NYC Council Elections: Francesca Castellanos Seeks Uptown Seat

UPPER MANHATTAN, NY — Voters in Manhattan's 10th city council district, which includes Washington Heights and Inwood, will see eight names on their ballots when they vote in the June 22 primary election.

One of those will be Francesca M. Castellanos, a former tenant's rights activist, who is among the Democrats seeking to replace term-limited Ydanis Rodriguez.

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

Age (as of Election Day)

53

Position Sought

city council

Party Affiliation

democract

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

Washington heights

Family

son, siblings, parents and grandmother who is 100

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

4 year college degree

Occupation

interpreter

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

none

Campaign website

castellanosfortheheights.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am tired of our elected officials turning their back on us and passing the buck. They blame each other in order to avoid accountability when laws they pass fail us. As a lifelong New Yorker I have seen the city at its best and worse. I know that I can be an effective legislature as I am considerate and will listen to the needs of my constituents and will work side by side to address them.

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

Housing Insecurities: New York City needs to create more affordable housing. The housing lottery system needs to be based on the income of new york city residents only. As well as preserving the current units habitable through HPD. HPD inspectors needs to accurately record apartment violations as well as making sure that landlords correct them in the time allocated. Introduce legislation that will end the warehousing of apartments.

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

Crime in New York city and how it should be addressed. It seems that we have forgotten about crime victims and less about enforcing laws and protecting our citizens.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

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

I blame our elected officials for the deaths of so many new Yorkers including my sister a NYC teacher. The bickering between Cuomo and de Blasio regarding who was in charge and who could shut down the city caused many unnecessary deaths. Because if the city had shut down the first of March many lives would have been saved. As well as the way that Cuomo handled nursing home patients.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I believe in recall of all elected officials from the mayor, judges to district leaders this would lead to more transparency and accountability. I want the city council to be able to vote for the mayors nominees to police commissioner, NYC Chancellor, HPD and all mayor agency heads. I am for a green new deal for the city which would preserve current parks, recycle, reusing and composting. I believe new york city should be more animal friendly and become a no- kill animal shelter.

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

I was one of the founders of the Dominican's women caucus a non-profit in Washington Heights. I have worked as a community organizer whereas I would organize tenants association, meeting with residents regarding local concerns and have guests speakers and representatives to assist with their issues. Worked on a traffic light study that resulted in the installation of a traffic light in the corner of 184st and Audubon. avenue. Trained as a mediator and volunteered at a mediation center.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

There will be many time's in your life you will fall just pick yourself up, dust yourself and keep on walking.

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

If elected to the city council my office will be open the seven days of the week. So that I can serve those constituents that work nine to 5. As why should anyone have to take a day off from work just to meet with their local representative.