Earlier this week, on May 13, Melissa Mark-Viverito received a boost to her latest election campaign to become the democratic nominee for the City’s 15th congressional district in the Bronx, as four of the country’s leading teachers’ unions announced their endorsement of her.

 

The United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the National Education Association (NEA) all threw their weight behind Mark-Viverito, one of around a dozen remaining candidates in the race.

 

UFT represents over 190,000 members nationwide and is, therefore, considered a major win for the former City Council Speaker, and former Council Member of the City’s 8th District, covering El Barrio/East Harlem, Mott Haven, Highbridge, Concourse, Longwood, and Port Morris, currently represented by Council Member Diana Ayala.

 

Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said of his union’s endorsement in a written statement, “Melissa has been a tireless advocate for public education. She fought for fair funding for all communities during her tenure as City Council Speaker and will bring that same dedication and focus to Washington, DC”.

 

He added, “She will fight for our students, our families and our neighborhoods in this time of crisis and will be a powerful voice calling for New York to receive its fair share.”

 

For her part, Mark-Viverito said that she was honored to receive the support from all the teachers and educators represented by UFT, NYSUT, AFT, and NEA, adding that the country’s fourth COVID-19 emergency stimulus package must put educators first by providing relief in funding to K-12 schools, ensuring COBRA coverage to families of public employees taken by COVID-19, and by guaranteeing budget gaps caused by declining state revenues linked to the pandemic, are filled.

 

“For months now, the state of New York and the Bronx has been ground-zero for the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “It has exposed the disparities in our education system, and although our educators have stepped up to the plate to fill those holes, they need our support.”

 

If elected, Mark-Viverito said she would commit to increasing teacher pay, fighting against what she described as the chronic under-funding of public schools, and ending the school-to-prison pipeline.

 

In an interview with Norwood News, she was asked if her interest in education policy stemmed from her previous work in criminal justice, and in curbing the school-to-prison cycle prevalent in many under-served neighborhoods across the Bronx.

 

“We did provide some initiatives through the City Council to do some restorative justice practices within the school system, and they’ve been very successful [..] as they’ve been analyzed over the years,” she said.

 

“So, the idea of expanding programs like that and creating a more universal support for it, especially at a congressional level, dealing with federal policies, that’s kind of where I would like to lead into, but basically, it [her interest] comes from prior experience.”

 

In terms of her assessment of the current education system across the U.S., and her views on charter schools in particular, Mark-Viverito reiterated her belief in supporting the public education system.

 

“I think that’s really the concern, especially with this administration that’s in office right now, and Betsy DeVos,” she said. “You know, a lot of the practices and policies that they’re promoting – all the ways of privatizing a public education system, of siphoning money out of the system and giving it to private entities, private efforts – that is definitely not something we should be embracing at all, so I reject that.”

 

Mark-Viverito said she would oppose such measures at a federal level, if elected, and would instead be a very strong advocate alongside the unions that represent public schools, teachers and the public school system.

 

Lily Eskelsen García, president of the National Education Association, appeared confident Mark-Viverito would keep her word, saying in a written statement, “We are proud to endorse Melissa for New York’s 15th Congressional seat. Not only does she understand the importance of providing every child with a quality public education, but her support of educators and commitment to students of all ZIP codes has been tested and proven in the City Council”.

 

She added, “We have no doubt she will continue to be a true partner with educators, and will champion strong public schools in Congress. We urge all educators to support her run for NY-15.”

 

A fiercely progressive candidate, Mark-Viverito said that she had previously endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the presidential primary race, but since her campaign suspension, is now planning to vote for the presumptive nominee, former vice president, Joe Biden.

 

As previously reported by Norwood News, it was announced on Apr. 27 that the New York State presidential primary due to take place on Jun. 23 had been cancelled, though the state and congressional elections were still scheduled to go ahead on the same date.

 

In the meantime, that decision has been reversed due to a court order, and the presidential primary is now going ahead, once again, on the same Jun. 23 date as the state and congressional primaries. Voters are being asked to vote by absentee ballot to avoid crowds at polling stations and to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.

 

Mark-Viverito previously ran for the position of City Public Advocate in 2019, losing to the now incumbent, Jumanne Williams. So far, in the congressional race, she is trailing New York City Council Member Ritchie Torres and New York State Assembly Member, Michael Blake, in terms of campaign donations with a total of $444,065. As reported previously by Norwood News, Torres has raised $1.2 million to date, while Blake has raised just under $600,000.

 

$238,232 of Mark-Viverito’s donations was raised from individuals, with the average individual donation (including two self-donations) being $460, slightly more than the average group donation of $442. Her total group donations amount to $205,833.

 

The 15th congressional district seat is currently held by Congressman José E. Serrano, a seat he has held for thirty years. Serrano announced last year that he had Parkinson’s disease and would be retiring once the seat is filled in the November general election. The district covers large areas of the West and South Bronx, is overwhelmingly democratic, and the population is largely Hispanic.

 

On May 14, Mark-Viverito participated in a virtual debate hosted jointly by City Limits and Gotham Gazette, along with seven other 15th district democratic congressional candidates, in which she described the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as “pathetic, “woefully inadequate,” and “based in racism.”