The Dominican community in New York City continues to gain political ground, mainly in the state legislature. Dominican Manny De Los Santos won Tuesday’s special elections and will now replace his countrywoman, Carmen De La Rosa, to represent the District 28 in the State Assembly, which encompasses Washington Heights and Inwood.
The new assemblyman, who grew up in those Upper Manhattan neighborhoods, was running for office against two other Dominican candidates, Nayma Silver-Matos, a Democrat who had run for the ‘ Uptown Rises’ and Republican nominee Edwin De La Cruz
After securing victory, the new assemblyman, who is a social worker and community activist, said he felt “grateful and honored by the trust of my community by electing me as your voice in the State Assembly.”
“Throughout my life I have fought for the people of Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill and I will continue that work in Albany,” added De Los Santos.
De La Rosa left office after being elected in the pa November elections for a seat on the Municipal Council, as a councilor for the District 10, previously held by another Dominican, Ydanis Rodríguez, who was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams as the new Commissioner of the City Department of Transportation.
De La Rosa, who began his term as councilman in January, said of De Los Santos’ triumph that having served this community as a member of the Assembly for the past 5 years, “I know that Manny De Los Santos is a caring leader who understands the impact of the legislative process on our neighborhoods. He will be a strong advocate for each of our residents, especially the most vulnerable, so I am honored to pass the baton and have him as a partner in government.”
Another Dominican elected official in New York, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, referred to De Los Santos “is a lifelong resident of Upper Manhattan and has dedicated his life to serve our community. I look forward to working with him in his new capacity as a member of the state Assembly and together addressing the issues that matter most to our constituents, such as stopping gun violence, protecting tenants and preventing displacement, bringing more resources to our schools, supporting small businesses, and helping us recover from the pandemic.”
De Los Santos will complete the current term in the State Assembly that De La Rosa was due to finish later this year, and will run for re-election in the Democratic primary of 28 June 2022.