City Council Member and Public Advocate Rafael Espinal (D-Bushwick, East New York, Cypress Hills) brought his Brooklyn-based campaign to Astoria over the weekend, opening a campaign office in Astoria.
“This is a great way to branch out of Brooklyn where I have spent several years of my career working and representing,” said Espinal, 35, at the office opening on Sunday.
“I think it’s a good way to see other parts of the city and see different voters and different communities and understand what are the issues across the five boroughs. I’m running on a platform that talks about making New York City more livable, and I think its important to be out in the neighborhoods getting the feel of walking down the streets,” he added.
Espinal said he chose Astoria because it’s a hip, up-and-coming neighborhood. “There are a lot of people from my generation who are moving here and a lot of nighttime activity. It’s important to connect to that part of the world as well and let them know what platform I’m running on and why i think I will be the best candidate to represent their values and their ideals.”
Espinal also said he is hoping to tap into the borough’s large Latino base.
“Being that I’m Latino, I connect with their issues as a son of immigrants. I connect with the plight of a lot of the folks that live in Queens and also the children of those folks as well. So we’re going to do a lot of work in the Latino community. Hopefully they will all come out and support me here in this borough,” he said.
