Elections

City Council Lodges Appeal to Court Decision that Stops Non-Citizens from Voting in Municipal Elections

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams issued a statement on Friday, July 22, on the City’s file of appeal to the New York State Supreme Court ruling overturning the 2021 municipal voting law for non-citizens. On Friday, the City of New York filed a notice of appeal indicating its intention to fight the Richmond County judge’s ruling last month invalidating Local Law 11 of 2022. According to the City Council, members said they believe the judge erred in finding that the law was inconsistent with the State constitution, election law, and the municipal home rule law, and they are


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UPDATE NYC Districting Commission Releases Proposed City Council District Maps

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York City Districting Commission released on Friday, July 15, the first draft proposals of the 51 redrawn city council districts, further to a series of initial hearings held across the City in recent weeks. The new draft proposed maps can be reviewed here. The latest Bronx hearing held at Hostos Community College can be watched here.   The Commission is responsible for drawing 51 new City Council maps based on the results of 2020 Census, which saw New York City grow by 629,000 since 2010 to reach a total population of 8.8 million in 2020. To reflect this increase,


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UPDATE Primary Election Night 2022 All Unofficial Bronx Results: George Alvarez Leads in A.D. 78

By SÍLE MOLONEY
After polls closed on Election Night, Tuesday, June 28, on the first of two separate Primary Election Days being held in 2022 due to redistricting, New York City Board of Elections released the initial, unofficial results in the races for governor, lieutenant governor and State Assembly, as well as in the following Bronx races: Delegate to Judicial Convention Alternate Delegate to Judicial Convention Female State Committee Male State Committee Female District Leader Male District Leader County Committee   Absentee and overseas ballots still have to be counted.   The biggest surprise of the night was that in the Democratic primary


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UPDATE Norwood Daycare Center Owner Formally Charged with Alleged Child Sexual Assault & Child Pornography Possession

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Monday, June 27, that a 32-year-old Norwood man, who was the owner of a Norwood daycare center, has been charged with alleged predatory sexual assault against a child, as well as other charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a boy, and for allegedly possessing child pornography.   According to the investigation by the NYPD and the prosecution’s case, on May 3, authorities with the U.S. Secret Service and the NYPD conducted a search inside Lina’s Garden Daycare, located at 3525 Decatur Avenue in Norwood, which was owned by the defendant, Silfredo Castillo Martinez,


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UPDATE Court Overrules Decision to Allow Non-Citizens the Right to a Path to Vote in Municipal Elections

By SÍLE MOLONEY
A court has overruled a New York City Council vote taken in December 2021, which would allow non U.S. citizens the right to a path to vote in municipal elections in New York City. As reported in April, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, community partners, and pro-bono counsel, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, collectively filed a motion to challenge a lawsuit which sought to reverse the recently approved municipal voting rights bill in New York City, which extended the right to vote to eligible non-citizens in municipal elections.   In the case of Fosella v. Adams, a group of Republican voters and elected


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UPDATE Elections 2022: Dinowitz, Altagracia Woolford Tussle over Housing, Public Safety, Campaign Financing & More

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) and challenger and mutual aid organizer, Jessica Altagracia Woolford, who was recovering from a recent bout of COVID-19, discussed their positions on the priorities for voters in Assembly District 81 on Tuesday, June 21, during a debate aired on BronxNet, hosted by Gary Axelbank, and co-sponsored by Norwood News, the League of Women Voters, City Limits and The Bronx Times. Both candidates will be on the ballot in the upcoming Democratic Primary on Tuesday, June 28.   On the question of candidate experience, Dinowitz, who has represented the district since 1994, spoke to the fact that


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UPDATE Elections 2022: Jessica Altagracia Woolford Says Politics is not Binary

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Editor’s Note: In a previous version of this story, it was stated incorrectly that a donation of $405 to the campaign for Jessica Altagracia Woolford came from Ivet Contreras, spokesperson for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14). In fact, the donation was from Ivan Contreras from Brooklyn, unaffiliated with the congresswoman. We apologize sincerely for this error.    Jessica Altagracia Woolford is running for office in Assembly District 81 in the June 28 primaries. Growing up in Kingsbridge, she is a community organizer who has previously worked for the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s office, and has


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UPDATE NYC Districting Commission Kicks Off Redistricting Schedule, Publishes Explanatory Guides on Process

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The New York City Districting Commission published the “NYC Districting Commission 101 Primer” on Tuesday, June 21. The commission is responsible for drawing new city council maps, and the 16-page primer explains this process, covering everything from the U.S. Constitution to the U.S. census, and the Charter of the City of New York.   Commission officials said the primer also includes the “2022 Five Percent Deviation Guide” that commission mapmakers are using to draw the new 51 city council maps. The city’s population grew by 630,000 people based on the 2020 Census count, and now totals 8.8 million people. Under


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UPDATE Elections 2022: Jeffrey Dinowitz Looks Forward Not Back

By SÍLE MOLONEY
As the incumbent assemblyman representing Assembly District 81 since 1994, Jeffrey Dinowitz is both a seasoned politician and candidate when it comes to election campaigns. He has seen off a number of political challengers over the course of his political career to retain his Northwest Bronx seat and appears adamant to keep it that way.   Given his many years in office, and the countless pieces of legislation on which he has worked throughout his career, Norwood News asked Dinowitz if he could speak to what he felt were the top three priorities for his current campaign. “It’s really hard


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