In the upcoming Democratic primary, the race for Council District 14, which covers the neighborhoods of Kingsbridge, University Heights and Fordham, has become one of the most watched in the Bronx.
Incumbent Council Member Pierina Sanchez is running for re-election against her predecessor, pastor Fernando Cabrera, and Bryan Hodge Vasquez, a law school graduate.
Cabrera is seeking a return to his former seat, having served in the council from 2010 until 2022. After being term-limited out, he ran unsuccessfully for the Bronx Borough President seat ultimately won by current BP Vanessa Gibson.
In separate interviews with the Bronx Times, Sanchez leaned on her record of service and investment in the district, while her opponents said constituents want change.
“It’s been over a decade of inaction” on issues such as gun violence and grocery price gouging in the district, said Hodge Vasquez. “Our buildings are literally collapsing,” he said, referring to the 1915 Billingsley Terrace building that partially fell in Dec. 2023 due to faulty engineering plans, displacing 100 residents.
Hodge Vasquez, 24, has leaned into his youth, touting himself as the youngest candidate in any city race to qualify for matching funds. He has a degree from Pace Law School and was a staffer for U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Council Member Sean Abreu and in the Bronx Supreme Court.
Hodge Vasquez said most residents aren’t concerned about his young age and see him as a new perspective. “‘That’s what we need,’” he said people often tell him.
Cabrera, on the other hand, has three terms of council experience to draw upon and is well-known as a mental health counselor and pastor of New Life Outreach International Church in Kingsbridge.
“I see what’s going on since I left,” Cabrera said, pointing to murders, quality of life issues, stabbings and robberies in the district. Over the past wo years, major crimes are up 12.75% and 10.94% in the 46th and 52nd precincts, NYPD Compstat data shows.
“The community literally asked me to run,” Cabrera said. “We need leadership.”
Past controversies
While Hodge Vasquez is a lesser-known entity, Cabrera’s past controversies as a council member may become a factor in voters’ decisions.
In 2014, he made remarks praising the government of Uganda, which is notorious for its criminalization of homosexuality and even life imprisonment and killings of gay people. At the time, the comments were publicly condemned by then-Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and others, and Cabrera later apologized, saying he was unaware of the Ugandan government’s stance.
In 2022, when Cabrera was tapped by Mayor Eric Adams for a role as senior faith advisor, the comments resurfaced, and many opposed the appointment. The council’s LGBTQ Caucus called Cabrera a “bigot” and said his appointment to a city-funded role was “an insult.”
In the Bronx Times interview, Cabrera said his past comments were “taken completely out of context for political gain.” He said he voted for many bills supported by the LGBTQ Caucus and provided funding for nonprofits serving that population. He also said he hired Hodge Vasquez, who is gay, as a high school intern.
“If anything, I should be applauded” for supporting the LGBTQ community, Cabrera said.
But Hodge Vasquez said he hid his sexuality during his teen years and didn’t come out until years later. “For Fernando to now invoke my name to suggest inclusivity is deeply disingenuous,” he said in a June 11 email to the Bronx Times.
Hodge Vasquez said that Cabrera has a “long, well-documented history of hostility toward LGBTQ+ people.” “His record makes him unfit to ever hold elected office again,” he said.
Cabrera also came under scrutiny during his council tenure for his handling of the plan to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory.
At the time, a developer planned to turn the empty armory into an ice skating center, and Cabrera was accused of demanding that the developer funnel $100,000 per year for 99 years to an organization that had lost its tax-exempt status and appeared to be associated with his church, New Life Outreach International.
Cabrera did not answer questions at the time about his involvement with the organization, and the ice center project ultimately failed — leading to one of Sanchez’s most prominent achievements: securing plans to redevelop the armory into a concert hall and community hub with adjacent affordable housing, all under part-ownership by the grassroots Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition.
Despite the controversy around Cabrera’s past, he said his centrist politics are now appealing to many Bronxites who have grown disillusioned with more leftist Democrats like Sanchez.
“I’m living my best life right now,” but in challenging Sanchez, “I need to do what I’ve been called to do,” he said.
Top priorities
Crime, affordability and housing emerged as top priorities among the three candidates.
Amid the citywide housing shortage and headline-grabbing incidents like the Billingsley Terrace collapse, Sanchez has gained prominence as chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings.
She has introduced bills to crack down on negligent landlords, including Intro 1063, which would make it easier for the city to transfer ownership of buildings away from bad owners, with safeguards to ensure a fair process. Sanchez also advocated for expanding the CityFHEPS voucher program that helps people leaving shelters stay in permanent homes.
Hodge Vasquez said he was dismayed that even studio apartments in his district often rent for $3,000 per month. He pledged to identify areas for development, use city grants and tax breaks to bring vacant units back online and push to change Area Median Income (AMI) to reflect each zip code, rather than the entire NYC region and suburbs.
Residents are “tired of being gaslit” with housing that is called affordable but remains far out of reach for them, Hodge Vasquez said.
On crime, Cabrera has said he reduced crime in his district by 60% while in office by funding security cameras, launching a mentorship program for youth leaving detention centers and supporting cure violence programs, among other efforts.
On crime, Sanchez said she is in constant communication with violence prevention groups and the NYPD (“I’ve got my commanders on speed dial,” she said). She also said she supports Every Block Counts, the Mayor Adams initiative which focuses a multiagency effort on one block in her district at West 181st Street and Morris Ave. to address the roots of crime.
In a district where over 28% of residents live in poverty, Hodge Vasquez said the price of groceries in the area is one of his top concerns.
He said he recently saw eggs for $18 per dozen at a store near his office and believes prices in his district are higher than elsewhere in the city — possibly because many residents use public benefits to pay for food and store owners don’t think it’s harmful to charge more money, he said.
If elected, Hodge Vasquez said he would push for tax incentives for small businesses that carry more affordable products, especially quality generic brands, similar to a Trader Joe’s model.
High grocery prices are a major problem for the people he would represent as council member, Hodge Vasquez said. “It hits home, and it hurts every single day.”
Competitive race
As the incumbent, Sanchez has racked up several major endorsements, including from Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ritchie Torres and the Working Families Party. She has also been endorsed by some prominent unions, including DC37, 32BJ SEIU and the United Federation of Teachers.
Sanchez also has the support of a PAC, Abundant New York, which has spent over $54,000 on her behalf. The PAC is funded by the pro-housing group Open New York, which is backing Sanchez and 11 other council candidates, including Elsie Encarnacíon for District 8 (South Bronx and East Harlem) and Shirley Aldobol (East Bronx).
Cabrera has nearly matched Sanchez in public funds raised, at $189,924 compared to her $192,534 and Hodge Vasquez’s $111,294.
Though Sanchez has the largest amount left in her campaign coffers as of June 11, her opponents’ substantial fundraising suggests a more competitive race than usual for an incumbent.
Sanchez called on voters to “re-elect one of their own” who has already delivered for her community. “I’m someone who I think the community is proud of,” she said.
Cabrera said Sanchez has not listened to what the community wants in terms of bringing down crime and increasing quality of life. “If we don’t take care of this, we’re gonna see another exodus from the Bronx,” he said.
Hodge Vasquez, meanwhile, presented himself as the candidate representing a change from both the past and the status quo. “I don’t have that fear … of taking a risk in doing something for the betterment of my community,” he said.
This story was updated at 10:10 p.m. to correct information about Cabrera’s tenure in City Council and Sanchez’s endorsements.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
