Eric Dinowitz, teacher and Democratic male district leader for the 81st Assembly District, who is running for City Council in the 11th City Council District, was endorsed, on Feb. 3, by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

 

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU, described Dinowitz as a proud union member and dedicated teacher who would be a strong voice for unions and workers in the City Council. “He has a record of standing with RWDSU members in his district and with workers throughout the city,” he said. “We know we can rely on Eric to stand up for workers.”

 

Reacting to the announcement, Dinowitz said he was very proud to receive the endorsement of the union. “Over the summer, Key Food grocery workers’ jobs were on the line in the Northwest Bronx, and I joined forces with Local 338, standing shoulder to shoulder with them on the picket line,” he said. “I’m happy to say those workers’ jobs were saved, and I will continue to fight for our brothers and sisters in labor when I’m elected to the City Council. I thank RWDSU for their endorsement, and their efforts to protect our city’s essential workers.”

 

On Feb. 8, Dinowitz, was also endorsed by the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) of Greater New York-FDNY and Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics, and Fire Inspectors Local 2507. Andrew Ansbro, UFA president, said Dinowitz’s experience and concern for public safety, public safety professionals, working families, our education system, and the economy, would certainly be major assets to the people of the 11th Council District.

 

“Now more than ever, it is important that we elect individuals who will protect the economy and growth of New York as well as remember the hard-working people who live here,” said Ansbro. “They say that all politics are local. Many politicians lose sight of that fact after being elected. We are confident that Eric will never forget the people that elected him and will always fight to protect and enhance the interests of the people of his district.”

 

Meanwhile, Dinowitz, who is also chair of Bronx Community Board 8’s aging committee and son of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who also represents the 81st Assembly District, said of the endorsement, “These essential workers are heroes that put their lives on the line to help people when they need it most.” He added, “Especially during a pandemic, we need to put our support behind our city’s frontline workers, which have always included firefighters and EMT workers. I am honored to have the support of organizations that are essential to our health and safety.”

 

As reported by the Norwood News, the district leader has also been endorsed by Congressman Adriano Espaillat, the United Federation of Teachers, by both U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres and Bronx Democratic Chairperson, State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey, as well as by Bronx Borough President Ruben Díaz Jr.

 

He has also been endorsed by New York State Assembly Member Chantel Jackson, New York City Council Members Danny Dromm and Mark Treyger, the Bronx Democratic Party, Central Labor Council, the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC, and amid some controversy, by the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club which is based in the Northwest Bronx in District 11.

 

Candidates in the District 11 special election race were required to gather a minimum number of signatures from local residents in order to qualify for the ballot in the special election. As reported by the Norwood News, that minimum had been 450 signatures until Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Jan. 7 that he was reducing it to 315.

 

Some candidates had raised concerns during prior weeks about the impact of the signature collection process on people’s health, and had called for for the minimum signature requirement to be waived amid fears of exacerbating the spread of the coronavirus through mass person-to-person contact. Candidates, Mino Lora and Jessica Haller, both announced at separate stages that they had each previously contracted the virus.

 

Meanwhile, social worker and adjunct Columbia professor, Abigail Martin, and district leader in the 80th Assembly District, Marcos Sierra, announced last month that they had dropped out of the March special election, citing health related risks linked to the coronavirus, but said they still plan to participate in the June primary.

 

A Board of Elections public hearing was held on Feb. 4 to assess which candidates had collated the minimum number of signatures needed to proceed. Besides Dinowitz, according to the New York City Board of Elections, there are five other candidates in the District 11 special election race.

 

These are retired NYPD detective, Carlton Berkley, environmentalist and tech entrepreneur, Jessica Haller, activist, founder and executive director of the People’s Theatre Project, Mino Lora, lawyer and Bronx CB 8 Traffic and Transportation Committee Chair, Dan Padernacht, and freelance filmmaker, Kevin Pazmino, who is the most recent candidate to join the race. Dionel Then dropped out of the race last August, endorsing Padernacht, as he did so.

 

In terms of the latest campaign contribution filings (excluding refunds), according to the New York City CFB, Haller leads in contributions with $77,821, followed by Dinowitz with $65,156, Padernacht with $39,986, Lora with $32,667, and Berkley with $7,705. For the District 11 special election, the most recent disclosure period ran from “Beginning of Fundraising” to Jan. 11, 2021. There was no information available for Kevin Pazmino on campaign contribution filings with the CFB. We understand Pazmino announced his candidacy on Jan. 18.

 

The Bronx Democratic Party also recently hosted an informational session on Ranked Choice Voting which can be viewed here in conjunction with the group, Rank the Vote NYC. Norwood News checked with the City’s Campaign Finance Board about the expertise of Rank the Vote NYC and were advised that the group is a reputable source on the topic and is a voter education campaign that is run by Common Cause NY.

 

BronxNet aired the first of a series of debates between the District 11 City Council candidates on Feb. 2, and that debate can be viewed online here. The Norwood News later provided a brief recap of the debate.

 

Northwest Bronx Indivisible and Riverdale Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture hosted a further virtual debate among the candidates on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 3 p.m. This debate can be viewed here.

 

Another debate was hosted by the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition in conjunction with LAAL, a nonprofit supporting Bengali women in the Norwood section of the Bronx on Wednesday, Feb. 10. That debate can be viewed here. A further debate hosted by City Limits was held on Sunday, Feb. 14. That debate can be viewed here.

 

A Woodlawn Candidate’s Forum will be held on Monday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. More details can be found here.

 

A City Council Town Hall, presented by the SAR High School EPG Club, based in Riverdale in the Northwest Bronx, was held on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and can be viewed here.

 

Riverdale Nature Preservancy will also be hosting a virtual conversation with the District 11 special election candidates on Thursday, March 4 at 8 p.m. The Zoom link to join the conversation is as follows: https://tinyurl.com/RNPForum, and the Meeting ID is 852 4927 7543.

 

The Bronx Board of Elections confirmed that it is now accepting applications for absentee ballots from voters in District 11 (and in District 15) who wish to vote by mail. Further information can be found here or by calling the Bronx Board of Elections at (718) 299-9017 and selecting Ext. 1875. Polls are open on election day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Early Voting Period is from March 13, 2021 to March 21, 2021. Voters must vote at their assigned early voting site.

Early Voting Hours

Saturday	March 13, 2021	10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Sunday	March 14, 2021	10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Monday	March 15, 2021	7:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Tuesday	March 16, 2021	12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Wednesday	March 17, 2021	12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Thursday	March 18, 2021	10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Friday	March 19, 2021	7:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Saturday	March 20, 2021	10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Sunday	March 21, 2021	10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

 

The District 11 special election will be held on March 23, 2021. The district includes Kingsbridge, Norwood, Van Cortlandt Village, Wakefield, Riverdale, Woodlawn Heights and part of Bedford Park. Whoever wins the March 23 special, nonpartisan election will serve until Dec. 31, 2021. Future representation in the District beyond that point will likely be determined via a June 2021 primary and a November 2021 general election.