Stringer endorses county pick in Bronx City Council race

Just before a special election for a Bronx City Council seat, the county Democratic Party’s pick, Rafael Salamanca Jr., announced he had been endorsed by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Salamanca, the district manager for Bronx Community Board 2, is vying against five others in a non-partisan election on Feb. 23 to replace former New York City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo, who resigned in January. The other candidates include: George Alvarez, a small business owner; Marlon Molina, a banker and self-described community activist; Joann Otero, who was chief of staff to Arroyo; Julio Pabón, who started the borough’s first bed and breakfast and a sports website; and J. Loren Russell, a self-employed church finance consultant.

Stringer said Salamanaca knows the community he is seeking to represent.

"I'm endorsing Rafael Salamanca, Jr for City Council because he understands that the families of the South Bronx need good jobs, better schools and truly affordable housing,” Stringer said in a statement. “And he's a candidate with a proven track record of delivering for the Bronx.”

The party appears to making a last-minute push through robo-calls as well, with New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. promoting Salamanca while emphasizing that he is a Democrat. Because it is a non-partisan election, no candidate is officially running on the Democratic line. 

“This is New York City Public Advocate Letitia James calling to let you know why I am strongly supporting Democrat Rafael Salamanca for City Council,” James says in one such robo-call recording. “Like me, Rafael is a fighter for the issues we all care about like fighting for a $15 minimum wage, making sure our schools get the resources they need and fighting to protecting our senior quality of life.”