Candidacy disclosure: Theo Chino-Tavarez is a candidate for Congress in District 13 and this story may contain personal bias. His website is https://tbcforcongress.us.
Congressional District 13 is not Palestine, as demonstrated in 2019 when Community Board 12 refused to consider an out-of-order resolution on the subject. A newly enlisted DSA member had asked the Board to endorse the resolution, but the request was procedurally out of order, and the Board rejected it on both technical and substantive grounds.
However, POLITICO has framed the district’s issues as a choice between corruption and Palestine, presenting the race as a binary in which residents will ultimately choose the “devil they know” — corruption.
This moment provides an opportunity to engage voters on the full range of issues that reflect the district’s diversity, but Emily Ngo has instead chosen sensationalism.
Justice Democrats helped elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez through the efforts of two Bronx organizers who secured for her the Bronx Progressive Democrats and DSA endorsements.
But 2025 is not 2018. Representative Adriano Espaillat has been weakened by the sustained efforts of District 13 residents. Justice Democrats are now supporting a Columbia University pro-Palestinian candidate, allowing the organization to raise funds off both New York residents and the Palestinian cause.
Justice Democrats has exhibited the hallmarks of a libertarian-leaning organization, with a colonizing demeanor and an out-of-touch yet well-educated minority opportunist candidate in Darializa Avila Chevalier.
To understand how Adriano Espaillat has been weakened, we must first acknowledge that one of the earliest meaningful challenge Adriano Espaillat was Washington Heights resident Michael Hano, a Jewish Japanese-born candidate who tirelessly exposed the congressman’s connections to Dominican Republic sugar plantations.
Before Michael Hano,perennial candidate Luis Tejada, also attempted to challenge Espaillat, but he was unable to gain traction because he did not grasp what the two Bronx Democrats understood when they took over the Democratic Party.
Hano, who was part of the Democratic Party SDA team, also documented allegations that the Espaillat political organization operated petition mills that produced fraudulent signatures, including copied signatures of deceased voters.
In 2023, the next controversy involved Adriano Espaillat’s attempt to challenge the vote for chair of the Manhattan Democratic Party and install Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, after striking a deal with Downtown Justice Advocate Arthur Schwartz. Uptown district leaders were accused of attempting to influence or alter the vote.
Uptown and Downtown DSA were not aligned on which candidate to support.
I ran for chair as a Social Democratic Socialist and garnered only three votes, reflecting that Downtown DSA backed the Liberal candidate Harvey Epstein, while Uptown DSA, familiar with the allegations of corruption surrounding Espaillat, supported Nico Minerva.
Epstein ultimately lost the chairmanship by eight votes, but not without controversy, as Mike Hano requested a roll-call vote for the 72nd Assembly District, which reversed Epstein’s initial lead.
According to witnesses, Congressman Adriano Espaillat was seen pressuring his supporters to ensure their votes were counted while attempting to suppress opposing votes. Multiple DSA members from Uptown requested that the Manhattan Democratic Party investigate the voting process.
With assistance from the Four Freedoms Democratic Club district leaders, the Manhattan Democratic Party leadership reluctantly convened an Ethics Committee. After several resignations, a final committee was seated and issued a report recommending that Congressman Espaillat be removed from the Democratic Party.
If Justice Democrats now see an opportunity to challenge the “Squadriano,” it is not due to the actions of their candidate, Darializa Chevalier, but rather to the efforts of multiple Democratic County Committee members who grew tired of dealing with blatant corruption.
Where was Darializa Chevalier when values were being challenged before Community Board 9 or in interactions with the NYPD?
The community has shown support for Palestine, but District 13 also needs a representative who will address local issues, such as extending the Second Avenue Subway to connect with the 125th Street 1 train, and addressing the absence of a functional Harlem Pier.
Residents of District 13 deserve a candidate who will represent Social Democratic values, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has grown to do. At this time, Darializa has not demonstrated a willingness to step forward on behalf of local constituents.
This highlights once again the lack of neutrality in POLITICO’s coverage, which fails to inform residents and political professionals about the real conditions of the district, and instead promotes a narrative that polarizes the neighborhood rather than helping voters identify a candidate who will represent their collective interests in Washington, D.C.
Candidacy disclosure: Theo Chino-Tavarez is a candidate for Congress in District 13 and this story may contain personal bias. His website is https://tbcforcongress.us.