Kick-Off

“We’re still a democracy”

Pierina Sánchez kicks off her re-election campaign

Story and photos by Allison Hunter

On a frigid Saturday afternoon in the West Bronx, inside the Beverly Hills Manor, megawatt crystal chandeliers illuminated the cavernous ballroom.

As Pierina Sánchez, the incumbent New York City Councilmember for District 14, made her way through the room, she split her time doling out hugs to stalwart supporters and chatting with newcomers and reporters. About a dozen lawmakers stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the stage at the far end of the room and guests swathed in thick winter coats and boots took seats at tables, banquettes and high tops—the large room awash in ivory tones with gold accents.

It was a tony kick-off for a tough fight ahead.

If Sánchez is reelected in the upcoming municipal primary elections on June 24th, it will be her third consecutive term. She has earned solid support across the district, which includes the neighborhoods of Morris Heights, Fordham, Bedford Park, Van Cortlandt Village and Kingsbridge and from a host of elected officials across the city. Among those who spoke at Saturday’s event on her behalf included Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine; City Comptroller Mark Levine; State Senators Nathalia Fernández, Gustavo Rivera and Luis Sepúlveda; Assemblymembers Karines Reyes, Yudelka Tapia, Landon Dais, and Emerita Torres; City Councilmembers Diana Ayala, Amanda Farias, Erik Bottcher and Crystal Hudson, among others. In her speech, Ayala described Sánchez as “a little bit nerdy” by way of complimenting her well-established wonkiness – while also issuing earnest reminders to help turn out the vote.

There is reason for concern, as Sánchez faces two challengers. Fernando Cabrera, her conservative predecessor, is a senior pastor of New Life Outreach International Church in the district. A senior advisor within Mayor Eric Adams’ administration until July 2023, Cabrera has expressed views against abortion and gay marriage. Also joining the fray is Bryan Hodge Vásquez, a community advocate and member of the Dominican, LGBTQ and Afro-Latino communities, who has worked with Congressman Adriano Espaillat.

Beyond the challengers, convincing voters to focus on the race and head to the polls in the upcoming primary may be a struggle. Sánchez said turnout for the electorate has dropped over the years. In 2016, it was 90% for the general election. Last year, it fell to between 75 to 77%, she said. She believes this may be a result of increasing economic strain as residents struggle with the rising costs of their basic needs.

And electoral trends in November’s general election revealed a small but significant rightward trend among Bronx voters.

In 2020, President Biden won the district by 83.4%. Trump earned 15.9% of the vote. In 2024, Kamala Harris won 72% and Trump won 27% of the vote.

“It’s not that we’ve had a flip to the Republican Party, but certainly over the last decade, we’ve had more and more people moving over to the Republican Party,” said the Councilmember of her electorate at the February 8^th event.

Still, Sánchez, who won by wide margins in her last race, says she remains optimistic. Political labels like “progressive” or “conservative” don’t apply in her situation. Sánchez is Afro-Latina, the first-generation daughter of Dominican immigrants. Her neighborhood has “98% people of color, 70% Latin American, 30% African-American or from West African countries and the Caribbean. They never ask if I’m progressive or conservative. They’re like, ‘What are you going to do for the neighborhood?’”

Many of Sánchez’s supporters spoke of the decision of the Ivy League graduate – who earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard on a full scholarship and then her Master in Public Affairs from Princeton – to return to her hometown district to tackle the persistent issues of affordable housing, chronic underemployment and health disparities as indicative of a unique commitment to public service.

“For her to come back is phenomenal, because most people leave and never come back,” explained Rich Nice.

Nice, a pioneering and award-winning hip-hop artist who has found global success as a multimedia award-winning artist, executive and producer, has also sought to share his experience and insights with fellow District 14 residents, especially young people whom he mentors. He currently serves as the Associate Director of the Hip Hop Education Center, creating curriculum for the Universal Hip Hop Museum.

Nice said people often ask him, “You have all this stuff, but you’re back here?”

“I’m like, yeah, I’m here on this campus with these students, giving them information on what they can do to better their lives and better themselves and their families and follow in Pierina’s footsteps,” he responds. “Follow in my footsteps. And, you know, that’s kind of why I’m here [at the kick-off] today.”

In 2023, Rich called on Sánchez for help in securing city permits for the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop celebration hosted at Yankee Stadium and cited her accessibility.

“When she can, she helps us. When we need her, we call on her. It’s a terrific friendship,” said Nice, who also lauded her ready engagement with local youths. In collaboration with Sánchez’s office, the roughly two dozen members of a hip-hop youth club he helped found at Bronx Community College (BCC) were able to assist local victims of a fire by collecting and distributing outerwear and food. They have also joined in to discuss participatory budget allocations for the district, speaking on “things that the community is lacking and [weighing in on] what would be helpful.”

Tony Moore, a former college basketball player and youth coach, also plans to vote for Sánchez in the primary. About a year ago, Moore appealed to Sánchez’s staff to revamp parts of the Aqueduct Walk, a community park between Kingsbridge Road and West Tremont Avenue. Within a few months, Sánchez was able to secure work permits and expedited the upgrades. Now, Moore says, the young players on his basketball team can practice on “a better court than I had growing up there.”

Moore believes Sánchez will win because, he said, she is the only one of the three candidates on the ballot he has seen show up.

“She actually came to the neighborhood we grew up in and she spoke to [the] people,” said Moore. “I haven’t seen other candidates do that.”

Yet, Sánchez’s ample political appeal might be tuned out by the din of the second Trump administration as the tumult plays out on the streets. As more uncertainty and fear are sparked, especially in sanctuary cities such as New York City and even more acutely in immigrant-rich neighborhoods as those Sánchez represents, it might prove more difficult to garner attention, organize volunteers and turn out the vote.

Just weeks after the inauguration, head of Homeland Security Kristi Noem appeared in the Bronx and Washington Heights alongside heavily armed ICE and DEA agents as they conducted pre-dawn deportation raids on January 28th. Since then, confusion around whether ICE agents have the authority to enter schools and hospitals, normally off-limits, is causing panic within the community. Many residents are worried they and their children are being targeted, despite their legal status.

“They’re calling their pastors,” said Sánchez. “They’re calling their teachers and asking, ‘Are we safe in our schools?’”

She noted that she and her 50 colleagues of the New York City Council are “co-equal” legislators with the mayor and need to hold him to account as his administration responds to Trump’s actions.

“If the mayor is refusing to follow our sanctuary city policies, we take him to court,” Sánchez said. “We’re still a democracy, right?”

The crowd prepared to leave as dusk crept in along Jerome Avenue. With the indefatigable excitement of a cheerleader, Sánchez jumped back on stage and called out to the room for a group selfie. Her supporters gathered at the foot of the stage, peering up and grinning as she held the phone out. For the first time that afternoon, the crises in housing, immigration and education seemed to recede for a bit as the group cheered loudly, clapped and raised the roof.