GOP Flips Bronx City Council Seat After 40 Years

(BRONX, NEW YORK) The GOP won a Bronx Council seat for the first time in 40 years after Kirsty Marmorato beat incumbent Marjorie Vasquex in the November election. The win comes after Vasquez’s reversal on the  Bruckner Zoning Project left the community angry and ready for a change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF4eM1uAsEw

“It was at that point that I started to see where leadership’s values were aligned and I started to see where my community and my neighbors values were and I felt OK, somebody has to step up here, ” Marmorato said in a statement to ABC 7. “I want to advocate for my family and my community.”

The Bruckner Zoning Project proposed a shift in zoning codes to allow for a 349-unit housing development for low income and elderly residents. The East Bronx neighborhood which is currently zoned for two and three story homes would be forced to have two eight story buildings within their district. 

“The ones who want to make the change here, they don’t live here, they’re coming into our community telling us what we need,” Edith Cactiano, a 60 year resident told NY1.

Marmorato campaigned against the Bruckner project which swayed frustrated voters in District 13 who felt they were losing control. This shift in the Bronx comes as a surprise where registered voters are 4-1 Democrat. 

“NIMBYism is bipartisan,” Helen Chang, a Professor at Hostos CUNY said. “The ‘not in my backyard’ sentiment can certainly enable that type of seat change.”