Bronx Borough President candidates discuss key issues

Election day in New York is less than six months away and the Bronx borough president race is heating up.

Incumbent Vanessa Gibson seeks a second term against District 17 Councilman Rafael Salamanca Jr. The two faced off at the 2025 Bronx Borough President Democratic Candidate Forum on May 14. They found some common ground on key issues, but sharply disagreed on others. 

Gibson was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2009 before serving two terms in the New York City Council. She also chaired the council’s Public Safety Committee.  In 2021, she made history as the first African American and first woman elected borough president of the Bronx. 

At the forum, she spoke on the highlights of her three years in office, including securing $50 million for NYC public schools and said she lowered unemployment rates in the Bronx by 20 percent. However, according to the New York Department of Labor, unemployment rates stood at 10.3 percent when she took office in 2021, and dropped by nearly 45 percent by March 2025 to 5.9 percent. 

Gibson also voiced securing $50 million for NYC public schools and emphasized collaborating with elected officials and city agencies, like the Department of Transportation, to address quality of life issues. This includes a $3.2 million Penn Station expansion that will bring more transit options to areas in the Bronx lacking proper public transportation, like the East Bronx and Co-op City,

“I believe in the work we’ve done. With democracy under attack, we need committed, dedicated leadership that shows up – and that’s me,” Gibson stated.

Salamanca has been the councilman for District 17 in the South Bronx since 2016, and is currently the chair of the Council’s Land Use Committee. He previously served as the district manager for the Bronx Community Board 2, also in the South Bronx, and is the former president of the 41st Precinct Council, where he worked closely with the NYPD.

In his opening statement, Salamanca criticized Gibson’s “mismanagement.”

“Our streets are dirty, public safety is in chaos,” he said. “We need a leader who can manage and move the Bronx forward –  that’s what I bring.”

He went on to spotlight his own achievements in public service – like bringing in more than $400 million in capital investments to the South Bronx, with $35 million going toward schools and $30 million towards parks.

Here’s where they stand.

ON PUBLIC SAFETY, YOUTH-ON-YOUTH CRIME

Crime rates across the city have plummeted since last year, with the NYPD marking April as the seventh consecutive month of major crime decline. But the Bronx isn’t seeing that drop. Major crimes in the borough rose 7 percent during the 28-day period from April 7 to May 4.

In February, a 16-year-old boy was stabbed in Marble Hill, near the entrance of the John F. Kennedy Campus at 99 Terrace View Ave. Authorities said a 16-year-old who knifed the teen – one of multiple attackers, according to an AMNY article published the day of the incident.

Gibson underlined prioritizing public safety by investing in anti-gun violence initiatives, youth recreational programs, and collaboration with the NYPD, including efforts to remove ghost guns and other illegal firearms from the community and the recent addition of 238 officers to Bronx patrols.

“We know that residents want to see police,” Gibson noted. “They don’t want to see abusive policing, but they want to see the presence of police.”

Salamanca took a different approach, referencing the Voluntary community gun buy-back program bill he introduced in 2023 and urging funding to district attorneys to support these initiatives. 

The Voluntary Gun Buy-Back bill he introduced in 2023 establishing monthly gun buyback programs, and urging funding to district attorneys to support these initiatives. He also stressed the urgency of addressing youth-on-youth violence, pointing to recent tragedies in his district. His message was clear: real investment in youth programs is essential to making neighborhoods safer. 

The councilman called for more community centers across the Bronx, pointing to his past successes, including bringing a YMCA with financial aid available for those who qualify.

ON SHELTERS AND DRUG USE IN THE BRONX

Though the Bronx is the city’s third most populous borough, it has the second highest number of homeless shelters. In 2021, the Department of Homeless Services reported 129 shelters in the Bronx –  just one fewer than Brooklyn, which has about one million more residents.

The 130-bed men’s shelter planned for 6661 Broadway in North Riverdale sparked intense community backlash. Currently under construction, it will add to what the candidates see as an oversaturation of homeless facilities in the borough. The facility is set to open later this year.

Both Gibson and Salamanca criticized the uneven placement of social services, like methadone clinics and substance abuse treatment. The BP said the Bronx is unfairly burdened with shelters and transitional housing for non-residents, while lacking investment in affordable housing and job creation. She also supported expanding harm reduction programs like naloxone training and converting underused buildings into community spaces.

The councilman  highlighted his district’s high concentration of shelters and public drug use, calling the situation “a mess.” He noted his efforts, including $5 million for peer outreach and partnering with the NYPD on quality-of-life enforcement. He pledged to fight for a fairer distribution of services across the city if elected.

ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Gibson emphasized the need for truly affordable, mixed-income housing that serves families across the income spectrum – from 30 percent to over 80 percent of the Area Median Income. She called for more units for seniors, veterans, domestic violence survivors and youth aging out of foster care, as well as stronger pathways from transitional to permanent housing. The borough president urged reinvestment in NYCHA, including renovating vacant units and reviving first-time homebuyer programs.

Salamanca highlighted his role in approving more than  10,000 units of 100 percent affordable housing in the Bronx, focusing on low-income and working-class residents and a focus on “protecting the character of neighborhoods.” Of these, 1,500 were for seniors.

“The fear of putting in a six, seven or eight-story building in the middle of your block is a real fear,” he expressed. “There is a housing crisis in the city of New York, and what I've encouraged communities that have very low density try [to do is]  to identify areas where we can build more housing for New Yorkers.”

The councilman also emphasized expanding homeownership as a path to generational wealth and advocated reviving the Mitchell-Lama program, which provided affordable co-ops and rentals for middle-income families.

LOOKING AHEAD

Gibson envisioned a term that continues the “consistent and steady leadership” she said she’s brought over the last three years. She pointed to having brought “good-paying” jobs to the Bronx, revitalizing commercial areas and supporting the growth of small businesses. 

“We've also leveled the playing field when it comes to maternal health, which is deeply personal to me,” she said. “We are going to build the first Bronx birthing center in our borough.”

If elected, Salamanca’s plan for Borough Hall includes appointing multiple deputy borough presidents to help address various quality-of-life issues, such as public safety, education, seniors, parks and more.

 “Quality of life issues that are happening in Throggs Neck and Riverdale are very different than the quality of life issues that are occurring in the South Bronx,” he said. “I will convert Borough Hall into a mini City Hall.”