POLITICS
Elisa Crespo Trails Early on in Bronx Special Election
Out trans candidate competes in crowded race to replace Ritchie Torres
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Out transgender City
Council candidate Elisa
Crespo is trailing
three other candidates
in the special election race to replace
Ritchie Torres in the Bronx’s
15th City Council district, which
encompasses Bedford Park, Fordham,
Mount Hope, Bathgate, Belmont,
East Tremont, West Farms,
Van Nest, and Olinville.
As of press time on March 24,
Oswald Felix, a tenant lawyer,
leads with 28 percent of vote during
the fi rst round of ranked-choice
voting, while Ischia J. Bravo has
received 21 percent, John E. Sanchez
has 20 percent, and Crespo
sits in fourth place with 15 percent
of the vote, which is based on
unoffi cial results released by the
New York City Board of Elections.
Turnout was low, with just 3,431
votes counted on election night —
Elisa Crespo embarked on a quest to become the fi rst out transgender elected offi cial in New York.
though it is not clear how many
absentee ballots are pending.
Under the ranked-choice voting
system, voters casting ballots in
races with multiple candidates can
list up to fi ve of their favorite options
DONNA ACETO
instead of just listing one. The
candidate receiving more than 50
percent wins the election. However,
if no candidate garners a majority
of the vote, the last-place candidate
is removed and their votes are
given to the voter’s second choice.
These voting rounds are repeated
until a candidate wins a majority.
On the afternoon of March 24,
Crespo released a statement refl
ecting on the campaign and urging
voters to wait for results to be
fi nalized.
“Our campaign has continued to
defy expectations and we’ve made
historic accomplishments in the
Bronx,” Crespo noted. “This race
has been physically and emotionally
taxing on me, but knowing
that it’s so much bigger than me is
what has kept me going.”
She added, “I hope that someone
out there sees themselves refl ected
in this campaign and understands
that their story and struggles matter.
I’ve made my home in this
community and I will continue to
work tirelessly for this community
win or lose. While we wait for the
➤ CRESPO, continued on p.31
Carlos Menchaca Exits Mayoral Race
Brooklyn councilmember would have been fi rst gay person to lead city
BY MATT TRACY
Out gay Brooklyn Councilmember
Carlos
Menchaca has pulled
the plug on his longshot
candidacy for mayor.
The term-limited lawmaker, who
represents Red Hook, Sunset Park,
Greenwood Heights and parts of
Windsor Terrace, Dyker Heights,
and Boro Park, acknowledged in
an announcement on March 24
that his “path to a primary victory
is no longer attainable.”
“I decided to run for mayor because
I believed I could help bring
a voice to neglected communities
across this city and bring the
systemic change needed to create
a more equitable, affordable, and
just New York,” Menchaca said in a
written statement.
The 40-year-old councilmember
Carlos Menchaca no longer saw a viable path to winning the mayoral race.
ran on a progressive platform —
and he highlighted his campaign
in a recent interview with Gay City
News — but he was unable to make
headway in the fi ve months since
he fi rst announced his candidacy,
leaving him little room to emerge
as a serious contender.
“As the youngest elected offi cial
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL/JOHN MCCARTEN
in this race, I sought to bring new
ideas and energy to this campaign
and defy the status quo,” Menchaca
said.Menchaca’s withdrawal from
the race follows the recent departure
of another out LGBTQ
candidate, former New York City
Department of Veterans’ Services
commissioner Loree Sutton.
“While I would have been the fi rst
openly gay Latino mayor of New
York City, it is my hope that those
that look like me or love like me can
see a place for themselves in our
city government and know one day,
one of us will serve as mayor of this
great city,” Menchaca said.
Menchaca, who was among the
lawmakers who opposed the city’s
budget last year in large part because
of concerns that it did not
adequately reduce funding of the
NYPD, has less than a year remaining
in his term as a councilmember.
In his announcement, he hinted at
his plans to again fi ght for a progressive
budget this year.
“My work now continues in the
City Council, where I will be fi ghting
for a fair city budget that will rebuild
our communities hit hardest by
COVID and help to shape a brighter
future for the city I love,” he said.
MARCH 25 - APRIL 7 , 2 4 021 | GayCityNews.com
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