Can Marjorie Velazquez win reelection?

Candidates and Coffers

Unlike in most of the 51 Council seats up for grabs this year, District 13 in the East Bronx is expected to have both a competitive primary and general election.

In her primary, Velázquez must get past Bernadette Ferrara, who previously ran an unsuccessful primary bid in a special election in neighboring District 15. Ferrara, who has also qualified for public matching funds, regards herself as a conservative Democrat, telling the Bronx Times in February that while her platform doesn’t align completely with the Republican Party, it is “very comparable” to it.

Assuming Velázquez tri- umphs in the Democratic primary on June 27, she will face the winner of a Republican primary.

Marmorato, who’s well known in the district, has already been endorsed by City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) and the Bronx GOP, which is led by her brother Michael Rendino. Her husband is Gino Marmorato, the Republican commissioner in the borough for the city’s Board of Elections.

Havranek is the president of the Spencer Estate Civic Association, having lived there for six decades, a former member of Bronx Community Board 10 who led the opposition to the Bruckner upzoning. Zherka is an insur- ance and construction business owner and former State Senate candidate.

Marmorato and Havranek have qualified for matching funds under the city’s campaign finance system. Havranek has the most left to spend at $144,640, with Marmorato not far behind with $106,157.

The next campaign filing deadline for the city’s campaign finance board is May 26, after which a new set of public matching funds will be doled out to qualifying candidates, which should give a boost to Velázquez who has just $25,531 on-hand ahead of that filing.

Labor Strong has already committed to spending $1 million on City Council elec- tions this year, according to the Daily News.

Not trailing far behind, the carpenters’ union is also planning to cough up $500,000 towards City Council contests through its super PAC Carpenters for Progress, according to City and State.

The United Federation of Teachers also endorsed Velázquez this week.

Velázquez will use her labor support to amplify her messaging about why she deserves a full four-year term.

She touted $20 million she’s helped allocate in City Council funding to district needs in her first six months, half of which went to replace the hyper bariatric chamber at Jacobi Medical Center. She also highlighted the roughly

28 officers she helped add to the 45 Precinct, and the passage of a bill she sponsored to reduce plastic waste.

“We’re just beginning. We’re delivering for folks and making them feel proud of their neighborhood as one of the safest, one of the ones that has the most resources and that they have a champion in that,” said Velázquez. “And at the end of the day, don’t let a vocal minority make you fear where you live, make you feel that this community is not there for you, make you feel that this community is less than.”

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