Adriano Espaillat <3 Ydanis Rodríguez

Earlier this month, City & State reported on speculation in the Dominican press that New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodríguez was considering running for City Council in his old seat. The seat is currently occupied by fellow Dominican American City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. 

In an Oct. 21 Spanish column in Hoy, Dominican political gossip columnist Ramon Mercedes wrote Rodríguez was laying the groundwork for a run. One source we quoted about that rumor said that the speculation might point to tension between Rodríguez and the powerful Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who has assembled an alliance of northern Manhattan and Bronx elected officials that included De La Rosa. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. 

On Dec. 14, Espaillat and Rodríguez cohosted the latest in a series of political summits at La Casa del Mofongo in Washington Heights. The two allies of Mayor Eric Adams, who had previously worked together to mobilize Dominican voters for Kamala Harris, convened the Dominican political leadership to discuss the results of November’s election. 

“You don't invite a man to a community meeting if you're at odds – to talk about each other's perspective and history, to talk to the community of leaders,” said Harlem district leader Corey Ortega, who attended the meeting. “That’s not what was displayed. … I don’t see the rift. I just don’t see it.” De La Rosa, whose Inwood and Washington Heights district falls entirely within Espaillat’s, was also there. 

Rodríguez was asked about whether he planned to run for City Council at the meeting, Ortega said. The commissioner continues to say he’s staying focused on his current job. 

That evening, Rodríguez and Espaillat both joined New York City Mayor Eric Adams at the opening of an indoor baseball facility in the district. De La Rosa, a member of the council’s Progressive Caucus who called on the mayor to resign after he was indicted on federal corruption charges, did not go. (Adams has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.)

“This is a distraction from the issues we are facing and now is not the time to pit one leader against any other, especially as we enter the new year and a presidential administration that has made clear it will implement targeted policies aimed at attacking Latino and working class communities,” Espaillat said in a statement. 

In a recent interview on Roberto Perez’s podcast “The Perez Notes,” De La Rosa was asked about the speculation that Rodríguez might challenge her. 

“I worked for the commissioner. I was his chief of staff for five years. I ran the commissioner's reelection campaigns when he was running for council. So … his achievements have been mine,” De La Rosa said of Rodríguez. “I will not be silenced, and I will not be intimidated, and I will not be pushed out of a seat that I am sitting in. And so I really do hope that the commissioner focuses on the job of leading the biggest transportation agency in the nation.”

De La Rosa added that she is exploring a run for City Council speaker in 2026. Asked about her relationship with the congressman, she told City & State Thursday that “there have been moments of tension (with Espaillat) and disagreement on the political front,” but added: “I’m very much open and willing to continue working and coordinating politically with the congressman.”

Bronx City Council Member Pierina Sanchez, another member of the Progressive Caucus who has previously been supported by Espaillat, is facing a challenge from a former City Council member. Conservative Democrat Fernando Cabrera, another ally of the mayor, filed over the summer and has qualified for matching funds.