Photo: Oswald Feliz
Following the counting of the first round of ranked-choice voting in the City Council District 15 Special Election Tuesday night, Oswald Feliz leads the field so far with approximately 28% of the vote and over 96% of scanners reported.
Feliz, a tenant lawyer who was also endorsed by Congressman Adriano Espaillat, released the following statement:
“Tonight, it’s clear that families across our district are calling for fresh leadership that will get results for our community. I am thrilled and humbled by the support our campaign has received from so many Bronxites, and I urge everyone to be patient as the ranked choice tallying takes place. Thank you to every voter who turned out today and over the past few weeks, and to all the volunteers who have dedicated so much time and hard work to bring meaningful change to our community.
“I am especially grateful for all of my supporters, including Congressman Espaillat, Assemblyman Pichardo, Assemblywoman De La Rosa, and Council Member Rodriguez. District 15 faces major challenges as we seek to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic – from housing insecurity and job losses to disparities in access to health care and quality education. I am ready to be the leader our district needs, and hope we can all come together as one community to keep fighting a bright new day for the Bronx.”
The son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Feliz was born in New York City and raised in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx, where he attended local public schools. As a tenant attorney, he successfully defended vulnerable Bronx residents who were at risk of eviction, and sued landlords who were in the practice of tenant harassment. Feliz helped form a tenant association of over 50 tenants, and successfully negotiated a settlement from a powerful landlord in the Southern Boulevard section of the Bronx to provide tenants with nearly $100,000 in damages due to the deplorable conditions in the building.
Prior to his work as an attorney, Feliz worked on behalf of Bronx families as a legislative staffer for State Senator Gustavo Rivera. He then joined the historic 2016 campaign of Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th Congressional District. Feliz also co-founded the Northwest Bronx Democrats for Change, where he has worked to increase political participation by organizing community town halls and holding voter registration drives in the Bronx.
