For Pierina Sanchez, the Democratic nominee for the District 14 City Council seat in the upcoming general election, it’s all about the love. Sanchez is all in for the “Boogie Down,” saying passion for the community is a major driving force behind her campaign. With early voting already underway and only one day remaining before the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 2, Sanchez is transparent and says a vote for her on Nov. 2 will benefit the borough.

 

“It’s about the love,” Sanchez said during a campaign rally held outside the Kingsbridge Armory in the Kingsbridge Heights section of the Bronx on Monday, Oct. 25. “It’s about understanding that we are all in this together,” she added. Sanchez is running to replace incumbent, term-limited Councilman Fernando Cabrera, who, as reported, ran for the position of Bronx borough president in June but lost out to District 16 City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson.

 

District 14 covers the Morris Heights, University Heights, Fordham and Kingsbridge sections of the borough and one longstanding wish of the local community has been to put the Kingsbridge Armory, located at W Kingsbridge Rd, to better use in terms of serving the needs of the community.

 

At the rally, Sanchez, a born and raised Bronxite, pointed to the unused armory behind her as a symbol of past divestment in her community, as well as a future opportunity.

 

“There is perhaps no better symbol for our community today than the Kingsbridge Armory, the largest armory in the world, once home to the United Nations,” she said. “In 2013, 27 of our local community groups made history negotiating a Community Benefits Agreement with the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. That deal would include a community facility space, good wages, and local hiring. As this proposal continues to stall, I commit that as the next city council member for District 14, I will not rest until a transformational project is realized here. We need a concrete, community-driven response for the development of this building.”

 

The ice center project has indeed been stalled for several years, due to delays raising sufficient private financing from investors, as reported. The longstanding plans to develop the building into a National Ice Center have been well documented, again and again, while plans for a new, International Salsa museum to be housed in the building were reported in June. Last year, the armory space was used as a food hub, amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

In attendance at the Kingsbridge Heights rally were Gibson, Bronx Community Board 7 district manager, Ischia Bravo, State Sen. José Serrano Jr. (S.D. 29), District 7 city council member and Democratic nominee for Manhattan borough president, Mark Levine, and District 28 City Council Member Adrienne Adams who represents parts of Queens. Leaders and members from various labor unions and community organizations including Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union (RWDSU), Unite HERE Local 100, Citizen Action of New York, and  21 in ’21, also came out to show their support, the latter a movement to elect 21 female council members to City Council in 2021.

 

At the rally, Sanchez called on her neighbors to show their political power, which she said was too often overlooked, by showing up and voting in numbers never before seen. “I want to be clear about something: in this nation and in New York, we have a long history of powers-that-be, counting us out here in the Bronx, forgetting about us, or worse, ignoring us,” she said.

 

“We need to register more folks than ever before to vote, and then we need to make sure they turn out. I want to remind the powers that be that we are civically engaged, and that we are powerful. I want to remind them that if they do not do right by the Bronx, and fight hard for the issues that matter most to our working families, then the Bronx will hold them accountable, and that includes me, when elected,” she added.

 

Appealing to rally attendees to repeat after her, “When I say, ‘Bronx,’ you say, ‘All Day!’” the rallying cry reverberated throughout West Kingsbridge Road on what was a lovely, fall evening. Sanchez, a former Obama administration staffer, whose candidacy was previously profiled by Norwood News, won the June primary with 62.4 percent of the vote, as reported.

 

Runner-up in that primary was Yudelka Tapia, with 37.6 percent of the vote. As reported, Tapia has since been declared the Democratic nominee for State Assembly District 86 in a special election which will also be held on Nov. 2. Other candidates in the District 14 June primary race included Adolfo Abreu, Haile Rivera, Fernando Aquino and Socrates Solano.

 

As a woman of color and a proud Dominican, Sanchez said she is a firm believer that each respective council should look a lot like the people they serve, instilling in prospective constituents the belief that she has a clear understanding of the struggles they face. “Only 17 percent of children that need an after-school program after the school day, have access to one,” said Sanchez. “So that leaves, in the City of New York, 600,000 young people without an activity to do after school. So, what happens to those kids? Where are they going?” she asked.

