(Dawn Kikel)

By Niko Balkaran

Voters in the South Bronx will head to the polls June 24th to help shape the future of their communities in elections for Borough President and two City Council seats. This year’s council races are the most competitive in several cycles because both are open elections: there is no incumbent.

For years, some elected officials in the Bronx have faced little challenge, coasting to reelection. This time, multiple seats are up for grabs, and long-time incumbents, Councilmembers Rafael Salamanca Jr. and Diana Ayala, are stepping down due to term limits.

Their departures open the door for a new generation of leadership and a number of candidates have stepped up, each aiming to represent the people of Districts 8 and 17 and bring their vision to City Hall. Many of the candidates are running on platforms emphasizing housing, jobs, safety, equity and the youth in their campaigns. We’ll continue to cover those issues.

In this reporting project, the Mott Haven Herald and Hunts Point Express, has taken a closer look at one key part of this election: the money.

In New York City, candidates for elected office are required to tell the public where they get the money that funds their campaigns and how they spend it. In exchange, the city provides public financing, matching what candidates raise with tax dollars at a rate of 8 to 1 for the first $175, which means that $175 can generate an additional $1400 in public funds. This is an attempt to make it possible for non-wealthy candidates and those without ready access to a network of wealthy donors to run for office. To qualify, City Council candidates must raise at least $5000 in matchable contributions and from at least 75 residents of their council districts. Meanwhile, candidates for Bronx Borough President must raise $29,453 from 100 residents to qualify for matching funds.

Donations play a central role in the campaigns. So we reviewed the campaign finance filings for all the candidates in the race. The data reveals how public matching funds are shaping this election, leveling the playing field for political newcomers and showing which candidates are gaining momentum among Bronxites – based on the donations they’ve garnered. Some campaigns have drawn significant financial support from people within the borough, others are relying on donors from across the city and around the region and from Political Action Committees for various interest groups.

The five candidates for Council District 8 in Mott Haven, Port Morris, East Harlem, Highbridge, Concourse, and Longwood have raised a collective $126, 522.46, mainly from donors giving less than $10. The average donation amount was $95.

The eight candidates for Council District 17 in Mott Haven-Port Morris, Melrose, Hunts Point, Longwood, Morrisania, Crotona Park East, Concourse-Concourse Village, West Farms, Soundview-Bruckner-Bronx River have raised a collective $162,439.99, also mostly in donations less than $100. The average donation amount was $86.

Some donors are regular people from the neighborhoods, their occupations listed as truck drivers, office managers and street vendors. But some candidates are pulling in donations from as far away as Texas and some are taking in money from industries that hold sway in the borough: real estate and healthcare. Unions, from teachers to healthcare workers to carpenters and masons have donated significant sums. Political action committees, sometimes called dark money, are spending to support some candidates. Airbnb Inc, the Real Estate Board of New York, a Political Action Committee that backs candidates who support Israel, a Wall Street trading firm and a range of unions have spent money on the council and borough president elections.

We break down those numbers and what they might mean for the candidates and Bronx voters in the stories that follow.

Councilmembers Salamanca Jr. and Ayala rarely faced serious competition in their reelection campaigns. With both of them term limited this year, the primary for their seats is open.

And there’s even more at stake beyond the City Council. The race for Bronx Borough President has turned into a high-profile contest between incumbent Vanessa Gibson and her longtime colleague Salamanca Jr. With his council term ending, Salamanca is now making a play for the office. Both Gibson and Salamanca have well-funded campaigns, support from constituents in the South Bronx and several unions and political action committees (PACs).

One question looms: will voters show up?

Historically, voter turnout has been low in the South Bronx. Community Districts 1 and 2 have a total of 95,464 citizens of voting age. Not all of those people are eligible to vote, only 78,918 are registered. In the 2022 election, 19 to 28% of those registered voters showed up at the polls.

What voters decide this time could shape what policies and development plans are implemented in the borough at a time when local government is taking on greater significance as the administration of President Donald Trump attempts to dismantle or dramatically reduce the reach of the federal government.