The NYPD arrested a Bronx resident for allegedly vandalizing New York City Council Republican candidate Kristy Marmorato’s campaign office window at the Bronx County GOP headquarters in Morris Park on Aug. 9.
According to police, 48-year-old Louis Monroig was allegedly walking by the offices located at 1478 Williamsbridge Road early last Wednesday morning when he picked up a nearby metal trash can and hurled it through the left front windows, which had multiple Marmorato campaign posters plastered to the top.
Police arrested Monroig outside of 1429 Blondell Ave. later that same day after a security guard from Westchester Square recognized him and called the cops. He was charged with criminal mischief.
“I don’t know what the motivation was behind it,” Marmorato told the Bronx Times in an interview. “It’s unfortunate because we don’t deserve that.”
The political newcomer narrowly won the City Council District 13 Republican primary race earlier this summer and will face off against incumbent Democrat Marjorie Velázquez for the seat in November — although her opponents have criticized her endorsement from the Bronx GOP, accusing her of being a party nepotism pick. Marmorato’s brother Michael Rendino is the chair of the Bronx GOP, and her husband Gino Marmorato is the Republican commissioner for the city Board of Elections.
Marmorato, 44, is looking to become the first Republican to hold office in the Bronx since 2004.
The candidate told the Bronx Times that now being in the public eye as a political candidate has made her more conscious of her surroundings and the potential risks they impose, and said she was “concerned” after last week’s incident.
Marmorato said she was at work last Wednesday at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut, where she specializes in women’s health as an X-ray technician, when she got a call from the GOP building’s landlord about the vandalism. She said nobody was in the GOP office at the time of the incident, which took place around 6:15 a.m., and the window was repaired later that same day. The candidate said she determined she’s never made contact with Monroig after she reviewed surveillance footage that the Westchester Square Business Improvement District (BID) provided by a nearby business.
The Bronx GOP in a Facebook statement last week placed part of the blame on Democratic electeds for enabling crimes such as these, and “empower(ing) criminals to act without fear of repercussions.”
“Political violence is unacceptable,” the statement reads. “Whether this is targeted against our organization, our candidate that has a chance to win a Republican seat in the Bronx or if it’s a random act, it should not be tolerated.”
A Morris Park resident, Marmorato has reiterated throughout her campaign her opposition to Velázquez-backed projects — primarily the Bruckner Boulevard upzoning proposal that would bring 348 more housing units to the East Bronx. Marmorato is also an opponent of the Just Home proposal that would house former Rikers Island inmates with medical conditions at a vacant Jacobi Medical Center building.
Marmorato said the vandalism is a reminder of the types of quality of life issues she hopes to address should she be elected to the New York City Council.
“We deserve better than this,” she said. “We need to take our community back.”
“I want to thank the New York City Police Department for doing their due diligence in their investigation and arresting the culprit responsible for the incident that occurred at the Bronx Republican Party headquarters office,” Velázquez said in a statement. “This is unacceptable behavior, regardless of the motives of the person arrested. I have nothing but the utmost gratitude for our police department, who work hard every day to keep our streets safe, acting swiftly in apprehending the person responsible for this crime.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Marjorie Velázquez supports the Just Home proposal, but her official position has been in opposition. This story was also updated to include a statement from Marjorie Velázquez.
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
