RITCHIE TORRES ANNOUNCES, from p.8
in the wrong primary,” Torres said.
“He should be running in the Republican
primary.”
He maintained a similar message
in his campaign launch video.
“The primary presents a stark
choice between a progressive new
guard and a reactionary old guard;
between an LGBT trailblazer and
a vicious homophobe; between a
new generation of leadership and
more of the same,” he said.
Torres spoke of the juxtaposition
of growing up in mold-ridden public
housing while Donald Trump’s
nearby golf course raked in tens
of millions in public dollars. He
is also seen visiting his mother’s
apartment, where she is heard
asking, “Why are they treating us
like, you know, we don’t matter?”
Torres quickly landed the endorsements
of several fellow city
councilmembers, including Brad
Lander and Mark Treyger of Brooklyn,
Antonio Reynoso of Brooklyn
and Queens, and Keith Powers of
Manhattan. In a tweet, Lander acknowledged
that Torres will have
his work cut out for him against
Diaz, writing, “He’s going to need
a lot of support to counter Diaz’
name recognition and popularity.”
Torres earned his fi rst endorsement
late last month when
the Equality PAC — the political
branch of the Congressional LGBT
Equality Caucus — threw its support
behind the councilmember.
That PAC consists of more than
150 members of Congress.
Torres concluded his three-plus
minute video with a message to
the people of the district, saying,
“I want my neighbors to say in the
Bronx, ‘There’s no one who fi ghts
harder for us in Washington, DC.’”
“I’m not a miracle worker, but
I’m a fi ghter and I’m going to fi ght
my heart out to ensure that the
Bronx gets its fair share,” he said.
“And as the Bronx goes, so goes
the country.”
➤ COREY JOHNSON RAMPS UP, from p.8
built up $315,386 in “matching
claims” — private donations eligible
to be matched — this period,
compared to $91,971 for Adams
and $193,879 for Stringer. Full
data for Diaz is not yet available.
In another positive sign for the
speaker, he has received donations
from nearly twice as many
donors as Stringer — 2,616 versus
1,347 — at an average contribution
of $144 compared to $215
for the comptroller. He also drew
more donors to his campaign than
Adams, who yielded 1,234 contributions
at an average of $415 per
donation.
While the 2021 Democratic
primary remains far away, tensions
in the race have already
fl ared. Johnson was embroiled
in controversy last month when
the Council passed a campaign
fi nance bill that at least one rival
said would aid his bid for mayor
while negatively impacting those
of others. Last year, voters opted
to implement changes after the
2021 election cycle that would
lower the cap on maximum donations
from $5,100 to $2,000 and
bolster public matching of donations
to an 8:1 ratio for the fi rst
$250.
But the bill passed by the Council
implements the changes now
— in the midst of the 2021 races
— but would require amounts
previously donated above the
new $2,000 limit to be refunded
in order for a candidate to receive
the higher 8:1 match. The measure
also increases the percentage
of public matching funds to
total funds from 75 to 89 percent
— which represents the exact
8:1 match on donations of $250
or less. Stringer complained he
would need to give back many
thousands of dollars he’s already
raised for his war chest in order
to participate in the new program.
He and other candidates who have
not voluntarily capped the size of
individual donations may yet decide,
however, that their ability to
raise up to $5,100 from donors under
the old system outweighs the
incremental advantage of gaining
an 8:1 match.
The next fi ling period is slated
for early January of next year.
One of the Top 10 hospitals in the U.S.
is here in Brooklyn
Brooklyn, NY
In 2018, the federal government listed Maimonides among
the Top 10 health systems in the U.S. for survival rates.
Get the facts at: Top10Hospital.org
GayCityNews.com | July 18 - July 31, 2019 9
/Top10Hospital.org
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