There are six candidates in the race to replace soon to be former Assemblyman Michael Blake who is running for congress. Two of those candidates who asked to remain anonymous have told us that candidate Elvis L. Santana does not live in the district at his address on file at the Board of Elections, but still lives at his old address in the 85th Assembly District. There is even a recording with a woman (claiming to be a relative of Mr. Santana) saying that Mr. Santana does not live at the address in the 79th A,D,, but still lives at his old address in the 85th A.D.
We went to the Board of Elections to see just when Mr. Santana changed his registration, and his voting history which is public information. Mr. Santana changed his address on November 1, 2019, and had a voting history back to 2017 of voting in the 85th A.D. In January of 2017 he registered to vote in the 85th A.D. with a previous address in Connecticut, In 2017 Mr. Santana ran in the Democratic primary for the 17th City Council where he was knocked off the ballot. He then ran in the general election under the Empower Society line where he received 226 of the total count of 13,707 ballots. In the 79th A.D. he received 68 votes out of the total count of 5,615 ballot.
We spoke to 79th A.D. candidate Elvis L. Santana to ask him where he lives. He said that he rents a room with his cousin at the address in the 79th A.D. When we asked him about the recording of a relative who said that he still lives at his old address, Mr. Santana said that the statement was incorrect, adding that while it appears that he moved into the district just to run for office, he is happy if that is the only question his opponents have of him.
In this race there are other questions as former Assemblyman Eric Stevenson is running for his old seat having been removed from office, convicted of wrong doing, and serving time in jail by the U.S. Attorney's office.
Candidate Chantel Jackson is running with State Senator Luis Sepulveda who is rumored to be wired after making a deal with federal authorities to stay in office to go after higher elected officials. A thirteen page document was sent to the State Senate by Sepulveda's brother who is in jail on drug related crimes, saying that Luis Sepulveda is a child molester, drug user, and drug dealer which was reported by NY1 reporter Zack Fink. Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo made a surprise announcement that he was not seeking re-election, and current Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced his retirement when he is term limited out of office at the end of 2021. Senator Sepulveda is very close to Mayor Bill de Blasio who was investigated previously by the U.S. Attorney's office where it was said that there was not enough evidence then to indict the mayor. Sepulveda was with the mayor on his failed Presidential bid, and now is rumored to be in Florida with his family that has lived there for a while.
