Becomes First State Elected to Endorse Mayor for Second Term
Above - Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda stands with Mayor Bill de Blasio for the second time in four years to once again endorse a mayor who has become his friend at City Hall for re-election.
Below - The mayor and Assemblyman Sepulveda stand with Pastor Dr. Felecia M. Smith and members of the Parkchester Baptist Church.
Citing the mayor’s "on-going efforts and accomplishments," Luis Sepulveda became the first state Assemblymember - and first Bronx elected official - to endorse Mayor Bill de Blasio for a second term.
"Almost four years ago, I was the one of the first Bronx electeds to endorse then-Public Advocate Bill de Blasio to become mayor," the Assemblymember told the congregation of the Parkchester Baptist Church, led by the Reverend Felecia (cq) Smith, on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016. "Since then, he has not failed my faith in, and my expectations of him.
"Being the mayor of this great, frustratingly difficult-to-manage city has quite accurately been called having the second toughest job in America," Sepulveda told congregants. "And he has done it with amazing grace, dignity, dedication and caring as he leads this wonderfully diverse, dynamic and complicated city, with its multitude of vexing issues - and more-than-occasional crises.
The Assemblyman noted that under the mayor’s leadership, "Crime is at record lows, jobs are at record highs, and every 4-year-old child in our city has access to universal pre-K. New York City is freezing rents, expanding paid sick leave and minimum wage for workers, and dramatically reducing stop and frisk in our communities of color.”
“Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda has stood with us long before it was popular, and it is an honor to have his support in continuing our mission to create a stronger, fairer New York City,” said de Blasio.
The mayor told the congregation that at his first meeting with Sepulveda, the assemblyman wanted to know not what de Blasio could do for the assemblyman, but what he could do for Sepulveda’s constituents, issue by issue.
"He held my feet to the fire. He's the kind of person who makes you keep your promises," said the Mayor, calling the Assemblyman “a true fighter in Albany not only for his community but for all of New York’s working families. I look forward to building upon the success we’ve been able to create together these past three years and helping move our great city forward.”
Above - Mayor Bill de Blasio thanks Pastor Smith for allowing him to address the church.
Below - Mayor de Blasio begins his speech by talking about the past presidential election.
Above and Below - Throughout his entire speech to the church congregation Mayor de Blasio mentioned that he as mayor of New York City, and the residents of the city should not fear the new president when he says things that can not be done. The mayor says that he and the city will fight for the rights of all its citizens against any policies that may harm the city and any of its residents.
Above - Assemblyman Sepulveda wishes the mayor good bye as the mayor leaves for his next stop.
Below - Assemblyman Sepulveda stayed to answer questions. I asked him if this endorsement of the mayor would mean that he would not be supporting State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., and possibly running for Bronx Borough President. for the 18th City Council district. Assemblyman Sepulveda said that he will be supporting Rev.Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. for the 18th City Council seat, and that he would not be running for Bronx Borough President this year.
First elected to the Assembly in 2012, Sepulveda represents the 87th Assembly District, covering the Parkchester, Castle Hill, West Farms, Van Nest, and Park Stratton areas, with large populations of Latinos, African-Americans, and Southeast Asians, particularly from Bangladesh.
He has been a leader in criminal justice reform, advocating to change the culture of distrust between communities of color and police, and to correct racial biases in the criminal justice system.
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