DeBlasio Returns to Parkchester

  On  Sunday April 21st current Public Advocate  and candidate for mayor in the upcoming Democratic primary Bill DeBlasio came to Parkchester to receive an endorsement for mayor. That was the first endorsement of a mayoral candidate by a Bronx elected official, and it was made by 87th A.D. Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda. Since then Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. endorsed Bill Thompson as did the Bronx Democratic County organization. State Senator Gustavo Rivera endorsed Christine Quinn, State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. endorsed Erick Salgado, and the powerful Ben Franklin Democratic Club of the Northwest Bronx led by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz has not endorsed any candidate for mayor as of yet.

   When he came to Parkchester to receive Assemblyman Sepulveda's endorsement DeBlasio said that this would not be the only time the voters of Parkchester would see him. DeBlasio returned this past Saturday to Parkchester, and his first stop was the Roselyn Johnson Democratic Club of the 87th A.D located on Castle Hill Avenue. He went inside to discuss the walking tour from Castle Hill Avenue to the heart of Parkchester, telling State Committeeman and Community Board #9 member William Rivera that he wanted to meet as many people that he could.

   The walking tour started across Castle Hill Avenue onto Starling Avenue. On Starling Avenue DeBlasio stopped for every person to introduce himself and ask a question of the concerns of the person he was talking to. Before he left Deblasio kindly asked for the persons vote in the upcoming Democratic primary. He went into several stores to talk to the owners and patrons again asking questions and listening to the answers. The walking tour then went onto Unionport Road to the heart of Parkchester. Again as he was doing Deblasio wanted to speak to as many people as he could. He would stop to hear the concerns of newly registered voters, parents, senior citizens, and anybody who had anything to say to him. Some of what was said can not be printed as it was not aimed at DeBlasio, but the current mayor. 

   Parkchester has a lot of union people living in its vast development. While DeBlasio was happy to hear 1199 union people tell him they were voting for him because their union had supported DeBlasio, that was not always the case when it came to other union members. He ran into several members of the United Federation of Teachers who said their union had endorsed another candidate and that was who they were voting for. The same happened when he ran into some members of the union DC 37 who had endorsed a different opponent of DeBlasio.

   The walking tour finally reached its destination in front of Macy's where there was a table set up and dozens of volunteers collecting signatures of registered Democrats to put DeBlasio on the ballot to run for mayor. Below are a few photos of candidate DeBlasio and his return to Parkchester.

 

Left - Mayor candidate Bill DeBlasio stands in front of the Roselyn Jackson Democratic Club on Castle Hill Avenue in the 87th A.D.

Right - DeBlasio goes over the walking tour with State Committeeman and CB 9 member William Rivera.

 

Left - DeBlasio poses with some newly registered voters on Starling Avenue.

Right - Inside Parkchester DeBlasio listens to a fathers concerns, and tells of his education plan.

Left - DeBlasio listens to the concerns of Margret Walsh former head of Parkchester South.

Right - DeBlasio poses with many of the volunteers who were gathering signatures for him outside Macy's. Julian Sepulveda (on DeBlasio's left) stands in for his father Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda who was out of town.