West Farms 10460: Three Candidates for City Council District 15

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Brian Lehrer: It's the Brian Lehrer show on WNYC. Good morning again, everyone. Now we continue our community well-being series, West Farms 10460, with three more short interviews with candidates vying to represent the district in the Bronx that includes part of West Farms in City Council special election, is taking place this month, and how candidates compete to represent the lowest income neighborhood in the city, has implications for all our well being as we are all connected after all.

In this series so far, we've been highlighting the pandemic's public health and economic toll on New York City through the lens of one of its hardest-hit communities. We've also explored the historical context for why poor, predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods in New York like West Farms have fared so much worse in the pandemic.

In November, the city will elect a new mayor but some residents of West Farms will be voting later this month to elect a new City Council member. This is a special election to fill the seat made vacant by Ritchie Torres' election to Congress. Election Day is March 23rd, and the early voting period runs from March 13th through the 21st.

Today, we'll speak very briefly with three people in this race, back, to back, to back. We'll hear from Latchmi Gopal and Ariel Rivera-Diaz, but let's go first to Ischia Bravo. She's District Manager for Bronx Community Board 7, a local community board, and by way of background, she grew up in the City Council District, lived in public housing, and went to public schools there. Ischia Bravo, welcome to WNYC.

Ischia Bravo: Thank you for having me. It's such an honor to be able to talk about the platform.

Brian: Being so intimately familiar with the district you're hoping to serve in City Council, can you briefly set the scene for outsiders? If someone who's never been in West Farms 10460 were to suddenly step foot there, what would they see, or what would you show them if you signed up to be people's tour guide?

Ischia: First, the district doesn't just cover West Farms. I'd like to make clear that it does cover nine other neighborhoods. It's a very central district, so it doesn't fully cover a particular neighborhood. Just to share, Bedford Park, Fordham, Mount Hope, Bathgate, Belmont, East Tremont, West Farms like you mentioned, Van Nest, Allerton, and Olinville, also part of the 15 Council Districts.

Brian: Well done. You've got all those memorized. Reading it off like a conductor on Metro-North.

Ischia: [laughs]

Brian: Go ahead, what would you do as a tour guide?

Ischia: I would definitely show them the institutions we have, who could be economic engines. We have the Botanical Garden, we have the Bronx Zoo, we have Fordham University, and these are definitely institutions that could be economic engines for the districts. I would also show them, we have lovely Mitchell-Lamas and NYCHA developments that need a lot of work and need representation and we need to retrofit these buildings.

I would also show them Belmont, which has a lovely array and growing diversity in the eateries as well. West Farms has a lovely structure, but I'm not sure if you're aware, but it's fairly gerrymandered, I would say, with another Council District as well. They're definitely highlights to this district. We're very rich in culture. These are hardworking people that deserve quality housing, better federal-funded schools, and definitely an opportunity to be employed locally.

Brian: What would your top priorities be if elected later this month for policies that could bring the things you just mentioned about?

Ischia: That's a great question. Housing is the center of everyone's universe. I was born and raised in NYCHA, so I know what it is to have the world's worst landlord, and this is still the existing issue in this district. So definitely making sure that there are timely repairs in the NYCHA developments and also be very clear that it's a federal disinvestment.

We need to make sure that we push our congressional representatives to make sure that they fully invest in NYCHA, but also just having a council member that stays on top of these things, because I also think that awareness is a big issue here and letting NYCHA know that there's a council member that's going to make sure that there are timely repairs and these buildings are clean.

Overall, I would focus on making sure that we expand the right to counsel, that it shouldn't be based on anyone's income. I think that that's important. There are many New Yorkers that, before this pandemic, were facing evictions and I'm sure that after this pandemic will continue to face that due to the economic crisis on the loss of jobs.

Bedford Park, before the pandemic was ranking one of the highest in eviction rates, so we need to make sure that the funding to this program is expanded to be more inclusive. We also need to make sure that we keep people in their homes. In addition to that, we need to consider some sort of voucher, maybe some sort of Section A similar to FABS because reality is that funds are just not affordable. That's also very important.

