Protecting the 80th Assembly District
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER,12 OCT. 30-NOV. 5, 2020 BTR
BY ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, FOUNDER,
NORTHWEST BRONX DEMOCRATS
I have lived in the 80th Assembly
District for over four decades. I am a
college graduate, local businessman,
college professor and community activist
in our lovely district.
After being in charge of The 204th
St./Bainbridge Avenue Merchant Association
from 2003-2009, where I fi rst
met Gene DeFrancis (as the Allerton
Ave Merchant Association President),
I became more involved in my community,
from being appointed to our local
community board to founding our local
political organization, Northwest
Bronx Democrats.
Gene and I had a local interest in
2005 to try to stop Business Improvement
Districts (BID) from being developed
in our mutual areas. 15 years
later, we now sadly and even better,
know why we do not support BIDs.
Since then, Gene and I have fought
very hard in trying to improve the
quality of life in our affected areas.
From Sanitation to temporary housing
to Parks. This is why we supported
Mark Gjonaj in 2012 as assemblyman
(being the fi rst organization to do so)
to supporting his replacement Nathalia
Fernandez, afterwards.
Nathalia is sadly leaving us, going
for higher offi ce, announcing her run
for Bronx Borough President in 2021.
Our immediate concern: That leaves
an empty assembly seat. So, in theory,
even if she won this November against
anyone, she would leave this seat
in 2021.
We wish her the very best in her
Borough President race. She says she’s
“in it to win it” and we believe her.
We wish her nothing but the best in
this venture.
But if this scenario takes place,
then there would be an assembly special
election for this seat in 2021, something
that gets us so concerned that our
organization decided to put together a
2022 80th AD exploratory committee
to put together an assembly slate from
top to bottom.
So my decision was not to let Bronx
County and those who do NOT live
here, make this decision for our community,
but the community and businesspeople
who DO live here.
Gene fi rmly believes, especially
now during COVID, that small businesses,
residents and yes, landlords,
all need assistance. He also believes
the assembly district, from Pelham
Parkway to Mosholu Parkway and Norwood
is oversaturated with temporary
housing and drug methadone clinics.
He also believes in the support of religious
freedom, to the point where he is
advocating to remove Yemen from the
current government travel ban.
We need an assemblyperson. We
are Democrats. We support Democratic
ideals. We have lived here, many
of us for a long time and some in the organization
do not agree with this decision.
But one thing we all agree on: we
will control our own destiny; not the
County, not some outside political apparatus
— we will!
So just like Republican Cindy Mc-
Cain is crossing over party lines to
support Democrat Joe Biden for president,
because as she says,” he will
represent all Americans,” today I support
Gene, because I refuse to have
our district not represented in 2020
and beyond.
Gene will represent all residents
and businesses in the 80th AD. Why
do we know this? Because he’s been doing
it all of his life in the district, because
Sanitation, Parks and quality of
life does not have a party label. It has
a detrimental effect on our community
and district, something Gene has been
fi ghting for his whole life in the district.
Local issues fi rst!
Anthony Rivieccio has been founder
of The Northwest Bronx Democrats,
a community & political organization
since 2003. Their target areas are:
Fordham, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge
Heights, Bedford Park, Norwood,
Allerton. The current president is
Sheila Sanchez.
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