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UPDATE NYC Mayoral Race: Dianne Morales Holds Rally, Calls on Scott Stringer to Resign

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By MIRIAM QUIÑONES, DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY
Dianne Morales, candidate for New York City mayor, campaigns on Fordham Plaza on Friday, April 23, 2021.
Photo by Miriam Quiñones

Supporters of former teacher and former non-profit executive, Dianne Morales, turned out for a rally in support of their candidate for mayor on Friday, April 23, at Fordham Plaza in the Belmont section of the Bronx. Less than a week later, Morales was calling on one of her fellow mayoral candidates, Scott Stringer, to resign and withdraw from the race following reports of sexual misconduct, which Stringer denies.

 

Morales’ career progressed from the world of education into the nonprofit arena when she became executive director of The Door, a program assisting homeless teens, based in Manhattan. For the last decade, she has been working in the Bronx as the CEO of the social services non-profit, Phipps Neighborhood.

 

Addressing the Bronx crowd at the rally on Friday, Morales said, “My campaign is about you! My campaign is about centering and elevating and prioritizing the voices of the communities that have been historically left behind.”

 

 

She continued, “I am not promising to take New York City back to normal. We know that normal wasn’t working for us. The only thing that the COVID-19 pandemic did, was make sure that we were all particularly aware of all of the pandemics that pre-existed.” She named these as racism, classism, and sexism, and said they represented all of the pandemics that have kept people down. “It’s our time!” she exclaimed.

 

“It’s good to be back here in the Bronx, where I spent the last 10 years of my career, before jumping into this race, working to support the working class, low-income, Black and brown, immigrants, LGBT and every other vulnerable member of our New York City community,” she said.

 

 

Speaking of her years carrying out homeless outreach, Morales then recalled, “The reality of it is that no matter how successful I was at doing that, there were always lines of people. There was always a waiting list. There were always those that were still being left behind.”

 

She concluded, “How do I bring all of my experiences to bear to help the most New Yorkers possible, to make sure that all the vulnerable communities are finally centered?” she asked. “I decided that I was going to run for mayor.”

 

Morales has thrown herself into the 2021 mayoral race that, at one point, had around 60 candidates. Some have since withdrawn. Among those with the most name recognition, or considered to be in serious contention are Eric Adams, Shaun Donovan, Kathyrn Garcia, Barbara Kavovit, Fernando Mateo, Ray McGuire, Curtis Sliwa, Stringer, Sara Tirschwell, Maya Wiley and Andrew Yang. Morales has raised over half a million dollars in private campaign funds to date. Ray McGuire leads in contributions with over $7 million.

 

 

On Thursday, April 29, the New York City  Board of Elections announced which candidates had made the ballot in the June 22 primary election, as reported by Norwood News.

 

On the same day, Morales released a statement in support of Jean Kim, who has alleged sexual misconduct by Stringer, New York’s city comptroller, who is also a mayoral candidate, as we previously reported. Stringer denies the allegations, according to a report on April 29 by The New York Times. The story was first reported on April 28, by the Gothamist

 

Morales said she had spent the last 48 hours reflecting on the leadership needed [in New York City] at the present moment and beyond. “Words can’t even begin to describe how it feels to know a survivor has to continually re-live and share traumatic moments under public scrutiny,” she said, adding this was the reason she chose not to wait for a press conference to voice her support for Kim.

 

 

“Believing survivors means believing them — and standing with them — from the very beginning,” Morales continued. “New York City is a village of survivors. To see the outpour of support for Jean Kim was a reminder of how strong the women of this City are for each other. My heart goes out to Jean Kim for everything she is enduring in this moment. She has my full and unequivocal support.”

 

Some public and elected officials, who had previously endorsed Stringer have withdrawn their support, while some mayoral candidates have called for Stringer to step down, including Wiley, Garcia, and now Morales also.

 

State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, who had campaigned with Stringer, and who represents parts of the Bronx and Westchester, released a joint statement on Twitter on April 28, together with State Sen. Julia Salazar and Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou.

