Unity Democratic Club’s second round of endorsements

More than 30 years later, this is still the story, the buildings here are still falling apart.”

Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez

In pursuit of claiming or reclaiming both local and citywide positions, the candidates are off and running in what could result in several heated races for Bronx borough president, City Council and NYC comptroller.

For the second part of the Unity Democratic Club’s endorsement process, two incumbents and one candidate were showcased — Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez and current Councilman Justin Brannan, who is campaigning to become the city’s next comptroller.

Pierina Sanchez defends her seat 

Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez, born and raised in the Bronx, has represented Council District 14 since 2022 and will be defending her seat against several challengers, including John Maynard Harris, Evette Wilson and Bryan Hodge Vasquez, the latter of whom spoke at a Unity Democratic Club Q&A forum on Jan. 24, moderated by Unity Democratic Club president Marcelo Lopez and vice president Ramdat Singh.

Sanchez’s predecessor, Fernando Cabrera, will also be running for his old position as Councilman of the 14th District.

Sanchez spoke about being woken up to the smell of smoke and the sound of screaming when she was three years old after a fire ignited in her five-story walk up.

“More than 30 years later, this is still the story,” Sanchez said. “The buildings here are still falling apart.”

Sanchez made reference to the partial collapse of a building on Billingsley Terrace in Morris Heights which collapsed in December 2023 and prompted her office to work closer with the city’s Department of Buildings (NYCDOB) to proactively follow and monitor buildings which “show distress” and have “neglectful building owners.”

She also referenced last month’s fire on 3030 Heath Ave. in Kingsbridge.

“For me, [these issues] are personal,” Sanchez said, who currently serves as the chair of the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings. “I have a two-year-old son and a five-week-old daughter, so when something like this happens, it hits home for me.”

If re-elected, Sanchez also plans to continue fighting for LGBTQ+ rights. Previously as Councilwoman, Sanchez secured funding for Destination Tomorrow, a Bronx-based LGBTQ+ grassroots agency, while also co-sponsoring legislation to make specific housing requests for incarcerated LGBTQ+ individuals who have been deemed at risk of victimization.

She also intends to keep New York’s sanctuary city status, which limits information city and state governments share with federal immigration law enforcement such as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“I will never apologize for working to help my community,” Sanchez added.

Earlier this year, Sanchez and other City Council members announced the securing of $5 billion in commitments for the City for All Housing Plan to invest in communities and increase affordability in the Bronx and throughout the five boroughs.

The intention of the City for All Housing Plan is to make housing more affordable and accessible for all residents through increasing affordable housing production, preserving existing affordable housing, strengthening tenant protections, investing in infrastructure and bolstering housing voucher programs. 

“New Yorkers deserve bold action to access dignified, affordable housing — something the City of Yes plan does not do on its own but can deliver with the Council’s City for All (Housing) Plan,” Sanchez said in a statement following the announcement.

Sanchez would not comment on who she supports for borough president, but said she will announce her pick for Bronx BP “very soon.”

Sanchez said she ran for City Council to pass one act of legislation in particular — Intro 1063, also known as the Housing Recovery and Resident Protection Act, which focuses on protecting tenants and their living conditions in distressed buildings and properties and was introduced in 2024.

Sanchez, who earned her B.A. from Harvard and her master’s degree from Princeton, began her political career as Council District 14’s director of constituent services in the early 2010s.

She defeated Yudelka Tapia in the Democratic primary in June 2021, with 38 percent of the vote and later beat Republic Shemeen Chappell in City Council’s general election in November of that year.

Justin Brannan - From musician to NYC Comptroller?

Previously a hardcore punk guitarist, Councilman Justin Brannan pursued a music career with punk rock groups Indecision and Most Precious Blood, with him and his bands having released several albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

Brannan, who currently represents the city’s 47th Council district in South Brooklyn as Councilman, is now campaigning for city comptroller — challenging incumbent Brad Lander who is running for mayor.

Brannan said he did not have a conventional path into politics, but he intends to be a “bulldog” when it comes to monitoring the city’s finances.

“The city needs a fighter,” Brannan said. “I don’t want to only conduct financial audits, but also managerial audits — because we’re not allocating money the right way.”

If elected, Brannan, like many city comptrollers have done before him, said he intends to conduct audits on the city’s Department of Education (NYCDOE), Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

Brannan spoke about how residents struggle just to get attention for maintenance requests at NYCHA residences.

He hopes an audit will eventually result in an improved, more thorough maintenance request system.

“Just exposing what is broken is not enough,” Brannan said.

Brannan also spoke about the city’s lack of a police presence, along with inequity of the city’s current property tax structure.

He discussed the desperate need for property tax reform and talked about the importance of working with money managers who are specifically not investing in oil, gas or coal.

“You need to invest in values which help New Yorkers,” Brannan said. “I care very much about this city and I want this city to do big things.”

Currently the chair of the City Council’s finance committee, Brannan oversees the largest municipal budget in the country,

Brannan said he will also fight to get raises for the city’s Emergency Medical Services workers and also hopes to provide at least a pilot for universal childcare.

He did not paint an exact picture of what that would look like, but believes universal childcare needs to be initiated by local politicians in order for quality and affordable care to be accessed by all families.

He then worked as a financier at the now-defunct investment bank and brokerage firm Bear Stearns, which was acquired by JPMorgan Chase in 2008 during the Great Recession.

Vanessa Gibson runs for second and final term as BP

Borough President Vanessa Gibson, who was unable to make an appearance at the first Q&A forum due to a scheduling conflict, spoke about defending her seat against current Councilman Rafael Salamanca, who spoke at the Jan. 24 event.

“I want to continue to build a better Bronx for all our residents,” Gibson said.

Gibson talked about an “all hands on deck solution” for drug treatment as well as bringing back the blood center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi.

“We don’t have one blood center in the Bronx,” Gibson said. “We need a facility not just for victims but for people who also need it for other services, such as blood transfusions.”

The Bronx is already home to several plasma donation centers and holds several mobile blood drives each year, but is currently without a facility which primarily specializes in collecting, testing, storing and distributing blood for patients in need.

She also talked about the importance of continued support for the city’s minority and women-owned business enterprise, which provides these businesses more economic opportunity and improves their capacity.

The residential fires at Twin Parks, along with Wallace and Heath avenues, were also a topic of discussion, which Gibson described as painful and traumatic.

“We have to find a way for the city to evict slum landlords,” Gibson said. “The system is broken and it needs to be reformed, because they own multiple buildings.”

Gibson went on to discuss the citywide housing crisis — and said the city needs to be reactionary, not preventative.

“Every family deserves affordable housing, yet we still see 50,000 to 60,000 applications being submitted for 200 apartment units,” Gibson said. “The (housing) system needs to be more equitable across the board.”

Gibson has extensive political experience, having previously served in the state Assembly and on the City Council.

Since assuming office as borough president, she has co-led efforts on several Bronx projects including the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory, the expansion of Metro-North stations and continued renovations to Orchard Beach initiated by her predecessor, Rubén Díaz Jr.

“My heart is in this work,” Gibson concluded. “I want to continue lifting up families while providing children in the Bronx with brighter futures.”

Gibson, Sanchez and Brannan are all gearing up for the upcoming election, with two of them vying to continue their service and make a lasting impact within the city’s leadership while another hopes to take his political career to the next level.