The Manhattan Times

Linares knocked off the ballot for open City Council seat

by Daniel P. Bader and Mike Fitelson

Guillermo Linares, who joined the race for the City Council District 10 seat after the incumbent Miguel Martinez abruptly resigned last month and pleaded guilty to three felony charges, was disqualified from running on Wednesday, according to the New York City Board of Elections.

In response to a challenge by candidate Ydanis Rodriguez, the Board of Elections’ 10 commissioners voted unanimously to nullify the decision by Martinez’ three-person committee of vacancies, which had signed over to Linares the former Council member’s roughly 5,000 petitions to run. The disqualification was due to inaccuracies with the address filed for at least one of the committee members on the paperwork.

In a statement, Linares said he was disappointed by the board’s decision.

“I want to thank the thousands of residents of Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill that I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to while campaigning over the past few weeks. Your warm reception of my candidacy and your encouragement made it clear to me that my decision to resign as commissioner and run to represent you in the City Council was the right one. I leave the race with no regrets thanks to your support. I look forward to continuing to serve you.”

Valerie Vasquez, a spokesperson for the BOE, said that Linares’ only recourse is a legal one. Linares, who resigned as the mayor’s Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs to run for office, said he will not take that step.

In the race for donations, Ydanis Rodriguez is ahead with $67,798, followed by Community Board 12 Chair Manny Velazquez, $16,765, and Ruben Dario Vargas, $12,190, who ran against Martinez in 2005.

Reached by cell phone Wednesday afternoon while he was on Broadway at W. 177^th Street, Rodriguez, who twice lost Council races to Martinez, said the decision by the Board of Elections doesn’t change how he is campaigning.

“I am meeting voters to restore honesty, dignity and transparency to politics in our community,” he said. “I encourage Guillermo Linares to join us and be part of this political movement that will be working together to improve the quality of life.”

Earlier in the day he had campaigned at local train stations, attended a press conference with State Senator Eric Schneiderman to announce a new anti-graffiti initiative and presented to D.C. 37, a union, to try to get their endorsement.

Candidate Manny Velazquez, on his way to greet voters at the Dyckman Street and Broadway A-train station when he was contacted by cell phone, said he did not celebrate the board’s decision, but was glad the democratic process worked.

“We would invite all those out there that do not have a candidate to give our campaign a second look,” Velazquez said.

Interestingly, the objectors who filed what ended up being the successful challenge against Linares, both of whom live in Washington Heights, also filed objections to other candidates.

Linares wasn’t the only candidate who was challenged. Two objectors on July 16 also challenged Miguel Martinez’ candidacy, even though he had resigned two days earlier. One also filed objections against Vargas, Velazquez and one other candidate, Luis Facundo.

The remaining four candidates are Francesca Castellanos, Richard Reamulto, Cleofis Sarete and Francisco Spies.

The Democratic Primary will be held Tue., Sep. 15.

The Manhattan Times is the bilingual newspaper of Washington Heights and Inwood.