Former Iraq combat veteran, U.S. Marine sergeant, chaplain, and CEO of the nonprofit Devil Dog USA, Gonzalo Duran is running for Congress in New York’s 15th Congressional District on the Republican and Conservative Party ticket. The district, which stretches from the northwest to the South Bronx is one of the country’s poorest congressional districts and is represented by Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres profiled by Norwood News before his election win in 2020, and before taking up his seat in 2021.

 

Duran, 39, who is VP of the Bronx County Conservative Party and district leader for A.D. 79, said his platform is focused on creating greater transparency, accountability, and leadership from elected officials, including curtailing term limits. “[These are] real important to me,” said Duran, a former Department of Labor and NYC Department of Veterans Services employee, whose A.D. 79 district broadly covers Crotona, Claremont Village and Morrisania.

 

“One of the biggest problems is identification for voting,” he said. “I would like to implement that individuals have to have re-registered and also identification for people to vote because I’ve walked into places, and you can walk in and pretty much vote.” We put it to Duran that only those who are registered and have received a voting pack can vote. Though he didn’t specify exactly where, he said, “I’ve been in there (in Bronx polling sites) and they didn’t ask for ID. You just say your name, and then they go off a letter, and then you sign, and then you walk in. It’s just as easy as that.”

 

Duran alleged there are dead people who are still on the register even though he has highlighted the matter to the relevant authorities. Norwood News reached out to NYC Board of Elections (BOE) for comment. We did not receive an immediate response.

 

To demonstrate his credentials as a man of action, Duran said he helped register over 150 people with the Conservative Party last year, and over 100 two months ago. “So, county-wise, we increased the party by 15% last year and I’m hoping for more than 15% this year,” he said. While encouraging civic engagement is of course a good thing, we asked how this helped his own campaign in terms of convincing people to vote for him.

 

“Once you’re a part of a party, at least you know where you stand, because a lot of people I’ve met don’t even know if they’re registered with a party, or if they’re registered at all,” he said, adding that people needed to be reminded who their local representatives are, as well as their president, and some who go to prison don’t realize they have to later re-register.

 

We asked Duran what he would do, if elected, to improve the housing situation for Bronxites. Referring to Torres, Duran said, “I’m not trying to negate the work that he does, but he always seems to be more retroactive when something bad happens.” Referring to NYCHA residents, he said, “We know what all the problems are…the elevator is broken, it’s dirty, it’s this and that.”

 

Duran said he believed Torres was “still on the Committee for Public Housing,” and alleged it was only when “something huge” happens that the congressman speaks out to say he wants to make changes. Duran referred to a bribery/extortion case last February when 70 employees of the NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) were charged with allegedly accepting payments from contractors in exchange for the awarding of NYCHA contracts at various NYCHA locations.

 

“I’m a very proactive guy,” Duran said. “If you’ve seen the work that I’ve done over the last 10 years in the nonprofit world, I’m not talking about doing stuff. I’m doing it at the moment.” We asked Torres for a comment on Duran’s remarks, and while referencing various legislative and funding accomplishments, he added, “I guess Gonzalo Duran is auditioning for a remake of ‘Back to the Future’ so that he can run against City Councilman Ritchie Torres circa 2017. Over here in 2024, I am a proud member of the U.S. House of Representatives, an office Duran claims to be running for, yet he has no idea that there is no such Committee for Public Housing in Congress.”

 

We asked Duran what, concretely, he would do to improve housing and housing affordability. He conceded he couldn’t just say, “Let’s build more housing,” as he would have to first appropriate funding. He referenced a $50 million grant awarded to Fordham University, announced by Torres in April, for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Region 2 environmental justice initiatives and other additional federal dollars for community projects Torres announced in the region of $13 million for NY-15 in March.

 

As reported, Fordham University was tasked with managing and distributing subgrants to community groups working to tackle climate change issues in New York and some other U.S. jurisdictions. Referring to those groups, Duran said, “I would have given them the money instead. I want the grassroots organizations, the ones that are feeling and facing those problems right now, to have the funding to make those actions and push forward.”

 

Duran advocated for this and the other funding to be used to address factors contributing to high asthma rates in NYCHA housing. Duran said he would also like to use the EPA funding to address NYCHA housing affected by coastal flooding / erosion now rather than later.

