CB3 Chair Andrea Gordillo Launches Campaign for Term Limited Carlina Rivera's Seat
The race for New York City Council Seat #2 is now underway, despite the primary election being about a year out.
Andrea Gordillo, who's got all the downtown non-profit credentials you could ask for, tossed her hat in the ring yesterday. She is a Peruvian-American who's lived in the neighborhood for about a decade, presumably in the East Village, given her district.
She's held a number of influential posts since moving to New York from Boston, where she attended Northeastern University. Just to list a few:
• Development Director at The Clemente since 2020
• Chairperson of Community Board 3 (CB3) since December 2023
• President of Coalition for a District Alternative (CoDA) since 2020
These may not mean anything to you but this seat has been won by a CoDA-backed candidate for the past 25 years! Carlina Rivera (2017-25) backed by CoDA, so was Rosie Mendez (2005-17), and so was Margarita Lopez (1997-2005) before that. Yes, that also means that the seat has been held by a Hispanic woman since 1997.
It's worth mentioning that this district she's running is an amalgamation of different neighborhoods in east lower and middle Manhattan.
Despite covering only a few blocks of the Lower East Side (below Houston at least), the position has huge influence on shared local projects. A new councilmember will likely oversee the final stages of East River Park's renovation, as well as ensure major public neighborhood landmarks such as Union Square, Washington Square, and Astor Place are well maintained.
She's accompanied in the race by fellow CB3 member and former De Blasio staffer Sarah Batchu, who quietly announced her candidacy earlier this month. I'll write more on her later this week.
Check out Andrea's endorsements!
Important FYI as we enter a grueling, mind numbing 12-month election season: East of the Bowery does not and will not endorse anyone (likely) ever, but for a small fee I may be willing to change my mind.