At a ceremony attended by many local elected officials, judicial dignitaries, and well-wishers, Ischia Bravo, former district manager of Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7), was sworn in as the first woman and first Latina to hold the position of Bronx County clerk and commissioner of jurors on Feb. 9. The ceremony took place at Gould Memorial Library on the campus of Bronx Community College in University Heights, with Bravo sworn in by Rolando T. Acosta, presiding justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department.

 

Among those in attendance for the occasion were NYS Attorney General Letitia James, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, and NYS Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie (A.D. 83), who represents parts of Williamsbridge, Wakefield, and Eastchester.

 

As the first woman of color to hold a statewide office in New York, and the first woman to be elected attorney general, James spoke to the special qualities that helped Bravo break the glass ceiling in her own right. “[This appointment] is the result of her grit, her drive, and years of hard work in her community,” James said. “You can be certain as Bronx County clerk and commissioner of jurors, Ischia will bring that same energy and experience.”

James continued, “She will serve with honor and distinction and will be a role model for her two sons, Manuel [Manny] and Zachariah. Her years of service and commitment to her community is what led her to earning this appointment.”

 

As previously reported, in her capacity as county clerk and commissioner of jurors, a role which Bravo assumed on Jan. 2, she is responsible for the oversight of one of the State’s busiest county clerk’s offices and serves several functions for the Supreme Court, Bronx County, for both the civil and criminal branches.

 

When news of Bravo’s appointment broke last year, Gibson said, “We are so proud that former CB7 district manager, Ischia Bravo, has been appointed the county clerk of Bronx County!” She added, “She will be the FIRST WOMAN & LATINA to hold this title. This is huge! We are so proud and cannot wait to see all that she does in this position.”

 

Also present was Bronx Democratic Party chair and State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey (S.D. 36) who represents much of the same area as Heastie, along with Baychester, Co-op City and south Westchester, State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez (S.D. 34), who represents much of the east Bronx as well as parts of South Westchester, and District 15 City Councilman Oswald Feliz, who represents parts of Bedford Park, and the Central Bronx.

Among the well-wishers unable to attend but who sent congratulatory messages via video for all to see were U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), who represents Bedford Park, Marble Hill, University Heights, parts of Fordham, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, as well as Northern Manhattan, and Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15), who represents Norwood, Woodlawn, much of the Northwest Bronx and a large area stretching from Eastchester in the north to Mott Haven in the south.

 

Bravo, 38, became CB7’s district manager in January 2018. Andrew Laiosa is the chairperson of CB7’s Budget, Personnel & Ethics committee, and was also part of the panel who reviewed candidates to fill the position of district manager in late 2017. “Anyone who meets Ischia the first time is very impressed,” Laiosa recalled. “I had a good feeling about her that she was the real deal. She had that mixture of passion for her community, smarts, and the willingness to work hard.”

 

Laiosa later chuckled, remembering some of his interactions with Bravo after she took up the position of district manager. “I witnessed it by having many long conversations with her; intense, involved, committed conversations,” he said emphasizing the word “long.” He added, “She’s special.”

 

Bravo previously ran for City Council in District 15 in the Democratic primary in 2021, finishing a strong runner-up to Feliz, and garnering a host of endorsements along the way. She was also a 2016 Democratic New York State Assembly runner-up candidate for District 78, winning 34.64 percent of the vote, but ultimately losing to then-incumbent, former Assemblyman José Rivera.

 

Bravo’s eldest son, Manny, 15, also spoke at the event on behalf of himself and his younger brother, Zachariah, 8, saying, “The journey getting here wasn’t easy,” referencing in part some of his mother’s failed political races. “My mom has definitely taught us that defeat and not always getting what you want is ok because it leads you to something greater in the future.” However, neither son can be faulted for the following somewhat biased assessment of Bravo’s past accomplishments: “She’s had a lot of cool titles over the years but the most important one she’s had for us is mom.”

 

After the ceremony, Bravo spoke to Norwood News about the special place CB7 will always hold for her. “It is a community I was born and raised in [and] the experience was priceless,” she said.

Her new role as Bronx County clerk increases her responsibility geographically but narrows her purview to judicial matters in the borough. Where once she had to respond to a plethora of community-based issues, like too much dog poop on the sidewalks of Bedford Park to overdue building repairs in Norwood, now she must attend to matters that affect the 1.4 million residents of the Bronx. As commissioner of jurors, her role falls within the judicial branch of government.

 

According to the website, nycourts.gov, throughout the State of New York, potential jurors are randomly selected from lists of registered voters, holders of drivers’ licenses, or IDs issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles, New York State income tax filers, recipients of unemployment insurance or family assistance, and from volunteers. Furthermore, a person must be a United States citizen, at least 18 years old, a resident of the county they are summoned to, able to understand and communicate in the English language, and not have been convicted of a felony.

 

Bravo said she is committed to changing certain negative attitudes about jury duty. “I want to amplify our judicial system,” she said. “We often talk about reform and criminal justice reform, and it starts in our judicial system with a jury of your peers. And I think if folks understood the impact that they could have in our court system by just serving, as opposed to postponing it, they would serve. It’s similar to their civic obligation [of] being a registered voter.”

 

If Bravo’s history of getting things done at CB7 is any indication of her commitment to her new role, the Bronx can expect to see an increase in the number of residents called to jury duty. Bravo isn’t just driven by an analytical need to see results. She believes one quality sets her apart from the other 300 candidates that she bested for the position. “My love for The Bronx,” she said.  “I knew it extended far more than the boundaries of CB7. My admiration for the tenacity and diversity of this borough is what drove me to pursue this position.”

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.