We mentioned how former U.S. President Donald Trump wanted to eliminate or at least curb the EPA’s remit and asked how, therefore, Duran could support Trump’s candidacy. “I am a moderate conservative,” Duran said. He said his Party endorsed Trump and even though he is not his biggest fan, because of that endorsement, he is associated with him. “I don’t agree with everything that he does, and everything that he says,” Duran said, adding that he has never voted for Trump.

 

Nonetheless, Duran alleged the various indictments brought against Trump, as well as the recent assassination attempts were efforts to get him “off the ballot” and he sympathized with him in that regard as he also felt pushed out by the Bronx Democratic Party when he tried to run for office as a Democrat. [Voter records show Trump’s attempted assassin in Pennsylvannia was a registered Republican, though he had contributed $15 to a Democratic PAC in 2021. His attempted assassin in Tampa was once registered as a Democrat, but said he voted for Trump in 2016. He is not currently registered with any party.] Duran was one of the speakers and key organizers of a Bronx MAGA rally on Saturday, Nov. 2.

 

“When you run for office as a Conservative, Republican, your life is in jeopardy, your income, your housing, your family,” Duran said. “Those are all things that we have to face.” Asked what he didn’t agree with Trump on, Duran said he considered himself a gentleman and doesn’t fight or argue with people. On immigration, he said he didn’t agree with Trump insulting specific groups like Hispanics but believes in curtailing immigration. “I’m also first generation. My mom came here illegally,” he said. “I’ve looked at what he [Trump] has done, and I know he wants to get the people doing illegal activities out,” he said.

 

We mentioned the bipartisan immigration reform bill in recent years that was ready to be implemented until Trump allegedly called Republicans and persuaded them not to vote for it because it would make Democrats look good. “I’m not saying that it didn’t happen. I didn’t delve too much into it,” Duran said. He discussed how sometimes when a bill is being voted on, the opposition tries to “sneak in” other contentious elements to it, and suggested this could have been why Republicans voted against it. “I wouldn’t do something like that,” Duran said.

 

Still on housing, Duran discussed property owners who have allegedly stopped needed repairs for tenants in hopes those tenants eventually leave so that the buildings can be knocked down, rebuilt, and newer units leased at higher rents. Referring to the need to build new housing, he said, “Now, that’s a great idea, but the people that are suffering right now, they want their stuff fixed,” he said, adding tenants wanted to stay in their homes. “If we start fixing it now, that’s better for me,” he said. He later said he wanted to clarify that he believes in building housing to meet community needs, but not at the cost of displacing residents, especially given his own experience with this issue.

 

He also wants to make changes to Section 8 and Section 9 public housing laws. Currently, federal funding of NYCHA housing is roughly $500 million, a fraction of what is needed. The PACT program unlocks funding for designated PACT partners (in the private sector) to complete comprehensive repairs. Supported by HUD, City officials said PACT is a key tool in preserving and upgrading aging public housing stock.

We asked Duran if he supported the PACT program. “I’ve got a lot of complaints from the people on that, so as a congressman, I would want to review those complaints,” he said. “The numbers are high but why wait until something big happens to review it? Why not do it now? Have the congressional inquiry now. I want to face them, and if I was in that position, I could do that more easily.” He said all he can do right now is help people input 311 complaints or raise some media attention about them.

 

Staying on housing affordability, we discussed how NYC Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD)’s affordable housing lotteries are not affordable to many Bronxites, and how first dibs on such housing for community residents has been reduced from 50% to 20% until May 2029, and will be further reduced to 15% thereafter. HPD officials say housing is considered affordable if it costs about one-third or less of what the people living in the local area earn. Income eligibility for HPD’s affordable housing lotteries is based on Area Median Income (AMI).

 

The AMI for all cities across the country is defined each year by HUD. The 2023 AMI for the New York City region is $127,100 for a three-person family (100% AMI). Given NY-15 is among the poorest boroughs in the country, we asked Duran, if elected, what he would do to make the AMI rates fairer for NY-15 residents.

 

“You would have to change the AMI,” Duran said. “The numbers they’re getting, it’s not just from New York City, it’s from other incorporated areas, so that’s why it’s increased. Could we change the AMI? I think it’s possible. It’s not going to be an easy thing, and not a lot of people want to change it because of the housing developers and the lobbyists and the special interest groups.”

 

He said this was because they want to “push out a lot of the individuals that are looking for housing,” adding that while paying over $1,500 monthly amid the pandemic, he was later forced out of his Little Italy apartment, which he said is now targeted at Fordham students and medical professionals. “It was actually cheaper for me to purchase my apartment than it was to rent an apartment in The Bronx,” he said, adding that he fears the percentage of first dibs by local residents to such housing will be further reduced.

