The Norwood News is a media sponsor for tonight’s televised debate between Democrat Nathalia Fernandez and Republican Gene DeFrancis for Special Election in the 80th Assembly District seat left vacant by Councilman Mark Gjonaj. But while Fernandez will lay out her platform on television, you won’t find it on the city Campaign Finance board’s special election guide.

Fernandez, who previously worked for Gjonaj, secured the Democratic nomination for the district, which covers Norwood, parts of Bedford Park, Morris Park, Van Nest, and Pelham Parkway. The nomination put her on the Democratic ticket. The Bronx is overwhelmingly Democratic.

The Special Election Guide was emailed to the press on April 12. Aside from her Twitter account, no picture of Fernandez or her views are included. A spokesman for Fernandez said they had submitted all their information to the publishers of the city Campaign Finance Board, and it’s unclear why it’s not up.

DeFrancis, known as an Independent, secured the Republican nomination. DeFrancis, a US military veteran, is the founder of the Allerton International Merchants Association. Allerton is among the neighborhoods represented in the 80th Assembly District.

The debate will air on BronxNet tonight at 9 p.m. and will be running continuously into the special election slated for April 24.

“The debates on BronxTalk, along with our one-on-one candidate interviews on In the District allows Bronxites to hear directly from the candidates and make informed decisions as they head to the polls in this special election on April 24. BronxNet, thanks our partners the League of Women Voters, the Bronx Times Reporter, the Bronx Free Press and the Norwood News. We are dedicated to presenting forums on programs across platforms that allow candidates, elected officials, and citizens to discuss the issues that affect our borough,” said BronxNet Executive Director Michael Max Knobbe.

BronxNet appears on channels 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 on the Verizon FIOS system and channels  67, 68, 69, 70, 951 and 952 on Cablevision. The channel can also be seen on its website, at  www.bronxnet.org.

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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.