2018 Bronx Power 50
City & State
By City & State
For a borough that had been all but abandoned for decades, the Bronx is bouncing back. It has new infrastructure projects in the works, major real estate developments underway and increasing attention from City Hall and in Albany.
Coinciding with the borough’s resurgence is an unmistakable rise in political power. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the city’s most influential politician in Albany, hails from the Bronx. Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr. has a shot at becoming the city’s first Latino mayor. The borough’s Democratic machine is arguably the strongest in the city. And while state Sen. Jeff Klein, the former leader of the Independent Democratic Conference, has been ousted, his victorious Democratic primary rival – Alessandra Biaggi – joins fellow Bronxite Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as two of the most prominent progressive candidates in the country who recently notched upset victories.
In this special issue of City & State, we take a closer look at the lesser-known – but no less influential – movers and shakers in the Bronx. Since we cover politicians on a day-to-day basis, we limited this list to those who are not strictly in government but instead influence it from the outside. We reached out to insiders and experts to compile this list, ranking each person based on their accomplishments, their sway in political and policy matters, their economic clout, their philanthropic efforts, their ties to powerful politicians and the constituencies they represent.
We’re pleased to present the Bronx Power 50.
