Andrea Gordillo, Manhattan Community Board 3 chair and a local nonprofit leader, is launching her campaign this week to succeed New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera, whose final term will come to a close at the end of 2025.
While the Democratic primary is still a little under a year and a half away, Gordillo officially filed to run for the Council District 2 seat last week. She’ll officially kick off her campaign at the Francis Kite Club in the East Village on Wednesday evening. Sarah Batchu is the only other candidate for District 2 so far, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board.
The district, which encompasses the Lower East Side and the East Village, as well as Flatiron, Gramercy Park, Rose Hill, Kips Bay and Murray Hill, has long been represented by a Latina – a tradition Gordillo hopes to continue.
“We’ve been very lucky here to have strong and powerful Latina leaders advocating for us, and we can’t risk losing that,” she told City & State. “The sacrifices that were made to get us there aren’t lost on me. I’m also really inspired by the historic women majority in the City Council – they’ve been a force and a check on the mayor.”
Born to Peruvian immigrants, Gordillo has lived on the Lower East Side and in the East Village for over a decade. She was elected to serve as the chair of Manhattan Community Board 3 in November, around four years after she was appointed to the board. It’s been a busy couple of months. As chair, she has helped guide the board through the sudden closure of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital and the ongoing arrival of migrants at the St. Brigid reticketing center in the East Village. She’s also currently the development director of The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center. Gordillo has led several cultural institutions in Lower Manhattan, where she has worked to advance racial and economic justice, including the Loisaida Inc. Center, Fourth Arts Block and The Public Theater.
Gordilla cited fighting the housing affordability crisis, protecting and expanding the many cultural organizations and entities in the district, and being an advocate for public housing residents as some of her top priorities as a prospective City Council member.
“I have the trust of many people in my district who are often overlooked when it comes to the political process like artists, performers, people in the service industry and the gig economy,” she said. “I think I’ll be able to lead knowing what this district needs, the practical thing, but I also think I’ll be able to bring a fresh perspective.”
A dozen community leaders are already endorsing Gordillo as she prepares to launch her campaign, including:
Frank Avila-Goldman, Lower East Side waterfront advocate
Mar Fitzgerald, former president of Village Independent Democrats, and educational and cannabis equity advocate
Kellie Leeson, refugee advocate, Rose Hill resident, former Assembly District 73 candidate
Janos Marton, civil rights advocate
Marielle Martiney, former director of strategic initiatives at Good Old Lower East Side
Molly Crabapple, public artist and writer
Yazmany Arbodela, New York City’s inaugural People’s Artist
Meghan Joye, small-business owner
Mike Petrovitch, small-business owner
Mammad Mahmoodi and Sasha Allenby, EV Loves NYC
Mollie Serena, New York City Housing Authority resident and public artist
