When the Bronx County Republican Party looked at Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj’s win in the Sept. 12 Primary, they also saw it as a win for them. After all, returns showed Gjonaj didn’t grab 40 percent of the vote.

“Mark Gjonaj couldn’t even break 40 percent in his Democratic primary election after spending more money than any council candidate in the history of the City’s campaign finance system,” Michael Rendino, chair of the Bronx Republican Party, said.

Gjonaj narrowly defeated four Democratic challengers, including Marjorie Velazquez, who trailed very closely to Gjonaj, securing 34.36 percent of the vote to Gjonaj’s 38.63 percent.

Campaign filings show Gjonaj spent $716,000 on the campaign, buying television commercial ads, a rare move for Council races. The 13th Council District covers the East Bronx. Gjonaj’s current seat in the 80th Assembly District somewhat overlaps with the 13th Council District, with neighborhoods such as Morris Park, Pelham Parkway and Allerton overlapping. Gjonaj’s district also covers Norwood.

Gjonaj has been criticized by his Democratic and Republican opponents alike for accepting monies from the real estate lobby. “Mark Gjonaj, along with his developer friends, tried to buy his way onto the City Council, spending over $200 per vote. But the people of the 13th district sent a message loud and clear tonight: we can’t be bought.

The Bronx County Republicans are backing John Cerini, an accountant based in Throggs Neck, for the seat. Gjonaj and Cerini will square off in the November General Election. Cerini’s campaign war chest stands at $34,000, a fraction of Gjonaj’s, whose campaign

“John is a longtime community leader and small business owner in Throgg’s Neck and has been fighting for us his whole life. I like our chances,” Rendino said.

While the 13th Council District is largely Democratic, according to voting records, there are still pockets of neighborhoods, including Country Club, Schuyler Hill, and Throggs Neck where registered Republicans dominate. And should Gjonaj’s Primary challengers, including Velazquez and John Doyle, make a run for the November General Election under a different ticket, consequently splitting the Democratic vote, it could give Cerini a shot at winning.

Reginald Johnson, a spokesman for Gjonaj, said despite the “unprecedented level of negative political attacks” lobbed at Gjonaj, “voters sent a clear message that they support Mark Gjonaj’s positive vision of fighting for working families and the Bronx’s fair share. Unfortunately, it’s a message that John Cerini and his supporters have failed to hear.”

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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.