Making sure that we invest in Intro 2099, which would help out with public banking. That we could truly invest in permanent housing and creating more supportive units or affordable units. I hate to use that word loosely, we need to truly create affordable housing that is reflective of the AMI of the area. I'm sure you're aware that our AMI is inclusive of Westchester County incomes, so the AMI is not always truly reflective.

Brian: And that's, for people who don't know, the alphabet soup, average median income, which the costs of affordable housing, the rents, and affordable housing is supposed to be pegged to, so that the rents are low enough to meet the actual incomes of people living in a neighborhood, right?

Ischia: Correct. Correct. That's also an issue that we have that these AMIs are too high, and too often folks cannot meet those thresholds. That is definitely a priority of mine. Also, just making the lottery system more accessible. Currently now, well, I'm on leave, but as a district manager, I've been able to force the hand of developers to help streamline that process for residents.

To me, if you're getting government money to build subsidized housing, you should be making that process streamline for local residents. As we've witnessed through this pandemic, Wi-Fi and smart devices were not something that our households had.

Obviously, they were unaware that they could apply, and also just the process itself is just very difficult. Making sure that they partner up with local community-based organizations, our parent coordinators in our local schools, to make sure that our families that are in much need have access.

Also, you made a point that our district is one of the poorest and that is correct, and also my school district has one of the highest number of unsheltered children, and that's also a big deal. We need to make sure that their families have access to this lottery process in preference.

Brian: Last question, are you aligning yourself with any mayoral campaign?

Ischia: As of right now, I am not. I do have my preferred candidates that I will consider ranking but as of right now, I am not. I will make a decision soon.

Brian: Ischia Bravo running for the open City Council seat in District 15 in the Bronx, thank you so much for joining us.

Ischia: Thank you for having me.

Brian: Let's go next in this series of short interviews to Latchmi Gopal, a community organizer working in the Bronx. For background, Gopal is a progressive activist who in the past has worked as a national organizer for former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Latchmi Gopal, welcome to WNYC.

Latchmi Gopal: Thank you so much for having me.

Brian: Let me ask you the same starting question that I asked our last candidate guest. Being intimately familiar with the district that you're hoping to serve in City Council, what would you show a stranger who entered West Farms 10460 for the first time if you signed up to be their tour guide?

Latchmi: If I signed up to be someone's tour guide, I think it's really important to show both the diversity and robust communities that are in the Bronx, but also the lack of infrastructure that's here, and be honest about that. West Farms, specifically, we have the two and five train that's there. I'm a transit justice organizer as well, and so we have a two-five train there. We have buildings that are around, and I would walk them through and you can see clearly the neglect that is placed both on the streets, as well as the buildings that are surrounding that train stop.

I would walk towards the Bronx Zoo, and you would start to see the streets open up and down 180th Street, which cuts through the district, and is one of the main streets. You start to get into schools and bodegas and really, really yummy food. We have such wonderful communities that are continuing to diversify, a West African community, a robust Latinx community, Caribbean communities here, Little Italy is not too far, and it's in the district when I'm thinking of this walking tour and little Yemen is also in our district, and so it would really be surrounded around food, but making sure we're walking around and seeing the Bronx Zoo and the Botanical Gardens and all these areas that are in the heart of the Bronx, which is what District 15 is, it's the heart of the Bronx but really taking a hard look at are streets clean, how do our buildings look? Our folks having access to things. That is very clearly a neglectful point here in the district but it doesn't at all take away from the robust, resilient communities that are so diverse and really make up the borough, and this section in particular, which is the heart of the Bronx.

Brian: What would your top priorities be at the policy level if elected to City Council later this month?

Latchmi: Yes, City Council specifically is what you know. I'm sure a lot of the viewers know and you yourself know. It's all about the budget. A budget that is supposed to prioritize our community, a budget that is supposed to really reflect the community needs. That has been something that has not been present or applicable here in the Bronx, based on how budgets have been passed previously.

Really, what I'll be focusing on looking at immediate relief from the COVID pandemic and moving forward in long term infrastructure that the Bronx and these communities that raised me as a first-generation Guyanese woman, who was born and raised in the Bronx. Making sure that those budgets are reflective of actual deep, affordable housing.

