Wash Heights Special Election: Race To Replace Carmen De La Rosa

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — In a rare occurrence, residents of Washington Heights will have a local election to vote in this February.

Carmen De La Rosa, who won the November primary to replace Ydanis Rodriguez in the City Council, started her term in January. Her new job means that her old position representing Upper Manhattan's 72nd Assembly District is empty.

When an elected official wins a race for a different office, the city holds what it calls a special election to fill the vacated position.

The special election for the Assembly's District 72 will take place on Feb. 15.

The uptown district goes from around West 168th Street, east of Broadway, up through almost the entirety of Inwood.

Here are the candidates who have filed paperwork so far to run for the position:

• Manny De Los Santos (D)
• Edwin De La Cruz (R)
• Nayma Silver-Matos (Uptown Rises)

De Los Santos was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in Washington Heights. He got a master's degree in social work from the University of Albany and serves as a district leader for the 72nd Assembly District-Part B.

He has also worked as a board member for the Department of Youth and Community Development in Upper Manhattan and as a member of Community Board 12.

The Manhattan Democrats group has endorsed De Los Santos as its nominee for the Assembly seat.

De La Cruz, who was also born in the Dominican Republic, most recently ran and lost as a Republican against De La Rosa in the November City Council race. He has lived in Upper Manhattan since he was a kid and has worked as a tenant organizer and taxi driver.

Silver-Matos is a lifelong Upper Manhattan resident. She serves as chairwoman of the Neighborhood Advisory Board 12, as a member of the Parks & Cultural Affairs Committee for Community Board 12, and is also on the Board of Directors for Dare To Run, Inc.

Her parents emigrated to Manhattan from the Dominican Republic.

One name that is not on the list of candidates that some uptowners thought they might see is Johanna Garcia.

Garcia is the chief of staff to State Senator Robert Jackson and finished second against De La Rosa in the Democratic primary for the City Council position last June.

After De La Rosa secured her new job, there were rumblings that Garcia, who generated strong support in the City Council race, would run to for the empty Assembly seat.

Garcia, however, has not filed as a candidate for the election. When asked recently by Patch if she had plans to run for the position, she said "no comment."