 

Wherever it is they are going, Sanchez said local municipalities have a responsibility to assist. “It’s the government’s responsibility to step in when a parent cannot be there for young people,” she said. “They should help them become the best versions of themselves.”

 

Sanchez’s platform revolves around three core issues. Aside from being in favor of a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, she supports making affordable housing more accessible. She favors a provision of protection for tenants who are at risk of eviction, and she also wants to see accurate representation of youth.

 

“Transforming some of our apartment buildings that are for renters for our very own low and moderate-income people, [they can] become homeowners too,” she said. “The reasons why we are so unstable in our homes is because our incomes are suffering. So, for me, economic development, economic opportunities are at the center.”

 

For the first time in 20 years, as previously reported by NY1, the winners of the 2021 city council general election races will serve a two-year term, as opposed to the usual four-year term, due to a specific provision in the city’s charter. Another general election for those same city council seats will be held in 2023 for another two-year term, and then candidates will be able to run for a full, uninterrupted, four-year term in 2025.

Challenging Sanchez for the District 14 seat on the Republican Party ticket is Shemeen Chappell, a former trainer assistant at the New York City Board of Elections. The Republican primary for District 14 on June 22, 2021 was canceled. Norwood News has attempted to connect with Chappell through the Republican Party, since she does not appear to have a social media presence or website. We have not been successful, to date.

 

Nonetheless, Sanchez said she isn’t taking anything for granted, and is encouraging members of the council district to get out and vote in the upcoming general election, mainly because she said it sends a message in terms of demonstrating that the Bronx is politically active.

 

“It’s about this community coming out in mass numbers so that the next time there’s an election for mayor, for governor, or for congress, they know that this community watches,” Sanchez said. “And they know that this community is going to be a deciding factor in whether or not they proceed, so that way, they work for us, and they are invested.”

 

Reviewing Sanchez’s skillset as a future elected official, we asked the candidate to highlight a trait of hers that hasn’t been recorded to date. She said her commitment, as well as her level of preparedness stands out, vowing to consistently complete all designated tasks assigned to her. Will it be enough to distinguish herself as a permanent fixture in the City Council? “I think that’s what’s going to make the difference when I am working with my colleagues,” she said.

 

In terms of campaign financing, Sanchez received $93,595 in private funds over the course of her election campaign, which generated over a quarter of a million dollars ($304,645) in total, when public matching funds were taken into account. Her opponent, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) records, does not appear to have accepted campaign donations or participated in the public matching funds program.

 

Sanchez said spending from 2020 to the end of the election cycle should amount to somewhere in the region of $295,000.

 

As reported, the CFB announced that “independent expenditure committees,” sometimes referred to as IEs or Super PACs, reported a collective spending in the 2021 New York City primary elections of over $18.6 million as of Friday, June 11. This was mostly spent on mayoral candidates but also included spending on other candidates like City Council candidates, Abreu and Sanchez, among others.

 

A Super PAC is a political campaign that advocates for the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, which operates independent of candidates, neither consulting with the candidates nor with the candidates’ authorized political action committee (PAC) or political party. Hotel Workers for Stronger Communities spent $7,028 on ads supporting Sanchez.

 

In terms of the breakdown of private donors to Sanchez’s campaign, as of Oct. 31, $25,386 came from areas outside New York City, $27,622 came from Manhattan, $15,513.50 came from the Bronx, $5,859 came from Queens, $19,156 came from Brooklyn and $80 came from Staten Island.

 

On Oct. 28, the CFB confirmed that a final payment of public matching funds of $2,111 had been paid to Sanchez’s campaign.

Primary Election Results:
Shemeen Chappell
is the Republican candidate for NYC Councilmember, District Fourteen. #nyccouncilmember #nyc #elections2021 #election #ElectionTwitter

— Vote Local NYC (@VoteLocalNYC) July 19, 2021

In addition to those present at the rally, Sanchez’s full coalition of support also includes U.S. Congressman Adriano Espaillat, U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres, U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera, State Assembly Member Latoya Joner, State Assembly Member José Rivera, State Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, State Assembly Member Kenny Burgos, City Council Member Diana Ayala, City Council Member Helen Rosenthal, City Council Member Rafael Salamanca, City Council Member Justin Brannan, City Council Member Danny Dromm, City Council Member Keith Powers, City Council Member Carlina Rivera, City Council Member Mark Treyger, former City Council Member and Speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, former City Council Member James Vacca, former City Council Member and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion.

