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The Race ...
City Council
District 8
East Harlem, Mott Haven, Port Morris and The Upper West Side
Know something we should know? Let us know at campaign05@gothamgazette.com
General Election Results
Melissa Mark Viverito
Primary Results
Melissa Mark Viverito
The Incumbent:
There is no Incumbent posted for this race.
General Election Challenger(s):
Melissa Mark-Viverito
Primary Election Challenger(s):
Nelson Denis
Joyce S. Johnson
Felipe Luciano
Edwin Marcial
Melissa Mark-Viverito
John Ruiz
Feature Articles ...
Democrats in El Barrio
July 29, 2005
For the past eight years, New York City Councilmember Philip Reed says he has dedicated a substantial amount of his political efforts to fighting asthma in East Harlem, where one in four children has the respiratory disease.
Reed helped create a asthma task force in the City Council, organized a three-mile walk to spread awareness, and vigorously - although unsuccessfully - fought the reopening of the 100th Street bus depot in East Harlem. The depot, which serves as a hub for 200 city buses, was closed for five years, then reopened in 2003.
"These are issues of environmental racism," says Reed, who represents a district that is 54 percent Hispanic and 26 percent African-American. “You have to remain vigilant."
At the end of the year, Councilmember Reed will be forced out of office because of term limits. Eight Democrats - including an actor, a former firefighter, a TV broadcaster, a former state assembly member, and several community activists – are competing for the seat. And all of the candidates agree that asthma must be a top concern for whoever is elected.
The candidates advocate building more parks and gardens and say they would provide information and medical advice about respiratory health risks to constituents. And everyone pledges to continue fighting to close the 100th Street bus depot, although none offered a clear strategy of how to do so.
Candidate Gwen Goodwin, who lives across from the 100th Street bus depot, has been a part of the ongoing struggle. She founded East Harlem Bus Stop, a community organization that continues to lobby the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to close the depot.
"If you ever want to walk up [to East Harlem] during the day, I seriously advise you to bring your gas mask," says Goodwin.
The candidates are also concerned about future development projects that may pose environmental threats to the district, particularly the latest proposal by the city, called Uptown New York. This project, between 125th and 127th streets, will include 700,000 square feet of commercial space, 1,500 apartments, and a parking garage to holds cars as well as 80 MTA buses.
Critics charge this will only bring more traffic, congestion and pollution.
Though the majority of district 8 encompasses East Harlem, it also includes the South Bronx neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Port Morris and a section of the Upper West Side between 96th and 110th Streets.
The candidates tend to agree that education, affordable housing, and crime are the main issues for the area, but differ on how to go about successfully addressing these concerns.
EDUCATION
Education is a critical issue for district 8 where the classrooms are overcrowded and only 40 percent of elementary and intermediate students in East Harlem read at grade level.
Joyce Johnson, who currently is the director of operations for a charter school in the Bronx, says education will be her top concern.
Johnson promises to work with community-based organizations to provide better social services to students and parents. She also says she can help organizations apply for federal grants to support their initiatives in the arts, music, sports and health.
"It is a holistic view of community building so every generation comes to school prepared to learn and succeed," says Joyce Johnson. "The stronger the community, the stronger the family, the stronger the child."
Felipe Luciano, an Emmy-winning journalist and founder of the Young Lords, uses his two-year incarceration for manslaughter in his youth as part of this campaign. Luciano says his life transformation is representative of the potential for change in thousands of under-privileged kids living in East Harlem.
A main focus of Luciano's campaign is youth development, and he wants to establish more sports programs in schools and develop a new high school to train aspiring musicians.
Former firefighter John Ruiz, who is known to the community as the "Rappin Fireman" for his musical fire safety lessons in schools, blames the Bloomberg administration for closing P.S. 109, a historic elementary school which was deemed unsafe.
"This administration must have an acute case of rigor mortis because they've been stiffing the community," Ruiz says.
Gwen Goodwin, who founded the Coalition to Save P.S. 109, is determined to see it restored and once again filled with students.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Affordable housing is also a top concern for district 8, where the median household income is only $29,000. Although all of the candidates say they will fight to keep the housing that exists and work to create new apartments, again they offered few specifics about how they would do so.
Melissa Mark-Viverito, a community activist who is also running on the Working Families Party line, believes residents must mobilize and pressure developers to recognize the needs of the community and set aside adequate units for low-income housing.
