“Rezoning and gentrification are one and the same, and they cause displacement,” said a housing advocate from CASA: Community Action for Safe Apartments. “It hurts my heart to see my community members when they’re crying and have nowhere to go.”
Whoever wins the special election will hardly have time to get their seat warm. Another election will follow in the fall, for the two-year term that starts next January.
A citywide government program called Participatory Budgeting allows citizens to vote on how the local council member will spend part of his money – up to $1 million — in the district.
Reaction has been fierce in Mott Haven, where residents have said they will fight the city’s plan to build a jail on the site of an NYPD tow pound.
Borough president says new Bronx jail site must be decided locally In his State of
City Councilman Rafael Salamanca Jr. was named to chair the City Council’s influential Land Use Committee, where he will be responsible for working to shape zoning measures, development and affordable housing across the city.
Even though no Bronx Republican has won a seat on the New York City Council in two decades, the party’s candidates in the 8th and 17th Council districts are not giving up on tomorrow’s general election without a fight.
The Herald conducted an informal poll of Mott Haven residents who said they had no plans on voting in the 8th City Council District Democratic primary. Although the primary winner Diana Ayala won, dark horse candidate Tamika Mapp finished a close second, drawing interest for her proposal to raise the minimum wage to $20 per hour and to prioritize NYCHA repairs over subsidizing new construction.
