Meet five candidates in key City Council races
Alicka Ampry-Samuel
ALICKA AMPRY-SAMUEL IS A former New York State Democratic Committee member and district leader of the 55th Assembly District in Brooklyn. A graduate of the CUNY Law School, Ampry-Samuel has also worked as chief of staff for Assembly member Latrice M. Walker. In addition to DC 37, she has the endorsement of the Professional Staff Congress, New York Communities for Change and 1199SEIU Healthcare Workers East. Ampry-Samuel is running to represent Brooklyn’s Council District 41, which includes Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Ocean Hill-Brownsville. “The community is in desperate need of a strong leader who can relate to the struggles and concerns of today,” said Ampry-Samuel, who lives in Brownsville.
Diana Ayala
A RESIDENT OF EAST Harlem who grew up in public housing, Diana Ayala has served as the chief of staff to City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. Besides DC 37, Ayala has received endorsements from Congress member Adriano Espaillat and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Ayala is running to represent the 8th Council District, which includes East Harlem in Manhattan and Mott Haven, Longwood and Port Morris in the Bronx. Ayala would succeed Mark-Viverito, who is term-limited. Her priorities include increasing affordable housing, improving social services for senior citizens and getting guns off the streets. “I look forward to working with the union,” Ayala said.
Marjorie Velazquez
BORN AND RAISED in the Bronx, Marjorie Velazquez attended PS 106 and MS 127 in the Castle Hill neighborhood. She is a member of Bronx Community Board 10 and serves as its treasurer. Velazquez was also elected Democratic District Leader in the 82nd Assembly District. Velazquez is running to represent the 13th Council District, which includes City Island, Pelham Parkway, Throggs Neck and Westchester Square. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and nine other members of the City Council have endorsed Velazquez. Velazquez is an advocate for public housing and public transportation, which ensures she will be a strong ally for working families in the council.
Francisco P. Moya
FRANCISCO P. MOYA, born and raised in the Corona neighborhood in Queens, is running for the 21st Council District. Moya’s neighborhood activism started when he was just 15 years old as he organized the Corona Gardens Neighborhood Association. A graduate of St. John’s University, Moya has represented his Queens neighborhood in the state Assembly since 2010. In Albany, he fought for a higher minimum wage, affordable housing and more funds for public schools. The 21st Council District seat in Queen includes Jackson Heights, Flushing, Corona, Elmhurst and College Point. The district was represented by Julissa Ferreras-Copeland.
Adrienne Adams
ADRIENNE ADAMS, chair of Community Board 12 in Queens, is running for 28th City Council District, which became vacant in July when Ruben Wills was convicted on corruption charges. “Community and service are not empty words, but are the principles that have guided my life,” Adams said. The Queens County Democrats and U.S. Congress members Joe Crowley and Gregory Meeks have endorsed Adams. The 28th Council District represents the neighborhoods of Rochdale, Jamaica, Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park. Through the Jamaica New Leadership Council, Adams has promoted local economic development. She is a past member of the Queens Public Library Board of Trustees.
