The race

Rep. Charlie Rangel is officially running for reelection to Congress, according to a statement released on March 20. 

As of press time, state Sen. Adriano Espaillat was collecting signatures to challenge the incumbent, but had not officially announced his campaign.

But the field to unseat the longtime congressman is no-doubt crowded. 

Harlem banker Vincent Morgan launched a campaign website to run for Mr. Rangel’s seat and former advisor to President Bill Clinton, Clyde Williams, posted a video online to introduce himself to voters, ostensibly for the same reason, though he hasn’t officially announced. And finally, 2010 primary challenger Joyce Johnson is planning to try to beat Mr. Rangel again.

Mr. Rangel made his reelection announcement via a press release, but he has not made a public appearance in quite a while.

According to news reports, he hurt his back while lifting boxes and has been recovering since. He has not made a vote in Washington, D.C. since Feb. 9. 

Mr. Rangel has seen some trouble in recent years. He was accused of misusing his rent-stabilized apartment as a campaign office. As first reported in The New York Times, Mr. Rangel agreed to pay a $23,000 civil fine this week because he rented a space at below the market rate, which constitutes accepting a campaign contribution above the legal limit.

At least right now, it seems longtime state legislator Mr. Espaillat would have the best chance of defeat Mr. Rangel. But it will be an uphill battle.

 The Broadway Democrats — a political club based in Morningside Heights and Harlem — voted last week to endorse Mr. Rangel.

Still no word on when the Ben Franklin Reform Democratic Club will hold an endorsement meeting. The club is waiting for official announcements.

Mr. Espaillat does have the support of former opponent Mark Levine, according to news reports. Mr. Levine’s name is on Mr. Espaillat’s petition as a member of his vacancy committee, meaning if Mr. Espaillat were to not run, the committee would find a new candidate. If Mr. Espaillat were to beat all the odds and beat Mr. Rangel, Mr. Levine, a Manhattan district leader, would probably run for Mr. Espaillat’s state Senate seat. He’d most likely have Mr. Espaillat’s backing.

Mr. Levine also recently announced he will run for City Council, but that race is a whole year away.

Espaillat’s chances

We checked in with state Sen. Adriano Espaillat’s Bronx/Riverdale liaison Judy Sonett to ask about Mr. Espaillat’s chances in a congressional run against longtime incumbent Rep. Charlie Rangel.

Ms. Sonett, who also held fund raisers in Riverdale for Mr. Espaillat when he ran for state Senate, said she’s “very hopeful” for him.

When asked if she would be working with Mr. Espaillat on his campaign, she said she has not yet been asked.

“If it really happens, I would be very excited because I’d be very proud to represent him,” she said, adding “I think he’d be wonderful for the Bronx.”

The Bronx makes up 25.9 percent of the new court-drawn 13th Congressional district, with the remainder in northern Manhattan. The district has not included any areas of the Bronx since Mr. Rangel has held the seat, only reaching as far north as Marble Hill.

With the district changing, will that mean its representation in Washington, D.C. will change with it?

“I’ve spoken to a lot of people, who truthfully love Charlie, … but they are saying, you know, its time for a change, the same way it was time for a change when Charlie went after Adam Clayton Powell,” she said.

We’ll see how it goes.

Facebook protection

As other legislators around the country respond to reports that companies are demanding that interviewees provide their passwords to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz introduced legislation to ban the practice. 

Mr. Dinowitz said the practice leads to unfair and discriminatory hiring practices and is an invasion of privacy.

According to news sources, Facebook officials, along with many other legislators around the country, condemn password requests as an invasion of privacy.

Mr. Dinowitz did not announce the legislation on his Facebook page, but there are numerous posts advertising various basketball sneakers. Apparently, one can purchase “Nike Shox Torch II” for $100 (Mr. Dinowitz’s Facebook page, oddly enough, appears to have been hacked).

State Sen. Jeff Klein will introduce the bill in the Senate soon.

Jeffs like ‘Riverdale Ave.’

State Sen. Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz have inserted themselves into the debate over whether “Riverdale Ave.” should remain on Exit 22 of the Henry Hudson Parkway.

In January, the state Department of Transportation announced at a Community Board 8 meeting that it planned to make changes to the signage along the Henry Hudson Parkway next year. A spokesman for the DOT said it planned to spend about $7 or $8 million to upgrade all the signs and as a way to save money, it would remove what it determined to be unnecessary words. For Exit 22, that means “Riverdale Ave.”

The DOT plans to keep “W. 253rd St.” on the sign, but it would cost $150,000 more to keep “Riverdale Ave.” because a much larger sign and signpost would be needed.

Merchants in North Riverdale are not crazy about the idea because they want to highlight the Riverdale Avenue business district in any way possible and do not want drivers to get lost.

Mr. Klein and Mr. Dinowitz sent a letter on behalf of their North Riverdale constituents who have contacted their offices to ask that the DOT keep “Riverdale Ave.” on the sign.

“While we understand this could save some initial costs on the project in the short term, the adverse effect it could have on Riverdale Avenue and the Riverdale Community in the long term will outweigh any gain,” reads the letter.