Hiram Monserrate
—State Senate District 13
A proven advocate for working families, Hiram Monserrate is right on target when he says that the city and state should be putting the same level of investment in affordable housing as it does into a corporate development strategy. A former police officer, Monserrate fully understands that mandatory sentencing that takes away a judge’s discretion has a disproportionate negative impact on African American and Latino communities.
Maria Matos
– Civil Court Judge, Bronx
Matos has the extensive experience and drive to serve effectively as Bronx Civil Court Judge. Having worked her way up from the litigation bureau of the New York Attorney General’s Office, Matos has more than a decade of experience in Criminal Court, Supreme Court and the Appellate Division. Matos solid and impressive qualifications should not be tarnished by a political battle she finds herself in the middle of.
Ruben Diaz Jr.
— 85th Assembly District
The Assemblyman wants to bring green collar jobs to the Bronx and pushed through a “clean roofs’’ bill to create incentives for environmental standards in a borough long burdened by waste transfers and high truck volume. A pragmatist, Diaz has learned that activism has to produce outcomes that improve the day-to-day lives of families. We encourage him to actively pursue holding the Yankees accountable for all of the community commitments they made.
Pedro Espada Jr.
– State Senate District 33
Espada Jr. has raised questions over the years about the use of public funds. And so has the incumbent of District 33, Efrain Gonzalez. But Espada Jr., who says he won’t allow any party to take him for granted, is clearly more equipped to represent the district. “Whether you are a poor Dominican or poor Puerto Rican, you want a champion. You don’t want a lapdog,” Espada Jr. told this editorial board. If he remains committed to that, Bronx families should be in better hands.
Peter Rivera
– Assembly District 76
Rivera, the Hispanic with the most seniority in the State Assembly, calls it like it is: Hispanics are going no where fast unless leaders and the communities that should be holding them accountable act. Testaments to his leadership: Rivera directed funds to responding to the suicide crisis among Latinas and Asian women, and he plans to put a strategy in place for the inevitable fight over electoral re-districting and reapportionment after the Census.
Nelson Castro
– Assembly District 86
Castro is young and enthusiastic and poised to become the first Dominican state legislator to represent a district in the Bronx, the borough with the second largest Dominican population in New York City. His priorities including fighting landlord neglect and addressing the drop out rate in his district with vocational schools.
By working on a better grasp of issues and better defining his vision for this district, Castro has the potential to distinguish himself.