When I talk to folks at the doors, this is what they want, this is what they need. They've needed this before and they absolutely need it when we think through COVID relief. Looking at food insecurity and making sure that we are creating pathways for not only access to food, but we live in food deserts, where it makes it really difficult to get food, to get diverse food.

Also specifically healthy food that is supposed to fuel our body, so that we can even attempt to fight this virus, and healthcare. Working with the state to really push for the New York State Health Act to be passed, so that we have universal single-payer health care as an option, which would be transformational for Bronx communities, especially when we look at high asthma rates. When we look at the disproportional impact of this environmental racism and lack of access that is happening to Black-brown, working-class immigrant communities that make up the heart of the Bronx right here in District 15.

Brian: Most of City Council would call themselves progressive here in New York these days. You're a former Bernie Sanders campaign person. Do you think that coming from that kind of orientation, that your version is progressive and as it affects your district is different from others?

Latchmi: Yes, absolutely. Not only from just my experience working on the presidential campaign with Senator Bernie Sanders but also just my orientation for community organizing. When I think of progressive, I think that word has been co-opted, oftentimes with folks leaning into it because it feels like the status quo of what the Democratic Party is shifting towards.

For me, progressive and real true radical change means being bold in what we're calling for. I'm calling for defunding the police. I'm calling for an investment of those funds to our schools, to education, to actual deep affordable housing. To re-imagine what land use could look like here in the Bronx, where we have the most green space but we also have lots of abandoned buildings and lots that can be shifted towards community land use.

Really when I think of progressive, it's giving back the power to the people and having that be directly reflected in the budget. I'm pushing for participatory budgeting, which means you're not only electing a representative, but the community will have a direct say in these budget lines and actually be able to make decisions together. That I think is at the core of my particular framework of progressivism is making sure it's a group decision-making effort that is showing up in elected office, and not just representatives, who have a top-down politic when it comes to how we govern and work with our communities?

Brian: Are you aligning yourself with any mayoral campaign?

Latchmi: I'm not as of right now. I'm excited to actually ranked-choice. I think ranked-choice is going to be something that will be really interesting to see how it plays out and give our communities an option to really show a true voice in what they want. I'm very excited watching Diane Mirallas right now. Scott Stringer is someone especially from a transit perspective has been amazing. Eric Adams has been a healthcare champion.

Just these are individuals that I'm looking to. There's other candidates who are definitely showing up and showing some real plans for the community but these three in particular, I'm excited to think through ranking.

Brian: Latchmi Gopal, a community organizer working in the Bronx and running for the open City Council seat in District 15. Thanks so much for coming on with us.

Latchmi: Thank you.

Brian: All right, listeners. One more in our West Farms 10460 series for today with this open City Council seat. This time, it's a Republican. We go to Ariel Rivera-Diaz, former New York State Republican National Hispanic Assembly chairman. Ariel Rivera-Diaz, welcome to WNYC.

Ariel Rivera-Diaz: Good morning, Brian. Thank you for having me here today.

Brian: Some people will be surprised to see any Republican running in this deeply blue district in the Bronx. What's a West Farms' 10460 Republican?

Ariel: A West Farms' Republican to me, it's somebody who has actually truly experienced poverty. Someone who has truly experienced homelessness. Why? Because for far too long, we've been listening to promises and these promises of affordable housing, of better health care, better quality health care, but we haven't seen any of that actually being executed into a tangible thing.

We've gone day by day living basis that we feel that we see these leaders are going to bring forth hope. Unfortunately, they've been doing the exact opposite. For me to live as a Republican in West Farms, obviously, I've been attacked, where obviously I've been really ridiculed for it. I believe that people should be more focused on their finances. The state and city government should not be inside people's pockets. That's a Republican West Farms' resident.

Brian: When you say the government should not be in people's pockets, if this is in the poorest congressional district in the city, in the country. Forgive me, as well as in the city. They're not being taxed very much. They would probably say that the government needs to be sufficiently in wealthier Americans' pockets in order to provide the services that they should be receiving in the district. What would your response to that be?

Ariel: Well, as far as income tax goes, I see that the city and state take a way too much taxes from workers on daily basis. When it comes to the income tax returns, people who make 45,000 or more or even 30,000, that is they receive less than somebody who's making 25,000. There is a discrepancy and there's an imbalance in terms of income tax returns in the Bronx. That's why I want to push forward to actually decrease or if anything, remove the state and local tax burden that is affecting many Bronx sites.