"My interest is really to empower, strengthen and mobilize the community and create a community infrastructure that is really able to respond," says Viverito.
Nelson Denis, a former State Assembly member, and Eddie Baca, the director of a low-income housing development association, want to offer tax and zoning incentives to convince developers to create affordable housing.
CRIME
While crime has significantly decreased in the past several years for the district, public safety is still a major concern.
Felipe Luciano wants to see ex-convicts reintegrated into society and mentored to prevent them from committing future crimes.
"It is not enough to simply let [ex-convicts] out in to the world," says Luciano. "We have to provide housing for them, education for them and social services to redeem themselves, and an incredible amount of therapy."
Edwin Marcial, a Spanish soap opera actor and former president of school board 4, is also concerned with the crime rates and drug use. If elected, he promises to work closely with the police precincts and foster better relations between the community and police officers.
Nelson Denis says the city should attack crime at the root. Rather than spending millions of dollars a day on prisoners, he proposes that the city allocate that money into the school system to help ensure young kids stay on track early on and do not turn to violence.
"It makes sense to put money into educating people to move forward in life rather than closing off those opportunities and then having kids in jail," Denis said.
THE CAMPAIGN
Several candidates have run for the district 8 City Council seat in the past.
In 2001, Felipe Luciano was defeated in a close primary election with Philip Reed, losing by just 1046 votes out of more than 16,000 votes cast. In 2003, Luciano did not run, but Melissa Mark-Viverito and Edwin Marcial did, and both lost to the incumbent by large margins.
By mid-July, Melissa Mark-Viverito lead in campaign contributions with over $70,000, followed by Felipe Luciano with $63,000 and Joyce Johnson with $50,000. Nelson Denis has also garnered considerable amounts with close to $40,000. Eddie Baca said he will finance his campaign himself.
Philip Reed has endorsed Joyce Johnson for the seat, but offers advice for whoever is elected.
"Voters want to know that you'll work hard for them and be fair and straight forward," said Councilmember Reed. "The rest of it, they are very forgiving."
CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
Three of the eight Democratic candidates have been knocked off the ballot for the Primary. Eddie Bacca, Gwen Goodwin, and Edwin Marcial are no longer candidates for the Democratic nomination, according to the Board of Elections. (Updated 8/03/05)
The Incumbent:
There is no Incumbent posted for this race.
Challenger(s):
Nelson Denis | Dem |
Nelson Antonio Denis represented the 68th Assembly District in the New York State Assembly from 1996-2000. He has also served as member of the local Community Board, and was an editorial writer for El Diaro/La Prensa. Denis was the writer and director of "Vote For Me," a political comedy about East Harlem politics. He received his undergraduate degree in government from Harvard University and his law degree from Yale Law School.
Joyce S. Johnson | Dem |
Joyce Johnson is the director of operations for the Readnet Charter School in the South Bronx. She has held various positions in the offices and campaigns of local officials like Ruth Messinger, C. Virgina Fields, and Alan Hevesi and Rudy Crew. She is active in various neighborhood organizations like the Riverside Park Fund and Strycker's Bay Neighborhood Council.
Felipe Luciano | Dem |
Felipe Luciano is radio and television reporter and commentator. He was the first Puerto Rican news anchor for WNBC and a former co-host of Good Day Street Talk on Fox 5. He is also co-founder of the Young Lords Party and served as a commissioner on the City Task Force on Police and Community Relations.
Edwin Marcial | Dem |
Edwin Marcial was the president of the school board for district four and has sat on several committees on community board 11. He also ran for City Council in 1997 and 2001.
Melissa Mark-Viverito | Dem | WFP |
Melissa Mark-Viverito is a researcher for 1199 SEIU New York’s Health Care Union. She has also worked as Director of the Hispanic Education and Legal Fund (HELF), the Census Bureau, and as Deputy Director of ASPIRA of New York, a youth leadership development organization. She is founder and President of Women of El Barrio, Chair of the Violence Intervention Program, and Board Member representing New York for the Boricua Initiative, a nationwide coalition of community activists committed to the political and economic empowerment of the Puerto Rican community.
She has also served as a Board Member of Community Board 11 and as Treasurer of El Barrio Revolving Loan Fund.
