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Oswald Feliz (l) and Eric Dinowitz. File Photos
Dinowitz & Feliz declare
victory in District 11 & 15
City Council special elections
PoliticsNY.com PoliticsNYnews PoliticsNYnews PoliticsNYnews
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, A BTR PR. 16-22, 2021 15
BY ALEX MITCHELL
While the votes have yet to be certifi
ed, Oswald Feliz declared victory Monday
night in the City Council District 15
special election and Eric Dinowitz declared
the same in District 11 Tuesday afternoon,
following a detailed count of the
votes by the New York City Board of Elections.
Feliz passed the 50% threshold with
1,766 votes after all the ranked-choice
votes were tallied, according to Dinowitz’s
campaign, he crossed that same threshold
in the ranked choice voting reallocation
process after already receiving 47 percent
of election day and absentee ballots.
“I especially want to thank every voter
who made their voice heard in this special
election. No matter if you voted for me or
not, endorsed me or not, I will work with
you to deliver an equitable recovery that
ensures all Bronxites can thrive. From
our students to our working families to
our seniors to all of the North Bronx – I
am so excited to get to work for you,” Dinowitz
released in a statement.
Dinowitz, who toppled Mino Lora, Dan
Padernacht, Jessica Haller, Carlton Berkley,
and Kevin Pazmino made note that
his race saw some of the highest turnouts
for a special election in New York City for
at least ten years with a near 10,000 voters
participating.
Meanwhile upon Feliz’s own declaration
of victory over Altagracia Soldevilla,
John Sanchez, Ischia Bravo, Ariel Rivera-
Diaz, Elisa Crespo, Troy Blackwell, Kenny
Agosto, Jose Padilla, Latchmi Gopal, and
Bernadette Ferrara, he released the following
statement:
“Now, we have urgent work ahead of us
to make sure our community can recover
from the COVID-19 pandemic as quickly
as possible. Starting on Day One, I’m going
to be focused on vaccinating vulnerable
New Yorkers throughout the Bronx,
helping small business owners get back on
their feet, and ensuring working families
are at the heart of our City’s economic recovery.
Additionally, I will work tirelessly
to increase access to affordable housing,
improve educational outcomes, and improve
public safety. I’m ready to tackle
all of the pressing issues our community
faces, and vow to be a powerful voice for
the Bronx in the City Council.”
Mayoral Candidate Garcia Calls for Foster Care reform
BY ARIAMA C. LONG
Despite the gray and rainy afternoon,
Mayoral Candidate Kathryn Garcia
gathered outside of Kings County
Family Court downtown Brooklyn on
Monday, April 12 to draw attention to
the city’s negligent and systemically
racist foster care system. An issue, she
said, that is very deeply personal for
her and her adopted family.
Garcia was joined by her adopted
brother, Matthew McIver, foster care
advocates of You Gotta Believe (YGB)
organization, and Assemblymember
David Weprin (D-Queens).
“I was adopted as a baby by my parents,
a labor negotiator, and a teacher.
My mom wanted a big family. So not
long after me, my brother Matthew
was also adopted and a few years later.
I got my little girl’s dream, a big sister,”
began Garcia.
Garcia, who’s from Brooklyn, said
her family was unique at that time in
the 70s for adopting two children of
color.
“We need to root out systemic racism,
prioritize permanent placements,
and guarantee housing for every child
through the age of 25 and target the
structural issues that result in families
separation in the fi rst place,” said
Garcia. “Let us be clear that the overrepresentation
of Black and Latino
children in the foster care system is a
direct result of how the system is designed.
The city must implement a race
blind process for determining when a
child should be removed from their
home.”
Garcia said that a race-blind process
would limit the harmful effects of
implicit bias against Black and Brown
families.
Garcia said as mayor she going to
call for reforms and repairs to the foster
care system to fi ght against these
harmful perceptions, and also create
and fi nancially support more ”forever
homes” for young adults who age out of
homes they were placed in. She wants
to raise the age limit for aging out from
21 to 25.
Garcia said that as mayor she would
allocate also funds to support nonprofits
like YGB, but doesn’t have a specifi c
dollar amount at the moment.
Weprin, who is currently running
for City Comptroller, said that
strengthening foster care has been
a long-time issue for him as well. In
2019, Weprin joined adoptee rights advocates
to get the Adoptee Rights bill
passed.
“Actually, this bill had been
around the legislature for over 50
years. It would basically guarantee
the rights of adoptees to access their
original birth certifi cate. For too long
New York’s laws denied adult adoptees
access to background information and
complete health history that nearly everyone
has a legal right to including
those who age out of foster care,” said
Weprin.
Weprin said that Garcia’s plan
builds on the momentum to right other
wrongs in the child welfare system.
Mayoral Candidate Kathryn Garcia and Assemblymember David Weprin talk about reforming
the foster care system. Photo by Ariama C. Long
/PoliticsNY.com