A Latino victory

The election of Melissa Mark-Viverito as New York City Council Speaker is a milestone for the Latino community.

Having the Councilwoman from East Harlem/South Bronx elected to the top local position after the mayor is the culmination of a decades-long struggle by Puerto Rican leaders, who tirelessly fought to achieve political representation for all Hispanics. We celebrate this major step.

Mark-Viverito achieved an extraordinary victory that establishes her position among local Democratic leaders, after overcoming an aggressive media campaign against her. While 30 of her 51 colleagues initially supported her, she ended up being unanimously voted as Speaker. Her opponent, Dan Garodnick, fought to the finish. Mark-Viverito’s success raises the profile of the Progressive Caucus and is a step backwards for the formerly all-powerful borough political machine.

Mark-Viverito was the first local politician who endorsed Bill de Blasio’s campaign, and the mayor paid her back by explicitly supporting her candidacy for Council Speaker. That alliance, which calls to mind the one between Michael Bloomberg and Christine Quinn, shouldn’t limit the new Speaker’s independence.

El Diario/La Prensa supported her candidacy without hesitation. Throughout her career, Mark-Viverito has shown she’s strongly committed to progressive causes and the interests of minorities. Starting today, this commitment will be even more necessary in the quest to close the gap between “the two New Yorks.”