 

She has also received the backing of the Central Labor Council (CLC), 1199 SEIU, United Federation of Teachers (UFT), 32BJ SEIU, Communication Workers of America (CWA), DC37 AFSME, Transportation Workers Local 100, Hotel Trades Council (HTC), Bronx Democrats, Churches United for Fair Housing (CUFFH), AOC’s Courage to Change PAC, The Jewish Vote, CSEA Local 100, United Auto Workers (UAW), Workers United NY/NJ, NorthWest Bronx Democrats, AmplifyHer, Latino Victory Fund, Committee of Interns and Residents SEIU (CIR), Iron Workers District Council, Doctors Council SEIU, District Council of Carpenters, International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 802 American Federation of Musicians, International Union of Bricklayers and Allies Craftworkers Local 1, Tile, Marble, and Terrazzo Union Local 7, Council of School Administrators (CSA),  LiUNA NY, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA),  Home Health Workers of America, Stonewall Democrats of NYC, Pride Democrats, 21in21, Women of Color for Progress, Emily’s List, New York League of Conservation Voters, StreetsPAC, NYC Kids PAC, League of Independent Theater, Voters for Animal Rights, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Downtown Women for Change, The Collective PAC, American Institute of Architects, New American Leaders Action Fund, Open New York, National Institute of Reproductive Health Action Fund, NYCHA Tenant Association leaders Tiesha Jones and Tony Edwards.

 

As previously reported, the Courage to Change PAC, which is affiliated with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), ranked Abreu as their first choice candidate in the District 14 City Council primary race, and Sanchez as their second choice.

 

At the Kingsbridge Heights rally, various endorsers of the candidate highlighted how Sanchez is, in their view, a true champion for her community, who understands what working families in the Bronx are up against because their struggles are the same as her family’s.

 

“Pierina is the epitome of a unifier and a coalition builder and that’s what this community needs,” said Serrano Jr. “The City Council is where all the policy that affects our daily lives is done. I know that Pierina has what it takes to make sure that we have the best policies for this community and that’s why I’m so proud to support her.”

 

Meanwhile, Levine said he came all the way from Manhattan for the rally for one simple reason, because he believes in Sanchez, describing her as a leader. “Without a doubt, Pierina Sanchez is one of the most talented, the most impressive, and definitely the most educated young leaders to come onto the scene in a while,” he said. “She is in this to achieve victories for justice, victories for this community and victories for the Bronx. For that to happen, we need everyone to come out November 2.”

 

For her part, Gibson said Kingsbridge was a neighborhood that is thriving and full of opportunity but needed a champion. “We need to make sure that when decisions are made, we have a leader at the table fighting for our opportunities,” she said. “That leader is Pierina Sanchez.”

 

Bravo, who, as reported, was runner-up to Oswald Feliz in the recent District 15 City Council June primary race, said every day she fights to make sure that service is being brought to the local community. “We need to come out and vote and for our voices to be heard, and we need dynamic leaders,” she said, addressing Sanchez directly. “I stand with you today in solidarity.”

 

Meanwhile, Tiesha Jones of NYCHA Bailey Houses said Sanchez will be part of an innovative push for women leaders that is needed for the community. “We must start first with our children. We need more after school programs,” she said. “We’ve lost so many to COVID. Overdoses and mental illness are on the rise, and we need to come together as a community to address our challenges. We need our voting numbers up. We need to say that we are here. Pierina is going to help us do this work and deliver for us. There will be a new bright future for the Bronx.”

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story referenced the under usage of the Old Fordham Library on Bainbridge Avenue in Fordham Manor. Though District 14 covers parts of Fordham, as this building is located in adjacent City Council District 15, rather than District 14, we have removed the reference to this building from the story.