Labor and County come together to back Democrat Shirley Aldebol in Bronx council district

In the Bronx City Council district that recently elected a Republican for the first time in decades, the Democratic establishment appears to be coalescing behind one candidate – and some of her Democratic opponents are feeling shut out. The Bronx County Democratic Party announced last week it is backing former 32BJ SEIU Executive Vice President Shirley Aldebol. This week, a slate of major labor unions, shared exclusively with City & State, is also coming out in support. 

Aldebol’s former employer, 32BJ SEIU, is endorsing her, as expected. The building service workers union is considered one of the most politically powerful in the city. “During her 21 years at 32BJ SEIU, Shirley has shown herself to be not only committed, but capable of winning for all New York workers and communities,” 32BJ President Manny Pastreich said in a statement. 

Another local heavyweight: the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, is also backing her, along with health care workers union 1199 SEIU, Communications Workers of America, the Mason Tenders District Council Political Action Committee and The New York State Laborers’ Political Action Committee. Union support is helpful to candidates in many ways: campaign donations, volunteers and actual member votes included.

Opponents cry foul

Republican City Council Member Kristy Marmorato pulled off a stunning victory in 2023 when she unseated Democrat Marjorie Velázquez in the district, flipping the Bronx City Council seat red. There was some speculation Velázquez would come back for a rematch, but the combination of county and labor support behind Aldebol is a strong indication Democrats are going in a new direction this time around.  

In a press release announcing their endorsements, the Bronx Democratic Party described their methodology for selecting candidates as “an extensive and thoughtful selection process, which included discussions with community leaders, advocacy groups, and key stakeholders.”

While the Bronx County Democratic Party interviewed multiple candidates in the neighboring council District 8 and council District 17 for a potential endorsement, Aldebol was the only candidate running for the council District 13 seat given that opportunity, opponents say. This has frustrated at least three of her fellow competitors in the Democratic primary. 

One of those individuals was David Diaz, a longtime City Island resident and senior executive director at a boutique investment firm. After reaching out to the Bronx County Democratic Party multiple times, he was eventually able to get a meeting scheduled at headquarters in early February, but it was ultimately canceled by the party. Diaz, who shared documentation of his outreach with City & State, said he hasn’t heard from the party since. He said he’s disappointed in the process, none of which felt democratic to him.

“There’s no reason for the party itself to have this gatekeeper mentality and to keep themselves in this bubble …  I just want to make sure this is a blip on the screen and not a trend,” Diaz said, pointing to the fact that Marmorato was the first Republican to win an election in the district in years. “We do that not by closing our doors to everybody. We do that by opening up the doors and bringing back people to the party, empowering Democrats and trying to find those people who have lost hope in the process.” 

Army veteran and HR professional Jacqueline Torres said she never even got an offer for an interview. She said she reached out to Bronx Democratic Party Chair Jamaal Bailey multiple times over email, but never heard back. Once, she went to headquarters to try and speak with him in-person, only to be told by a staff member that they would reach out to her to try and schedule something. This never ended up happening, Torres said. Bronx Dems did not respond to a request for comment.

“I just feel that that’s not leadership. I feel when you have good people who are trying to do something, or just anyone trying to do something for their community and you don’t even give them an interview, a phone call, how do you know you have the best person?” Torres said.

Veteran John Perez also said he reached out to the party for an interview, but never heard back. “County is very selective,” he said. “They like to hold the cards and they like to put forward the candidates that are going to support their particular agenda.”