“As survivors of childhood sexual assault, we believe survivors,” the statement read. “Our commitment to a harassment-free government, workplace, and society is steadfast, and our zero tolerance standard regarding sexual assault applies to [alleged] abusers like Andrew Cuomo, if not more so, to our friends.”

 

The statement concluded, “This standard also applies to everyone who participates in the normalization or erasure of abuse. We always hold space for anyone to safely come forward to share their experiences, and will demand accountability accordingly.”

Biaggi, a survivor of sexual assault, is a fierce vocal advocate for victims, and had been among the first elected officials to call for the resignation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, when he was accused of sexual misconduct in February, as reported at the time by Norwood News. The governor denies the allegations and is co-operating with an ongoing investigation overseen by New York State Attorney General, Laetitia James.

 

Coincidentally, Biaggi hosted a preplanned sexual assault awareness town hall the next day on April 29. She was joined by panelists, Niou, NYS Sen. Brad Holyman, and Dawn Row from the advocacy group, Girl Vow.

 

Meanwhile, Morales went on to say that she was laser-focused on the mayoral race, because she said the last two days only served to underscore, in her view, how much is at stake to build an equitable and just city. “Unfortunately, it has also become clear that Scott Stringer refuses to take real accountability, and is using this moment to cause more harm.” She said that that alone disqualifies him from governing in this city. “Running for office is a great privilege, as is holding office. Neither is a right. Our campaigns should evoke hope and possibility, not triggers and fears,” she said.

 

“A mayoral race is not the right platform to dissect the many layers this situation warrants. The complexities of power, race, and white male privilege — and how it impacts all of us — requires a recognition of how those in power are credited with unearned wisdom, intelligence and truth,” Morales said. “Likewise, the challenges of acknowledging violence against women, and the uphill path women of color continue to sojourn while facing humiliation, suppression and immediate skepticism are all deeply rooted in the fabric of this very nation and city. I can not attempt to fit all of my thoughts, emotions and analyses into the four corners of any page. I will, however, finish the job at hand: to fight with the people for a city every New Yorker deserves.”

 

Morales continued, “I empathize with Jean Kim, who for almost two days now has had her character questioned and, in so many ways, deserves so much more support from those who hashtag ‘believe survivors.’ Scott Stringer must withdraw from the Mayoral race and resign.”

 

She added, “And our City must move on with determining who has the strongest momentum, strategy and experience to protect all of us — especially the ones we still struggle to believe.”

On Earth Day, April 22, the environmental group, the Sunrise Movement, made their first ever citywide endorsements in relation to the upcoming June primary elections, endorsing who they called three transformative progressive candidates running to enact a Green New Deal for New York City. These were Stringer and Morales for mayor, and Brad Lander for comptroller.

 

On Friday, April 30, the group rescinded their endorsement of Stringer and called for him to drop out of the race.

 

Norwood News has reached out to the city comptroller’s office for comment on the allegations. We did not receive an immediate response.

 

Editor’s Note: The New York Times and others reported in December 2022 that Stringer filed a defamation lawsuit against Jean Kim, who had accused him of alleged sexual assault when she worked for him as an intern. Stringer claimed the allegations were fake and cost him the 2021 mayoral bid. 

 

In March 2023, The NY Post reported that Kim has filed a lawsuit against Stringer under the New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which opened a one-year window for adult victims of sexual abuse to sue even if their claims fell outside the statute of limitations. Stringers denies any wrongdoing. 

 

In August 2023, a Manhattan Supreme Court Judge rejected an attempt by Scott Stringer to sue the woman who accused him of sexual misconduct for defamation. Judge Richard Latin granted a motion to dismiss filed by defendant Jean Kim, finding Stringer’s claims were time-barred.

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.

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One thought on “UPDATE NYC Mayoral Race: Dianne Morales Holds Rally, Calls on Scott Stringer to Resign”

  1. Theresa

    The moment a candidate brings up skin color, immigration, defunding the police or BLM, I’m done with them. These folks want to be mayor of EVERYONE, not just those they want to pick and choose.

    This city needs a Republican to bring it back. Democrats have gone so far off the left there’s no helping them anymore.

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