NYC Council District 7 Election: Maria Ordoñez Seeks Uptown Seat

NEW YORK, NY — Voters in New York City's 7th Council district, which includes West Harlem, Morningside Heights and parts of Washington Heights and the Upper West Side, will see 12 names on their ballots when they vote in the June 22 primary election.

One of those names will be Maria Ordoñez, a student at Columbia University who was involved with a graduate student strike on campus, created a recycling initiative among tenants in her building and has worked on voter registration drives.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the election to create these profiles. Ordoñez's responses are below.

Maria Ordoñez

Age (as of Election Day)

21

Position Sought

City Council

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.)

West Harlem

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Columbia University

Occupation

N/A

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Campaign website

www.mariaordonez.nyc

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running for City Council because it’s time that City Council District 7 has true representation. I am a lifelong resident of West Harlem and I have seen working class communities of color like mine go ignored by our elected officials for far too long. Our local government has failed to provide for people of color, especially in the time of COVID-19. Growing up, I have seen my neighbors and friends displaced due to the negative effects of gentrification. I know what it means to attend a public school, and I know what it means to live in Council District 7. From a young age I have been involved in my community and have since been fighting for tenants’ rights, environmental justice, and to ensure that my community’s voice is heard. I believe that running is for everyone and it should not be limited to the rich, established, or well-connected. I am the youngest woman to be running for office in New York City and as a grassroots movement we will fight to address Council District 7’s most pressing issues.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue in our district is housing and I intend to fight for housing justice by ensuring that everyone has access to truly affordable housing, we stand up to real estate, and fight against gentrification.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am a lifelong resident of District 7 and firsthand understand what it means to live in this district, have attended public schools in the district, and have lived through the continued gentrification of this district. I am not taking a cent from real estate and am the youngest woman running for City Council in NYC and have already made history by being the youngest to max out on matching funds and the youngest to make it to the ballot. If elected, I would be the first woman to represent Council District 7.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

We need to make sure that we have equitable access to resources, educational resources, housing, food, and healthcare for all New Yorkers no matter what community or zip code they live in. This was a problem during the initial phase of the coronavirus of the pandemic, some neighborhoods were neglected more than others. We need to ensure equitable access to these resources.

Many in Harlem are worried about gentrification and the displacement of longtime residents. What is one specific policy you would push for to slow gentrification?

I would fight for truly affordable housing. Gentrification is known in NYC for consistently displacing low income residents by raising the price of rent. New Yorkers deserve truly affordable housing and to be able to have the security of their homes without the fear of being displaced by public-private partnerships in real estate. I will fight to make sure that we are dismantling systems in place right now that are incentivizing private developers to over-develop, upzone, and gentrify our communities through processes like ULURP. We must make sure that we are centering the voices of the community first and they have a voice in every step of the process and the future of our communities is not just in the hands of power.

Many Harlemites have complained of dirty streets during the pandemic. How would you help clean up the sidewalks?

New York’s trash pickup system is anachronistic and ill-suited for the city. With city pickup being intermittent, few alleys with dumpsters, and with many often disposing of their trash throughout the week (leaving it to fester for days before the city can get to it), it’s incredibly unpleasant but also makes little sense. In order to clean up the sidewalks, I’d fight for a proposal similar to CHECKPEDS, which suggested implementing a system where larger containers are placed on every block that can hold up to a minimum of 500 trash bags. These containers would be located near the residential buildings. On top of this, I will ensure that we are fully funding the Department of Sanitation and ensure that every community has access to recycling and composting bins.

A developer is seeking to build a 17-story building on 142nd Street that would include 20 affordable apartments, but which some neighbors criticized for its size and the proposed rezoning. As Council Member, would you support this project, oppose it, or push to change it?

I would oppose it because 20 affordable apartments is not enough. Additionally, so few apartments would in no way make up for the potential hundreds of residents this building would displace by leading to a rent increase.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Beyond housing justice, I am also fighting for fully funding public education, a Green New Deal for NYC, and a just recovery from COVID-19. As the product of the public school system, I know firsthand what it means to attend these schools and not have a library. We need to fully fund our public education to ensure that every child, no matter their zip code, can have access to the same quality education as students in wealthier neighborhoods. Furthermore, I will also fight for a Green New Deal for NYC to cut on building’s emissions, that has been to be one of the leading causes towards the climate crisis in NYC. Through this we will also talk about the climate crisis to students in schools and push for a Green New Deal for NYCHA that would improve living conditions there, as well as create more jobs for NYCHA residents so they begin to be leaders in their communities.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am an organizer from West Harlem where I have organized for tenants’ rights in my building, I have organized with the Bernie Sanders campaign, and I was the founder of Grassroots Action New York, a NYPAN chapter in Harlem and the Upper West Side. Beyond this, I ran for County Committee at 18 years old and won and I also ran to represent Bernie Sanders in the Democratic National Convention at 20 years old and won. I will bring my organizing experience and my lived experiences to office to fight for the people of Council District 7.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Never give up, your hardwork and determination will pay off in the end.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am the youngest woman running for office in NYC and if elected would make history, not just as the youngest in the City Council, but as the first woman to represent Council District 7. I am not taking money from real estate developers or corporate interests. I am fighting to make sure that we elevate the voices of our community and co-govern with them, to ensure that they too are part of the decision making table. For too long communities, like ours, have been left out of the conversation and now is the time for change and for a new voice in City Hall.