The Bronx Chronicle Endorses Melissa Mark-Viverito to be New York City’s next City Council Speaker.

As we all know the position for New York City Council Speaker is to be filled this Wensday , January 8th. Of the candidates who have actively campaigned for the post, the management of The Bronx Chronicle under the leadership of its publisher Sal Conforto has decided that City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito is by far the most qualified person to hold the position of Council Speaker.

Melissa a Puerto Rican woman first came to New York as a young student. She had been accepted to and graduated from Columbia University. As a student at Columbia she learned to perfect her voice and to express herself in matters that mattered to her. Being the daughter of an Italian mother and a German father would be enough to instill in her a backbone that others would envy. But that in and of itself would not be enough.

Melissa’s mom elizabeth ( on the left in above photo ) saw to it that her daughter would learn not to be invisible in a world dominated by men. A world where machismo was still very much alive.

To some this steadfastness could be understood as brassiness. To Elizabeth, Melissa and her friends, it was and is still seen as a perseverance that does not rest until her goal is achieved. Now some may argue that this one pointedness can be seen as narrow mindedness or aloofness. But in reality Melissa is a fair and openminded person. Sure  in the past some feathers may have been ruffled. In government and politics when aren’t feathers ruffled.

In the present Melissa has shown an ingrained tendency to listen to her constituency, to take on an issue, own it, speak up, and not stop fighting until the issue is resolved.

Her years of experience in fighting the good fight on behalf of the common man makes her well qualified  to rally public support, build a consensus  within the Council and if need be override vetoes until the job gets done. This concern for the common man is pervasive. She has historically supported issues that are important to the middle and  working classes. This can be seen in her support for affordable housing, fair wages , support for the arts , and quality education.

Her support for issues that are critical to the evolvement of a fair society is shared with almost all labor unions. Whether they support her candidacy or not the fact remains that she is supportive of issues which are important to their membership.

As she has been a friend of labor, labor is also a friend of hers.

What does this mean for the Bronx?

Well, Councilwoman Mark-Viverito has a history of reaching out, listening, and bringing people together. The issues of East Harlem are also the same issues that we face in Pelham Bay, Soundview, Morrisannia, Highbridge, and even Riverdale.

As she fought for the people of East Harlem she will also fight for the people of the Bronx. Not to do so will only lead to a failed tenure as City Council President. We don’t believe that she would be willing to  accept failure as her legacy.

We encourage the Bronx City Council delegation to join Councilman Richie Torres in voting for Melissa Mark-Viverito to be our next City Council Speaker.

In doing so we would substantially increase the margin by which she would win her tenure as Speaker. This would mean the difference between a weak Speaker with marginal support, or a powerful Speaker with hopefully unanimous support.

The more united the City Council can be in supporting the Speaker the more successful the Council can be in it’s dealing’s with the Mayor. A united and powerful Council would also speak volumes when speaking on our behalf in the City’s dealing’s with Albany.

A Mayor and a Council Speaker who have the support of a united City Council can be and will be more effective when dealing with the suburban and rural special interest in Albany.

If we are correct and we think we are, Councilwoman Mark-Viverito  as City Council Speaker with the support of Mayor de Blasio may be the spark that resurrects the progressive linage of President Teddy Roosevelt, Mayor LaGuardia, and  Congressman Vito Mark Antonio.  A progressive linage which laid the foundation for New York becoming the economic engine of the United States while at the same time improving the lives of countless Americans.