Brian: When you say remove, not just decrease, do you mean go to zero taxation, or what did you mean by that?

Ariel: Yes, that's what I mean. Why? Because the state and local tax are supposed to be funding programs. They're supposed to be helping residents but they're actually doing the exact opposite. I've been approached as a-- Right now, I'm working on Board of Elections. I have been approached by many people looking for the HRA offices, but they just give them the run-around. Why is that? Why is that programs that are funded by the people's pockets or funded by the government failing the same people they're just supposed to be serving?

Brian: How would you fund the public schools? How would you find public transportation? How would you find public housing? There are a lot of NYCHA apartments in your district?

Ariel: For me, it's mostly about the City Council members and these government officials being paid far too much for what their work is worth. I'm promising, nobody promising, I want to push forward the idea that we need to cut down the salaries of municipal government officials. My first thing is for City Council. City Council members right now being paid $140,000.

I believe that they're supposed to be paid between 75,000 and 80,000 for the work that they have been providing. With the cuts, the salary cuts that I would like to see happen, that will be part of the funding program that will fund the education, housing, and all the other stuff in the city.

Brian: The salary cuts for government workers. Would that include teachers who are public employees?

Ariel: No, it will be only for those who are elected officials. Such as mayor, City Council members, public advocate, and comptroller.

Brian: What does a City Council member, since you're running for that position, make now and what do you think it should be?

Ariel: Right now they're making $140,000 a year. I believe this should be between $75,000 and $80,000.

Brian: Let me ask you the first question that I asked the other guests, so you get a shot at it. Being intimately familiar with a district that you're hoping to serve in City Council. If someone who's never been in West Farms 10460 or elsewhere in the district were to suddenly step foot there, what would you show them if you were to act as their tour guide?

Ariel: I would show them Grand Concourse and their amazing diversity in business. We have retail stores that sell clothing. We have restaurants that are very diverse. We have Dominican restaurants, we have [unintelligible 00:20:04] restaurants, we have Mexican restaurants. I would take them down to Grand Concourse and show them the businesses that are there. I will also show them the construction that is constantly happening on Grand Concourse area and how that affects traffic flow in the area.

Brian: As a Republican, what'd you think of President Trump?

Ariel: As a Republican, I saw President Trump as somebody who would change politics as a whole. He actually did change politics. He got everyone more involved, turnout rates in the past election skyrocketed. Right now we have more people more interested in creating change and being the catalyst to that challenge. To me, he showed people that it's time to reject the conformity of just continuing to vote in the same people and embracing change, try something new.

Brian: You would tell the constituents in the Bronx district where you're running for City Council, that overall President Trump was better for them than a Democratic president would have been. Do I hear you right?

Ariel: Yes. Why? Because from an educational standpoint, before Trump, before anything else, everyone was just at the grasp of the media and believing everything that they see. Since Trump, now everyone has questions, everyone wants answers.

Brian: Last question, same last question I asked the other candidates. With the mayoral race now shaping up, there is a Republican mayoral field shaping up for a primary on that side. Are you aligned with anybody?

Ariel: At the moment, no. I saw there's a lot of names amongst them, Bill Pepitone and Fernando Mattel, and Curtis Stilwell. Right now I'm just going through the research process and see who is mostly aligned with giving power to the people and not power to the government, so no. At the moment, no.

Brian: Arielle Rivera-Diaz, former New York State Republican national Hispanic assembly chairman and candidate for City Council in District 15 in the Bronx, including West Farms 10460. Thank you very much for speaking with us.

Ariel: Thank you very much for having me today.

Brian: Thanks again to the previous candidates in the segment, Ischia Bravo and Latchmi Gopal. The special election for this City Council District is March 23rd. The early voting period runs from March 13th through March 21st. Our Bronx West Farms 10460 series will continue on Thursdays.

Still to come in the series, we'll speak to more candidates for City Council and we'll explore the cost of environmental racism in and around West Farms and the unique role of one of West Farms 10460's residents, the cross Bronx expressway. Thanks for listening.

 

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