Public Employee Press

Union push boosts Salamanca to win City Council seat

Rafael Salamanca won the special election on Feb. 23 to represent the 17th district in the City Council.

Endorsed by DC 37, Salamanca defeated five candidates and received 40 percent of the vote.

Salamanca, whose district includes Hunts Point, Longwood and Morrisania in the South Bronx, was endorsed by DC 37 at a press conference in January.

"We trust he will be a champion for working people in the City Council," said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido at the press conference.

During his victory speech, Salamanca announced his first priority is to reach out to residents of the New York City Housing Authority.

"I'm going to visit those same developments I was visiting to get out the vote, to get those elevators fixed and the garbage removed. Those are a major concern for me and I am going to bring results to NYCHA," Salamanca said.

An experienced community activist, Salamanca is a lifelong resident of the district and has worked as the district manager for Community Board 2 since 2010 and chaired its health committee for five years.

Salamanca's mother was a member of Municipal Hospital Employees Union Local 420.

The special election filled the seat left vacant by Maria del Carmen Arroyo.

—Alfredo Alvarado