Washington Heights Primaries
Down the block from the polling site at P.S. 004 in Washington Heights, Melanio Pozo hands out pamphlets and chats with voters. “Vote Ydanis Rodriguez,” “Ydanis para District 10,” he repeats to each passerby, walking with them until he reaches the legal perimeter for campaigning. Emblazoned across Pozo’s shirt in bold letters is “Ydanis Rodriguez: A New York City for All;” the “I” in Ydanis is a symbol of the Statue of Liberty.
“Ydanis is the candidate of the people,” Pozo explains. “He’s here to work for those with few resources and for those who have faced persecution. His political specialization is helping his race and his community.”
Like most of his constituents, Rodriguez was born in the Dominican Republic. After running for, and winning, spots on City Council in 2010 and 2014, he has established himself as a popular and well-known figure in the District he represents. According to Pozo, Rodriguez’s eight years in office have been punctuated by unrelenting advocacy for the rights of recent immigrants. Just last week, he was arrested outside of the U.S. Customs and Immigration building in Lower Manhattan while protesting Trump’s decision to end DACA.
Throughout all three of Rodriguez’s campaigns for City Council, Pozo has been with him, canvassing and fundraising for his fellow Dominican New Yorker. Now, with Rodriguez’s third and final term approaching, Pozo is optimistic that the limits for Rodriguez’s political ambitions do not end at City Councilman.
“Listen to me, he is going to be mayor in the not so distant future,” Pozo declares. “This is a man who could win at whatever he tries.”
