With Nelson Castro poised to become the first Dominican elected official in the Bronx, the Dominican political community is about to grow past its traditional northern Manhattan stronghold.

Meanwhile, the two leaders of that stronghold, Adriano Espaillat and Miguel Martinez, are at each other’s throats as Espaillat defends his Assembly seat against his one-time protégé.

This is not Espaillat’s first battle for supremacy in the Dominican community. He tangled with the first Dominican elected official in the country, Council Member Guillermo Linares. Martinez later won Linares’ term-limited seat in 2001, with instrumental help from Espaillat.

Times have changed, with a long simmering feud between Espaillat and Martinez finally coming to a boil.

Access to Espaillat is a talking point for Martinez, who has accused the Assembly member of cooperating with organizations that support him. As evidence of what he says is his greater interest and prowess at outreach, Martinez says he registered 500 new voters during petitioning. He hopes to add that to his base of community groups he funded while in the Council—groups he says were ignored by Espaillat.

“His position was that only his groups or organizations that work for him get funding,” said Martinez, who left Espaillat’s club in 2005 to form Democrats in the Heights. “In the old Democratic club, everything was centralized.”

They have also tangled over the economic health of the district, which covers Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill. Martinez charged that the neighborhood is suffering from little financial investment and development.

“There has not been one single penny of investment by the Empire State Development Corporation in Washington Heights,” Martinez said. “Many of our small-business owners are now closing their doors.”

He blamed Espaillat for not leading the charge to establish an anchor development program in the area.

Espaillat disagreed, arguing that Washington Heights is moving to the second chapter, where gentrification and high rents are the major concerns rather than crime and rampant drug abuse.

“Our problem now is that our neighborhood is so attractive, people want to move in,” Espaillat said. “Now we have a serious problem with rent and displacement. That’s the next big fight.”

Still, Espaillat is disheartened at the primary challenge. The primary is the culmination of power grabbing maneuvers, like Martinez creating a new Democratic club, each backing different candidates for the district leader position.

“It’s a tragic situation,” Espaillat said. “We should be presenting ourselves as an emerging community with one strong voice.”

But according to district leader Mayra Linares (D), daughter of the former Council member, this race could be a boon to the community: In the heat of a contested election within the same base of voters, the two will have to work extensively on voter outreach. That will spur more involvement in the years to come, making the Dominican community an ever-more powerful political force.

“They need to focus on the larger picture: our voting power,” she said. “Really raise our poll numbers.”


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Even With a Win, Primary Results Could Be Referendum on Espaillat’s Future

Dominican political consultant Miosotis Munoz suggested that lingering resentment from the 1990s power struggle between Adriano Espaillat and Guillermo Linares hurt Espaillat’s 2005 Manhattan borough president bid.

Though a third of the city’s 555,000 Dominicans live in Manhattan, Espaillat came in sixth in a nine-way primary.

However, Munoz noted that a decisive Espaillat victory against Martinez in this year’s Assembly race could improve his standing if he enters the 2009 borough president’s race, which would become open if, as some suspect, current Borough President Scott Stringer (D) runs for public advocate. 

“The Dominican community can invest in his future, financially,” Munoz said. “If you support someone going to higher office, it gives you access.”

Martinez has also expressed interest in running for borough president if Stringer does not seek re-election.

Espaillat has also been discussed as the next chair of the county’s Democratic Party.

Espaillat is confident he will be able to rally his base to win re-election to the Assembly. This will help him position himself for runs for other offices in the future, he said, though he remained coy about what else he is interested in running for, and when.

“I’ve been around and I think I’m a known product,” Espaillat said. “I think I have the support and capacity to seek office somewhere else.”