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Moya declares victory in City Council District 21 primary election

Francisco Moya
Francisco Moya (Photo courtesy of campaign)

Incumbent Francisco Moya, who’s running for re-election to the New York City Council to represent District 21, has declared victory in the June 22 primary election after securing more than 50 percent of votes, according to unofficial results from the Board of Elections.

Moya garnered 52.16 percent of the vote (2,680 votes), with 82 percent of scanners reported as of Wednesday, June 23, while his opponents — Ingrid Gomez (18.55 percent of the votes), David Aiken (16.43 percent), George Unuorah (6.01 percent) and Talea Wufka (6.34 percent) — have not secured enough votes to trigger a ranked-choice voting recount.

The official results will not be in until the anticipated date of July 12, after all absentee ballots are counted.

Moya currently represents District 21, which includes the neighborhoods of East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, LeFrak City and Corona.

While he has been focused on fighting for recovery for New Yorkers, especially for those in his district, and delivering for working families during his time in the council, Moya told QNS he is “honored to have been decisively re-elected, and have the opportunity to continue to serve our community in the City Council.”

“The breadth of our victory is humbling, especially as three dozen council races remain uncalled for with ranked-choice voting,” Moya said. “Together, I will continue to stand up for our community tirelessly.”

Prior to his 2017 election to the City Council, Moya was elected to the 39th Assembly District in 2010, making him the first Ecuadorian-American elected to public office in the United States. During his tenure in the Assembly and Council, Moya has focused on issues that involve working-class and immigrant families, union rights, workplace safety and worker protections.

As his district was the “epicenter of the epicenter” of the COVID-19 pandemic that left behind death, sickness, hunger and unemployment, Moya told QNS in March that he’s focused on the economic and public health devastation of COVID, housing affordability and protecting workers’ rights.

Moya has continuously pushed for increased COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites in communities, and to ensure that all New Yorkers get the same access to relief and resources. According to Moya, they must address these compounding crises in order to emerge from the pandemic stronger than when they went into it.

Although Gomez, a mutual aid activist and longtime social worker, did not receive the results she had wanted, she said she’s incredibly “grateful to the community for showing up for democracy yesterday.”

“Our campaign shed light on the economic inequality plaguing our community, on our need for affordable housing, rent stabilization, cleaner streets and food insecurity,” Gomez said in a statement to QNS. “We will continue to hold the incumbent accountable and we will not stop fighting for the people of District 21!”

Wufka thanked Councilman Daniel Dromm and former Senator Hiram Monserrate for their support, and her team members who worked diligently on behalf of her campaign to represent the district.

“My belief in Democracy and community stems directly from my heart and I am truly grateful for my team members and all those who voted for me,” Wufka said. “With that, my biggest wish is that New York City addresses the mental health crisis we are experiencing — we need to regroup, no band-aids.”

Meanwhile, Onuorah also thanked his staff and volunteers for generously giving their time and effort to ensure their cause.

“I am proud of the campaign we’ve run. While this is not the outcome we sought, I remain steadfast in my commitment to serving the Corona and Elmhurst communities,” Onuorah said. “I will always be a community servant first.”

The general election will take place on Nov. 2, 2021.