 

On quality of life, Duran said he liaised with the Conservative Party district leader for The Hub area and inspired him to get equipment from the Sanitation department and get a group of people from NYCHA to come out and carry out a much needed clean-up of the area, which he said they successfully did and will continue to do each month, among other community actions.

“There was a lot of issues with the drugs on the floor, defecation,” he said. “There was a few people that didn’t like that we were there because they were doing illegal stuff,” he said. He referred to a specific program whereby districts which are roughly 200% below a given poverty level can avail of certain funding to improve their local neighborhoods, and said he has encouraged residents to make use of that funding by starting a program, association, or nonprofit. “I’ve done that repeatedly in different areas of The Bronx,” he said.

 

He said his commitment to transparency is evidenced by making his social media content public so people can see what type of person he is e.g. taking his nephew to daycare. “You haven’t seen me do any negative campaigns for Ritchie Torres,” Duran said, though he added “four political debates” were arranged this year, and Torres had not allegedly show up to any of them. We reached out to Torres for comment and will share any feedback we receive.

 

Duran also alleged that when he asks residents if they’ve talked to Torres about their problems, they say they have not, and he further alleges the mayor has more of a presence in New York City than Torres has. He believes Torres is more focused on “Israel and stuff like that,” than what’s going on in his district.

 

In terms of crime, we asked Duran what he would do to improve public safety. He said he supports the NYPD, and he said he has helped organize funding for local groups to roll out self-defense classes for women, youth, and older adults. He said one of the biggest problems is finding a location and dealing with insurance requirements. “I’m an honorary member with the Guardian Angels,” he said, adding he helps with recruitment, obtaining resources, socks and food, and he also patrols with them.

 

In terms of government spending, we mentioned how a majority [around 14.3% of the FY 2024 U.S. federal budget] was spent on the military and asked, if elected, would Duran work to reallocate that to other areas like social services. “I don’t want the American public to be wasting money,” he said, adding that nonetheless the country needed a strong military to avoid another 9/11. He said a strong military makes the U.S. a superpower and added that humanitarian aid was one thing. “But offsetting that to the American people, that’s where the problem is,” he said.

 

Duran said he would hold inquiries as much as possible, if elected, to ask where foreign aid was going. “When it comes to the federal military, I don’t want to lower their budget unless it’s necessary,” he said. “I want to see where the money is being spent.” We said the majority appears to go on military contracts. “Yes, the bulk of it is for that,” he said. “The other part is for the veterans, and that’s a different situation. But when it comes to the military, I want to keep a controlled government. If we can’t find a plane, somebody needs to get fired.”

On public safety, he said he would vote for stricter conservative judges. He said the mayor informed him that there were around 519 individuals who were committing the same continuous crimes in New York City and that when police go to local community meetings, they can’t be political and complain about judges being soft on repeat offenders.

 

“I want to be harder on crime. I can’t change the bail reform, but if I could, that’s something I would work on,” Duran said. “If I don’t win the congressional seat this year, my goal is to run for mayor next year.” Duran said he has proven himself. “I’ve done that in the military. I’ve done that in the nonprofit world. Everybody can see that,” he said, adding he believes that to run for office, winners are helped by special interests on both sides.

 

“Somebody like me, you don’t see $100,000 in my bank account because I’m not talking to special interest people,” he said, saying he agrees with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in this regard, though he questioned where some of her substantial campaign funding was coming from. [Some comes via Democratic Political Action Group, Act Blue, and some from Amalgamated Bank, a bank that supports sustainable organizations, progressive causes, and social justice. We’ve asked the congresswoman for comment.] He added of the NY-15 race, “Ritchie Torres has $9 million.”

 

Highlighting his efforts as a man of action, Duran said, “We need somebody exceptional to be doing the job.” He said there were people on the far right and far left who often made the news but that wasn’t his jam. “You won’t find anybody more engaged than I am,” he said.

 

Editor’s Note: The referenced community project funding for NY-15 of $13 million approximately was previously referenced as NYCHA funding, based on our conversation with District Leader Duran. He later provided a link which showed this was community project funding.

We also misheard the audio transcript regarding Duran’s mother’s immigration journey. We heard and reported initially that she arrived in the country legally but in fact, Duran later clarified that she actually arrived illegally. This hs since been corrected.