John Ruiz | Dem |
John Ruiz is a Democratic district leader in the 68th Assembly district, a position to which he was elected in 2003. He served as a firefighter for nearly 20 years in East Harlem, Washington Heights, and Lower Manhattan. While a firefighter, Ruiz founded the Rappin' Fireman Safety Program to educate children about fire safety. He also founded Our Firefighter's Children's Foundation, which provides food and gift to low-income people.
Campaign Trail ...
Below are the latest Campaign Trail items for the District 8 race. For the full Campaign Trail archive, go here
September 19, 2005
They've finished counting ballots in that East Harlem City Council race, and the winner is Melissa Mark-Viverito.
The former 1199 staffer prevailed over Felipe Luciano by 84 votes.
Mark-Viverito's win, along with Darlene Mealy's win in central Brooklyn, is a mark of how powerful the “progressive” wing of the labor movement, and its agent, the Working Families Party, have become in local races that have dropped off the radar for unorganized citizens and other interest groups. (The Politicker)
El Barrio Battle Hinges on 16 Votes
September 15, 2005
The political cliffhanger's not over. While the Democratic mayoral primary runoff question is answered, the winner of a race for a City Council seat covering East Harlem and the South Bronx was hanging on by a 16-vote thread. (Daily News)
Daily News Endorses Johnson for Council
September 12, 2005
Joyce Johnson “has spent years tackling grass-roots issues and, as a charter school administrator, understands the challenges facing teachers, principals and students.” (Daily News)
Amsterdam News Endorses Melissa Mark Viverito
September 8, 2005
We endorse Melissa Mark Viverito for City Council in District Eight. First and foremost, she is an effective labor organizer for 1199 SEIU. She is endorsed by such luminaries as U.S. Reps. Charles B. Rangel and Jose Serrano, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo. (Amsterdam News)
El Diario Endorsement: Melissa Mark Viverito in District 8
September 2, 2005
Five candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for City Council in District 8, which covers East Harlem and portions of the South Bronx and the Upper West Side. We believe Melissa Mark Viverito has the background and the expertise to energize the people of the district and successfully advocate on their behalf in the New York City Council. (El Diario-La Prensa)
Unusually High Number Of Union Members And Officials Running For City Council
August 27, 2005
A larger-than-usual number of union members and officials are running for City Council seats in New York this year, spurred by the strength of their labor organizations and by the support coming from other union groups.
This includes Melissa Mark-Viverito, a researcher for 1199/S.E.I.U., the large health care union, running in East Harlem. Besides Ms. Mark-Viverito, there is Rodney L. Carroll, an organizer for Local 371 of the Social Service Employees Union, who is running for a City Council seat in central Harlem.
In the Bronx, Joseph A. McManus, the coordinator for Steamfitters Local 638 in that borough, is running for a City Council seat. Darlene Mealy, a member of the Transit Workers Union, is running for the City Council in a district in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
All are running in districts where term-limit laws have prevented incumbents from seeking re-election.
One incumbent seeking re-election is Annabel Palma, who was a union organizer with 1199/S.E.I.U. before winning a City Council seat in the Bronx two years ago
(NY Times)
New York Times Endorsement: Melissa Mark-Viverito in District 8
August 21, 2005
Eighth District (East Harlem, Upper West Side, and the South Bronx): The predominantly Hispanic community of East Harlem, which makes up 60 percent of the district, suffers with some of the worst air pollution in the city and epidemic asthma rates due in large part to bus terminals located there. Districtwide, lower-income families continue to be pushed out by rising housing costs. The outgoing councilman, Philip Reed, has endorsed Joyce Johnson, a former Seagram's executive who helps run a charter school in the Bronx. Ms. Johnson is a strong candidate, made stronger by the presence of several Latinos who threaten to split the Hispanic vote. Among them, one, Melissa Mark-Viverito, has demonstrable ties throughout the district. An organizer for 1199/S.E.I.U., Ms. Mark-Viverito holds degrees from Columbia University and Baruch College. She proved she can be independent two years ago, when she defied her union to run unsuccessfully against Mr. Reed. Ms. Mark-Viverito has a reformist's heart, an activist's spirit and a keen intellect. Her campaign has been lively and districtwide, and she promises to be a force for all her constituents. For those reasons, we endorse Melissa Mark-Viverito.
