Lower East Side Councilwoman Carlina Rivera joined the crowded race for New York’s 10th congressional district Wednesday, pitting her against former Mayor Bill de Blasio, Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, Rep. Mondaire Jones, and other prominent Democrats.
The district encompasses parts of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
“New York City is at a crossroads. Even before the pandemic, people were feeling very transient in their jobs and in their homes and wondering whether New York City would have future that fits them in it,” Rivera told Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” Wednesday. “This is an opportunity to represent where I was born and raised, my home, and I’m going for it.”
Beyond her representation of the Lower East Side on the City Council, Rivera says she has roots in the Brooklyn parts of the district where her family lives. But Niou, who in the Assembly represents parts of NY-10 including Chinatown, appeared to respond to Rivera’s “born and raised” remark in a tweet Wednesday.
“I’ve repped my neighbors in this city for three terms in the NYS legislature,” Niou wrote. “I’m a proud immigrant and it shouldn’t matter what country you were born in, the immigrants in NY10 ARE New Yorkers.”
In Congress, Rivera said federal leadership was needed to address local problems.
“People all over the country are thinking about whether they have access to affordable and stable housing, whether they can get to their jobs, and whether or not they are going to have affordable and even free health care,” Rivera said, adding she hoped to prioritize mass transit and the pedestrianization of cities.
Rivera pointed to her work on the Council as having “international and national implications,” including pandemic preparedness, climate change legislation, and increasing affordable housing, including the rezoning of NoHo and SoHo.
“Housing right now and housing stability is finally at the forefront of a national agenda,” Rivera said, citing recent comments by President Joe Biden and Mayor Eric Adams. “There are communities in this city and in other places that just have not contributed, I think, their fair share of affordable housing. So we have to look for creative solutions.
“I’m glad that we reached the final deal and we will be building affordable housing in downtown Manhattan,” Rivera added.
On Wednesday, attorney Daniel Goldman, who was lead counsel for the House Democrats during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial and a candidate for state attorney general, also jumped into the race. Former congresswoman and city comptroller Elizabeth Holtzman and social scientist Elizabeth Kim are also among the prominent candidates entering the race.