East Harlem Assembly Election: Daby Carreras Candidate Profile

EAST HARLEM, NY — Voters in New York City's 68th Assembly District, covering East Harlem and parts of Central Harlem and the Upper East Side, will see two names on their ballots when they vote in the Jan. 18 special election.

One of those names will be Daby Benjaminé Carreras, an investment banker running as a Republican. Carreras has previously run for the 68th District seat in 2018 and 2020, and also ran for City Council in 2017 and city comptroller last year.

His opponent is Democrat Edward Gibbs. Both candidates are running to replace Robert Rodriguez, who held the Assembly seat for more than a decade until he was appointed New York Secretary of State by Gov. Kathy Hochul in November.

Patch reached out to both candidates in the election to create these profiles. Carreras's responses are below.

Age (as of Election Day)

41

Position Sought

Assemblymember in 68th New York State Legislature

Party Affiliation

Independent & Republicano

Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.)

Spanish Harlem/El Barrio

Family

My full name is Daby Benjaminé Carreras, my surname is spanish for tremendous strength, awesome power and the point of intersection or crossroads in a great race.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No, my mother is a now retired social worker with the dept. of mental heath, my younger brother is a civil engineer

Education

Lehigh University, Pennsylvania

Occupation

Investment banker

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Assembly District Leader 68th

Campaign website

Votedaby.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

Spanish Harlem is my home, here in East Harlem - el barrio has been forgotten by New York State, we are a proud community of people, who needs a leader for our fight on the island.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Gentrification and the loss of affordable housing as well as the loss of the local culture. I solve this issue, with solutions like NoRezoning 4 Ever, homeownership and stoping tenant harassments

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I differ because I respect life, domestic violence is serious, it cannot be a trait in the candidate. We must treat others with dignity and respect.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

CB11M has been neglected. We should be showcasing our parks & green spaces, our culture. We are the pride of NYC

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

All officials locally did a poor job in handling “treatment of the condition” coronavirus- we should have never loss our local economy. I bring money & a spotlight back to our community. I will bring the attention back to Spanish Harlem

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Mi barrio no se vende, se ama y defiende; Crime reduction/prevention & Civil Rights, Unemployment, LOCAL JOBS, Housing & Homelessness, K-12 education, restoration of our seniors dignity

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have a history of building…organizations, people & companies. My involvements created value that all market places benefited. In East Harlem we have the Entrepreneurial spirit (Ex. MMMB, ALZN)

The best advice ever shared with me was:

What does it take to make it in this world…everything you’ve F’n got… NUNCA RENUNCIAR

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I’m a lifelong resident of NYC who is proud of his Cuban & Puerto Rican heritage, as an AfroLatino my early life was from from privileged, but the support of my family & my faith enabled me to reach the top echelons of the financial services industry. I alone bridge the gap between the 99 & the 1%.

To learn more about the 68th District election and how to vote, view the official voting guide from NYC Votes.