(New York Times)
With Incumbent Out of Race, a Competive Race In East Harlem
August 16, 2005
The high-voltage level of the campaigning reflects the fact that five candidates are battling for an open City Council seat because the incumbent, Philip Reed, is barred by term limits from running. And all five candidates have some political experience, leaving the outcome utterly unpredictable.
Although Council District 8 is anchored in East Harlem - about 60 percent of the district's residents live there - it includes parts of the Upper West Side of Manhattan and the South Bronx. That, and the combination of candidates, make this race one of the most competitive in the city for this primary.
One candidate is Felipe Luciano, 57, a longtime radio personality and a television reporter and anchor who has a most unconventional history. Mr. Luciano was a gang leader in his youth, and served time for manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of a Brooklyn teenager in the early 1960's. After he was released from prison, he attended Queens College and wrote poetry with the Last Poets, three spoken-word artists.
Years later, Mr. Luciano went into television journalism and worked at a number of New York stations, first at WNBC and later at WNYW. Four years ago, he ran against Mr. Reed and lost by just two percentage points, or about 200 votes.
But this year's race is far more competitive than the one-on-one contest of 2001. Another candidate in the primary is Nelson Antonio Denis, 50, a Harvard- and Yale-educated lawyer who served four years in the State Assembly before losing in 2000. Mr. Denis ran unsuccessfully last year for a State Senate seat. But he is known in the district, where he has long operated a law office that offers residents a number of free services.
Another candidate is Joyce Johnson, 58, a former Democratic district leader and the director of operations for a charter school in the Bronx. Ms. Johnson, who once served as a special assistant to Ruth W. Messinger, the former Manhattan borough president, ran unsuccessfully for an Assembly seat three years ago.
And there is John Ruiz, 51, a Democratic Party district leader in East Harlem and a former firefighter.
One candidate who has received a great deal of attention and fund-raising support is Melissa Mark-Viverito, 34, a researcher for 1199/S.E.I.U., the large health care union. She has also worked as the director of the Hispanic Education and Legal Fund.
(NY Times)
Latino Candidates Struggle in East Harlem
August 10, 2005
District 8 in Manhattan covers 96th to 110th streets on the upper west side, Randalls Island and a portion of the south Bronx. The majority of the district though lies in East Harlem. Despite that, it’s been difficult for East Harlemites to get one of their own elected into the city council. In 2001, Phil Reed, a black candidate from the upper west side, barely pulled out a victory over Felipe Luciano, a TV and radio reporter who probably would have won had he not had to compete with two other latino candidates. With six East Harlemites vying for the spot this year, the same scenario is threatening to play out. (WNYC Radio)
Primary City Council Race to Watch
August 1, 2005
As campaign season heads for August, a feisty three-way battle is heating up for outgoing Councilmember Phil Reed’s seat. With one-third of the district’s Democrats black and 45 percent Latino, racial politics could shape the contest. A Young Lord-turned-local- newscaster, Felipe Luciano narrowly lost to Reed in 2001, and carries invaluable name recognition. But long-time Democratic Party insider Joyce Johnson carries Reed’s endorsement—along with that of Gale Brewer and her predecessor, Ronnie Eldridge, who served for 12 years. But so far, political newcomer Melissa Mark-Viverito, a community activist, is neatly beating them both in fundraising. Mark-Viverito’s campaign is backed by her union, SEIU 1199, which houses one of the most sophisticated voter mobilization operations in the city; she blew her opponents out of the water with more than 9,000 petition signatures, ten times what’s required to get on the ballot. Her opponents reported gathering about 3,500 each. (City Limits)
Stonewall Democrats Make Endorsements
July 7, 2005
The Stonewall Democrats made endorsements in all five boroughs. In addition to endorsing 30 incumbents in the 51-member City Council, the club also endorsed six candidates vying for seats vacated by councilmembers forced out by term limits. On the East Side; Joyce Johnson seeking the uptown District 8 seat held since 1997 by Philip Reed, a gay man. (Gay City News)
In City vs. The People, Melissa Dons Her Armor
July 25, 2005
As the walls continue to close in on the poor and working-class folk in one of the most sought-after pieces of land in the world, a new contender is looking to join the fight against gentrification, poor health services, a failing public school system and uninspired business development.
But will Melissa Mark-Viverito, candidate for New York City Council in Manhattan’s District 8 be up to the challenge? (ny Latino Journal)
Full District 8 Campaign Trail Archive
District 8 Campaign Trail in RSS format. 

