Democratic District 13 City Council Member Marjorie Velázquez conceded the general election in her district held Nov. 7 to her Republican opponent, Kirsty Marmorato, on Thursday, Nov. 9. As reported, Marmorato had a narrow lead on Velázquez on Election Night at poll closure with 49.97 percent of the vote to Velázquez’s 49.25 percent, but a few hours later, with 98.33 percent of voting scanners returned, Marmorato’s lead had stretched to 52.46 percent (6,571 votes) to Velázquez’s 46.81 percent (5,863 votes), based on Election Day and early votes. The Republican candidate who ran a campaign based on quality of life and public safety concerns, declared victory in the race later that night.

 

Mail-in ballots and overseas ballots still have to be counted but the district looks set to see its first Republican councilmember in decades take office next year after what has been the most contested council seat race this year in the borough. Write-in votes accounted for approximately 0.73 percent or 91 votes on Election Night.

 

The councilwoman, who took office in January 2022 and who represents the neighborhoods of Allerton, City Island, Country Club, Edgewater Park, Ferry Point, Locust Point, Morris Park, Pelham Bay, Pelham Gardens, Pelham Parkway, Schuylerville, Silver Beach, Spencer Estates, Throggs Neck, Van Nest, Waterbury LaSalle, Westchester Square, and Zerega, said in a statement issued Thursday night, “While this is not the outcome we wanted, I know that if we continue the hard work of organizing for values of inclusion, acceptance, and diversity– this community will ultimately reject fear in favor of hope.”

She continued, “Representing the East Bronx as the first Latina Councilmember for District 13 has been one of the greatest honors of my life, and I remain proud of my record of accomplishments delivering for the borough that raised me. In my term, we worked to make the Bronx safer and more secure. We added over two dozen new officers to the 45th and 49th precincts, added security cameras across the district, and passed legislation to crack down on catalytic converter thefts.”

The councilwoman added, “We fought to deliver over 100 units of affordable housing for our seniors and veterans, and secured almost $20 million for Jacobi Hospital. We celebrated the passage of permanent outdoor dining legislation, which saved countless small businesses and created a pathway for permanent outdoor dining in New York City.”

Velázquez is Bronx-born and raised by Puerto Rican parents who moved here in the 1970s “to build a better life for their family.” According to Velazquez, her parent’s journey and perseverance taught her valuable lessons of hard work, commitment to education, and a dedication to her local community throughout her life.

She said her roots in the community were formed during her early years, attending public schools in Parkchester and St. Catharine’s Academy for high school in Pelham Parkway before earning her degree in Finance and Accounting at New York University (NYU). After graduating NYU, the councilwoman worked in several corporate finance, budgeting, and accounting positions, where she designed and implemented accounting strategies for various regions around the world.

When elected to District 13, Velázquez became the first woman of color and first Latina to do so. She had been endorsed by the New York City Police Benevolent Association (NYC PBA) earlier this year, and had seen off three Democratic challengers in the primary election, including Bernadette Ferrara, a resident of Van Nest, founder of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance, and a Bronx Community Board 11 (CB 11) board member since 2011, Irene Estrada, former Democratic female district leader for the 80th assembly district, and John Perez, a U.S. army veteran, single father, who last year ran (and lost to now State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez) in the State Senate District 34 Democratic primary.

Velázquez is chair of the Consumer and Worker Protection Committee, and has worked to pass legislation supporting the creation of union jobs, funding for schools, better access to healthcare, and more options for transit across the district.

Much of the campaign trail was spent defending her actions regarding the upzoning of the the Bruckner Boulevard housing development in Throggs Neck, which we discussed with her as part of our profile story and which was also discussed during a recent BronxNet debate.

Meanwhile, of the District 13 voters, Marmorato told NY1 on Wednesday morning, Nov. 8, “They were ready for the change. They feel like there’s no more local control in the community. They don’t feel like they have a say in what’s going on in their neighborhoods and they’re just fed up with it.”

Velázquez, whose candidacy was profiled by Norwood News, concluded, “I want to thank my family, our volunteers, my dedicated campaign staff, my brothers and sisters in labor, the elected officials who had my back, our allies at issue organizations doing the hard work every day to make our city a better place, and most of all, my East Bronx constituents. I urge my successor to work for all of District 13– especially those who’ve been underrepresented for generations.”