As New York City prepares for one of its largest election cycles in recent memory, there is one city council race that will directly impact the west Bronx’s District 14, which encompasses the neighborhoods of Claremont Village, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Marble Hill, Morris Heights, Mount Eden, Mount Hope, and University Heights. Incumbent Councilman Fernando Cabrera is term limited and is running for Borough President. There are six candidates in the June 22 primary. They are: Adolfo Abreu, Fernando Aquino, Haile Rivera, Pierina Sanchez, Socrates Solano and Yudelka Tapia.
The Bronx Times asked each candidate a few questions to get to know them. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Pierina Sanchez
Why are you running?
I am running for City Council because the working people of our community have been ignored and excluded from the political system for far too long.
This is a difficult moment in history. Yet together, we will rise. No people are more resilient than we are here in the Bronx.
One of my earliest memories is of waking in the middle of the night to a strong smell of smoke, blinding lights, and screams. That fire was my very first experience of tenant harassment.
Through my years of constituent services in the community, I know too many of our neighbors have stories like this. My platform centers our experiences and the solutions we truly need: housing as a human right, economic opportunities for all, and fully-funded, equitable public schools and programs.
