Though the general election is still more than a year away, the re-election campaign for Assemblymember Carmen De La Rosa (D-Upper Manhattan) has already begun.
De La Rosa held her first 2020 campaign fundraiser last night at the Inwood Bar and Grill, 4892 Broadway. The event saw attendance from Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-Washington Heights, Sugar Hill) and a bevy of her colleagues and constituents.
“Thank you all for being here,” said De La Rosa. “It’s an honor to be your assemblywoman.”
At the event, De La Rosa reiterated her loyalty to the neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, and commended her constituents for showing the same dedication. As an assemblywoman, one of her top priorities has been resisting the tide of gentrification that the neighborhood faces.
“Our community has withheld overtime,” said De La Rosa. “Even when our community wasn’t one of the safest, we stood here. We are neighbors; we are a diverse community that loves and respects one another. But with the gentrification that has been taking hold in our communities, we needed legislation to come forward to protect tenants, [especially] tenants who are working class.”
As she pointed out, the Assembly was able to make significant progress in that department this year. Two months ago, we saw the introduction of nine tenant protection bills in the Assembly and State Senate. De La Rosa was a cosponsor for all of them.
Among the pieces of legislation introduced during the latest legislative session were a bill to expand the jurisdiction of Emergency Tenant Protection Act, a bill to prohibit landlords from evicting tenants “without good cause”, and a bill to repeal the “vacancy bonus” that landlords receive when an apartment changes tenants.
“We had a historic legislative session in Albany,” she said. “We know that we’re delivering for our communities. I think the most important thing for this community specifically is to remain united – to understand that these problems have solutions if we work together.”
During his time on the mic, Adriano Espaillat spoke highly of the assemblywoman, calling her one of our most valuable allies in the Assembly.
“We are fortunate to have someone like Carmen looking after this district, an important district for all of us,” said Espaillat.
De La Rosa said the event was the first of many fundraisers she has planned leading up to 2020. She ended the evening by thanking the attendees for their support, remarking that she hopes to see them again and again as the campaign trail continues.
“The love and support that I feel from the community here is what drives me to continue to go up to Albany and be a voice for this community,” she said. “So thank you for this privilege. I look forward to seeing many of you over and over again as we gear up for 2020.”
