Velazquez wins close District 13 race
A group of political and
educational leaders were on
hand for an October 29 ribbon
cutting ceremony that
celebrated the newly renovated
BMCC/CUNY in The
Heights campus, located
at 5030 Broadway, between
213th and 214th Streets in
northern Manhattan.
“We are very proud to
bring educational and career
opportunities to the
residents of upper Manhattan,”
said Anthony E. Munroe,
President of Borough of
Manhattan Community College,
The City University of
New York (BMCC/CUNY),
which hosted the event.
“I am so excited about
the reopening of CUNY in
The Heights and the expansion,”
said Anthony Watson,
Executive Director, SUNY
Manhattan Educational Opportunity
Center in Harlem.
“It is a welcoming facility
with state-of-the-art equipment
and a space that is conducive
to learning. We will
offer more programs and
services that are needed and
wanted.”
BMCC/CUNY in The
Heights serves as an educational,
career, and personal
development opportunity
center. The facility
was closed for renovations
and an expansion during
the Spring 2020 semester.
The expansion added 15,000
square feet of space, doubling
the number of classrooms
and tripling the number
of available classroom
seats.
Upon its re-opening in
summer 2020, BMCC/CUNY
in The Heights rolled out
new credit-bearing course
offerings for an expanded
range of associate degree
programs, as well as professional
development and advanced
career certification
through the BMCC Center
for Continuing Education
and Workforce Development
and the State University of
New York (SUNY) Manhattan
Educational Opportunity
Center.
BRONX TIMES R 6 EPORTER, NOV. 5-11, 2021 BTR
For the Spring 2021 semester,
BMCC/CUNY in The
Heights will offer more than
25 credit bearing courses
serving as many as 800 students.
The campus will also
offer nine non-credit bearing
courses serving around
525 students.
“My goal is for BMCC/
CUNY in The Heights to
become an educational hub
that will bring more opportunities
to Washington
Heights, Inwood and the
surrounding communities,”
said Ingrid Renderos, Director
at BMCC/CUNY in
The Heights. “Specifically, I
want to create multiple educational
pathways, so that
any resident could complete
their associate degree.”
Renderos says residents
can take advantage of workforce
development training
and certificate programs
that can lead to career opportunities
and open doors
to educational aspirations.
The facility also features
flexible classrooms, computer
labs and a quiet study
area. BMCC/CUNY in The
Heights is also home to the
SUNY Advanced Technology
Training And Information
Networking (ATTAIN)
center which offers academic,
occupational and employability
courses including
computer literacy and
language courses.
“BMCC/CUNY in The
Heights is an excellent option
for residents that live
close to this location,” said
Renderos. “For students who
are attending college for the
first time, BMCC/CUNY in
The Heights offers courses
that will help them complete
important steps in their educational
and career paths.”
EDUCAT I O N PROFI LE
Newly Renovated BMCC/CUNY in The Heights Offers Career Building Courses
and Academic Opportunities
BY ALIYA SCHNEIDER
One Democrat’s fate wasn’t certain
as the election results rolled in
Tuesday night, with a Republican
challenger getting support from almost
half of voters.
The District 13 City Council
seat turned out to be closely contested
between Democrat Marjorie
Velazquez and Republican
Aleksander Mici, before Velazquez
declared victory.
With 96% of ballots scanned
Wednesday afternoon, Velazquez
had received 9,427 votes, or 55%,
while Mici received 7,603, or 45%.
While a 10%-margin won’t require
the need for a recount, the
competitiveness of the vote stands
out in the borough, as the seven
other contested City Council races
for Bronx seats were landslides.
With her win, Velazquez will now
replace incumbent Democratic
Councilman Mark Gjonaj, who
did not seek reelection after one
term in office.
The councilwoman-elect, who
unsuccessfully challenged Gjonaj
for the seat in a 2017 primary, will
be the first Latina and woman
of color to represent the district,
which covers 18 neighborhoods, including
Throggs Neck, City Island
and Morris Park, to name a few.
“I was born and raised in this
borough, and have dedicated my
life to working to empower our
community,” said Velazquez, the
daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants.
“From serving on Community
Board 10 to organizing mutual
aid efforts during the pandemic, I
have seen the compassion and dedication
of our neighbors firsthand,
and I’m excited to work together to
deliver for our working families.”
Velazquez ran on a platform
emphasizing COVID-19 recovery,
and has said there should be
a millionaires’ tax as “the rich
are getting richer on the back of
struggling New Yorkers.” She also
advocates for paid family leave,
hiring locally, expanded unemployment
insurance, workforce
development, addressing food insecurity
and public assistance for
undocumented immigrant families.
“Now, it’s time to get to work,”
she said following her Tuesday
night win. “To ensure that all New
Yorkers are included in our recovery,
to demand protections and resources
for our most vulnerable —
our seniors and children, to fight
for a fair and just criminal justice
system that keeps everyone safe,
and bring our economy back for
our small businesses and ensure
our workers have the training and
support they need.”
Mici, who was born and raised
in Albania, declined to comment.
The Republican’s online platform
mentions public safety, uplifting
small businesses, keeping
homeowners from foreclosing,
education, health disparities and
financial literacy. But he largely
points to what he calls a “bizarre
socialist agenda,” blaming a “perverted
view of social justice and
the false promises of equality
of outcome,” saying the American
way of life is “under a mortal
threat.”
The rest of the Bronx representation
on the City Council will remain
in Democratic hands as the
party’s candidates cruised to victory.
In District 11, incumbent second
generation Councilman Eric
Dinowitz got 79% of votes, with
challenger Kevin Pazmino running
on the Republican and Conservative
lines receiving 20%.
Democrat Pierina Sanchez received
89% of votes in District 14,
with Republican challenger Shemeen
Chappell getting 11%.
In District 15, Democrat Oswald
Feliz, an incumbent following
a special election win in
March, received 84% of votes,
while Republican and Conservative
candidate Ariel Rivera-Diaz
only managed 16%.
Democrat Althea Stevens won
91% of District 16 votes, replacing
Borough President-elect Vanessa
Gibson; Kajara Boyd, a Republican,
received 9%.
District 17 Democratic incumbent
Rafael Salamanca, Jr. got 80%
of votes, while Republican challenger
Jose Colon received 11%.
Lattina Brown garnered 9% on
the Black Women Lead party line.
In District 18, Democrat
Amanda Faris got 87% of votes,
and Republican Lamont Paul received
13%.
In uncontested elections, District
8 Councilwoman Diana
Ayala, took home 99% of votes,
while District 12 incumbent Kevin
Riley garnered nearly 100%.
Marjorie Velazquez (left) speaks beside Althea Stevens, who were both
elected to the City Council. Velazquez will represent District 13.
Photo Adrian Childress