2173 White Plains Road 718-931-4335
Just South of Pelham Pkwy.
BRONX TIMES R 6 REPORTER, MAR. 4-10, 2022 BTR
OPEN
7 DAYS
ITS
UNMATCHED
IN THE
BRONX
WHERE
THERE IS
ALWAYS A
SALE
WE CARRY A WIDE VARIETY OF Fresh Organic Produce • Gluten Free Foods
Organic Foods, Herbs, Homeopathic Products & More
WE CARRY A FULL
SELECTION OF
CBD
PRODUCTS
SINCE 1978
GOOD N NATURAL HAS NY ‘S LARGEST
HERBAL TEA SELECTION
WE ALSO STOCK A LARGE SELECTION
OF COFFEES AND COFFEE SUBSTITUTES
BY CHRISTIAN FALCONE
Hoping to win the seat he
once helped Alessandra Biaggi
campaign for, Christian
Amato is the latest entry into
a growing fi eld for the Bronx’s
open state Senate district.
Amato, 34, announced his
candidacy on Monday afternoon,
ending weeks of speculation
that he would join the
Democratic primary.
A native of the Pelham
Parkway section of the Bronx,
the dyed-in-the-wool Progressive
has spent several years in
politics, fi rst helping launch
Biaggi’s Senate campaign
in 2018 when she toppled entrenched
politico Jeff Klein,
then joining her legislative
team as the deputy chief of
staff. Biaggi is now running
for Congress.
“I believe I’m the best
equipped candidate out of everyone
in the race to continue
the work,” he said. “One of my
priorities is providing excellent
and consistent constituency
services.”
The son of Italian immigrants,
he began his career
in marketing. In 2o20, Amato
founded his own consulting
fi rm Consense Strategies
where he worked on political
campaigns for City Council
candidates Amanda Farías
and Elise Crespo. But the
business also ventured beyond
politics, he said, serving
clients in the real estate and
entertainment industries –
he launched a fi tness app last
year.
“I’ve been focused on diversifying
beyond politics,”
he said. “Really interested in
working with young small
businesses, trying to elevate
new forms of business.”
Yet, when Biaggi vacated
her seat last month, Amato
was approached by community
leaders across the district
encouraging him to run
for the seat, he said. “I felt that
there was too much support
to ignore,” he told the Bronx
Times.
His candidacy now follows
several other names who’ve
recently formalized runs, including
attorney Miguelina
Camilo, considered the presumptive
frontrunner in the
race.
But Amato doesn’t see himself
as an underdog – just the
opposite, in fact.
“I know in terms of community
experience and on the
ground knowledge, I believe I
have the strongest position in
this campaign,” he said. I’ve
been working in this community
for years. It’s been my
home my entire life.”
Amato is confi dent in the
connections he’s made over
the years within pockets of
the 36th Senate District – previously
the 34th District – having
helped deliver food, starting
a mutual aid network and
distributing masks and personal
protective equipment
to residents during the pandemic.
The district, which
stretches from Riverdale to
City Island and parts of Westchester,
includes the most
parkland of any district in
NYC. “That presents a lot of
opportunity, we have to protect
that,” he said. “We saw
how valuable public space became
during the pandemic for
mental health.”
Having sat on the Bronx
Community Board 11 for three
years, Amato plans to push for
many progressive policies, including
more affordable and
supportive housing. He’s an
advocate of the “Good Cause”
eviction legislation to prevent
landlords from evicting tenants
for rent hikes, and is interested
in social housing to
allow tenants to collectively
purchase and run their own
buildings – a sale just took
place in Port Morris where
tenants, assisted by a nonprofi
t, purchased the building
from their landlord. A progressive
housing bill also sits
in the state Senate.
But Progressives also face
an electorate increasingly
concerned over safety amid a
controversial bail reform law
that critics argue has exacerbated
gun violence and overall
crime. Amato said after hearing
from the community, he’d
be willing to explore expanding
judicial discretion over
whether bail should be applied
on violent crimes.
“I do feel there is room for
fl exibility,” he said. “I come
with a progressive vision …
with the understanding that
our community is represented
with a diverse set of opinions
that may not always be centered
on political party ideology.”
Ex-Biaggi staffer Christian
Amato enters state Senate race
Pelham Parkway native Christian Amato, 34, will make his fi rst run for
elcted offi ce, joining a primary fi eld for Alessandra Biaggi’s open state
Senate seat. Photo courtesy Christian Amato