwood News, Sepúlveda was subsequently stripped of his chairmanship duties at the State senate in the wake of the media storm that followed, with many elected officials calling on him to resign.

 

According to his press release, Harris is a community activist who has worked to improve the quality of life for families by using technology to make resources more accessible to the community. His campaign said he has hosted numerous food giveaways, voter registration drives, and is currently working to get mobile COVID-19 testing sites placed in the Bronx. According to his team, his campaign is being built around serving and representing the community, and he wants all community members to realize that “they do not have to fight alone, and that he is right by their side.”

I fell in love with the Bronx a while ago.

The thing about "love" is; it's an action word.

My name is Ian Harris … I want to show my love for my community by being its next State Senator.

VIEW MY LOVE LETTER (via video): https://t.co/WTXQGFKKyI

— Rev. Ian Harris (@ianharrisnyc) February 15, 2021

 

“We need results,” said Harris, a faith-based leader and software engineer. His team added that though Harris may be new to government, he is not new to the Bronx community and said The Bronx is looking for new faces in government. They said that as Sepúlveda is running for the position of Bronx borough president, Harris is now looking to take over his senatorial seat. “The 32nd senatorial district continues to be underrepresented,” Harris said. “The community lacks access to proper educational resources and health care.”

 

Harris’s campaign said now is the time for new representation. “The pandemic has hit residents hard – especially in the Bronx,” Harris said. “I have witnessed this first-hand, as I’ve had boots-on-the-ground serving food and providing technology to families within the community. I will take my background in software engineering and my faith-based community advocacy and fight for our district.”

 

Meanwhile, Sepúlveda alleges that it was his wife who assaulted him, and in a statement issued on the day of his arrest, Marvin Ray Raskin, Sepúlveda’s lawyer said, “The senator is committed to, and will proactively provide, full transparency [regarding the domestic incident] as the matter is resolved.” Police reported that officers from the 48th precinct responded to a 911 call regarding a domestic incident at 5:45 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9, at Sepúlveda’s Daily Avenue home in West Farms. “Police were met by a 40-year-old female and a 56-year-old male who both stated the other party assaulted them,” police said. The senator is due back in court on Feb. 24.

 

District 32 is comprised of Parkchester, Soundview, West Farms, Hunts Point, Longwood, Concourse, Melrose, Morrisania, Mott Haven, East Tremont, and Westchester Square.