By David Cruz

The two main candidates for the 13^th Congressional District achieved moments of glory in the first debate against incumbent Congressman Charles Rangel, who also managed to hit the pair with several one-two punches.

And though the debate may have been miles away from the northwest Bronx, a key battleground borough for each rival, it was certainly mentioned, albeit in broad strokes. 

The two contenders—State Sen. Adriano Espaillat and Harlem pastor Rev. Michael Walrond—debated with Rangel at a packed Abyssinian Baptist Church to make their argument on why their vision fits to the changes happening within the 13^th Congressional District. The district was redrawn in 2010 to include the northwest Bronx, which proved to benefit Espaillat two years back when he first ran against Rangel.

The debate’s tone was relatively cordial, though there were moments when the two rivals seemed to ally to criticize Rangel, 82, often put on the defensive for his participation in a U.S. Congress that’s accomplished little. Rangel put the onus on Republicans.

The 22-term congressman labeled himself as the “top legislator of the year.” He cited a report by Trackbill, which called him the “most productive member of Congress.” At times he seemed self-deprecating for the sake of laughs, poking fun at his age though ensuring the audience he’s a leader who doesn’t “stay [in Congress] just to stay here and drop dead.”

But Espaillat and Walrond pegged Rangel an ineffective legislator who has allowed high rents to overtake the 13^th Congressional District, where glimpses of gentrification have sprouted.

Rangel remained neutral on gentrification so long as protections were in place for the district’s predominant working class. “We can do that by stopping luxury housing, concentrating on acquiring property the city can build and to make certain that when you talk about building that you’re talking about building affordable housing.”

Walrond countered Rangel, casting some blame on high rents on the 22-term congressman.

“You cannot critique a problem that you were a part of,” said Walrond, drawing applause from a mostly pro-Walrond audience.

But there were moments where the Democratic rivals found common ground. Each agreed to overhaul the justice system by providing more alternatives aside from incarceration.

“The federal government should adopt a reform of the Rockefeller drug laws that we’ve accomplished here in New York State,” said Espaillat.

On issues of charter schools, all three candidates approached the question from moderator Maurice Dubois, an anchor with CBS, differently. While Espaillat was unclear on his stance oncharter schools, believing the preference falls on parents, Rangel and Walrond sided with children who attend the public school system, believing they would be better served if a public school were better funded.

“Like the Reverend said, it’s the children, it’s the children, it’s the children,” said Rangel. “I’ve been through these public schools, no one asked me where I went to school. But at the end of the day it’s what you know, not where you went to school.”

As the evening drew, popularity seemed to gravitate toward Walrond, a Harlem pastor whose commanding voice overshadowed his inexperience within the political arena. During several moments of the evening, Walrond had received numerous standing ovations from a rhapsodized audience, yowling in agreement to Walrond’s points.

But his popularity may not translate in the Bronx, where little is known about the 18-year clergyman whose ties with the National Action Network have made him a formidable rival for Rangel, who draws his power from his Harlem base. Walrond could very well siphon the black vote from Rangel,

During closing remarks, Rangel had retorted on Walrond’s claim he would be active at his home by asking if Walrond meant his home in New Jersey, a jab at a revelation that Walrond’s recent address was in New Jersey

The contention between the two could very well backfire for both as Espaillat could edge out both thanks to the Hispanic voting bloc.

It’s unclear when the first debate in the Bronx will be held, according to an Espaillat staffer.

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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.