Fr. Mike Lopez, founder of Ridgewood-based food poverty non-profit the Hungry Monk Rescue Truck, has announced his candidacy for Council District 30, joining a growing list of candidates vying to replace outgoing Council Member Robert Holden.
Holden, who has represented District 30 in Queens since 2018—which includes Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village, and Glendale—is term-limited.
Lopez, 42, a member of the Missionary Benedictine of the Poor, will contest the district’s Democratic primary later this year against Holden staffer Phil Wong, United Federation of Teachers operative Dermot Smyth and Middle Village roller hockey league leader Paul Pogozelski. Alicia Vaichunas – another Holden staffer – and MAGA candidate Jonathan Rinaldi will contest the Republican primary for the district.
Lopez said he feels “ready” to help in a different way after serving the local community for more than a decade through his ministry and work establishing weekly food banks for low-income families and homeless individuals.
“I feel like I’m ready to enter into the space that would allow me to help in a different way, to enter into the space where I can help influence policy and really, on a personal level, engage the community, particularly those who maybe don’t know about the charger don’t come and get services locally,” Lopez said.
Lopez, who grew up in nearby Bushwick and set up his ministry at the Covenant Lutheran Church at 68-59 60th Ln. in 2013, aims to work with seniors and adopt a “balanced” approach to the migrant crisis if elected to the council.
“There are a lot of seniors who are by themselves and don’t have the support that they need,” Lopez said. “I really want to make sure that we do that and also address the current migrant situation, the new people that are coming into our community, and see how we can make a balanced effort at serving them and also maintaining the quality of life in our community.”
A recent report by StreetEasy named Ridgewood among the 10 “neighborhoods to watch” in New York City, while rents rose by 8.3% in 2024.
Lopez said rising rents are adversely affecting residents and businesses that have been in Ridgewood for generations. He has worked with seniors who have gone from paying roughly $500 per month to $2,500 per month.
“It’s just not possible,” Lopez said. “I can’t tell you the amount of seniors I have worked with who have lived in their cars.”
He said he would seek to find “fair ways” to keep the market safe for both renters and landlords. He also stated that he would push for protections for long-term residents by introducing limits on how much a landlord can raise rent depending on how long an individual has lived in a home.
Similarly, Lopez is calling for “fairness” in the retail rental sector, noting the significant number of empty storefronts along Fresh Pond Road. Lopez insisted that he is not anti-landlord or anti-retail but called for a “common sense approach” to ensure that retail spaces are filled in the neighborhood.
The Benedictine priest also pledged to make education a central tenet of his campaign, stating that he would push for more resources and wraparound services that are not solely education-based for local schools.
“We know that if a child is hungry, he then goes home and doesn’t have dinner, his homework is going to lack,” Lopez said. “So (I want to) bring a more wraparound sense of services into the school system.”
Lopez is unconcerned by his challengers in the Democratic primary and the wider district election. He said he prefers to focus on his own campaign and what he can do for the community, adding that he has “no interest” in playing politics during the campaign.
Similarly, Lopez has little interest in the Trump Administration, stating that he “pays no mind” to who is in the White House.
“My father’s slogan was, no matter who wins, we have to go to work every day,” Lopez said. “I kind of take that same motto. Whoever’s in charge, we’ve got to go with the flow and do the best we can to get up, provide for our families and be a good, concerned citizen.”
Lopez said he had no personal opinion of President Donald Trump’s move to kill congestion pricing but said any congestion pricing measure should not target “people who are trying to get to work.”
“We need to find ways to help the everyday local guy and gal go about their life without having extra taxes in place on them.”
Lopez, who worked as a criminal investigator and an EMT before being ordained a priest, pointed to a life dedicated to serving the local community, stating that his varied background offers him a different perspective than traditional candidates.
“My spiritual director said something to me that always stuck with me. He said to make sure, when you see someone, you see them from all sides.”
Individuals associated with Lopez’s campaign said the Benedictine priest represents someone from “outside the status quo,” describing his move into politics as the “natural evolution” of a life’s work devoted to public service.
Lopez, who founded Hungry Monk Rescue Truck after a chance encounter with a local shortly after establishing his mission in Ridgewood, said the homeless outreach non-profit has evolved significantly over the past decade and helps provide food for hundreds of people every week. Homeless and low-income individuals are invited to the Covenant Lutheran Church three times a week, where they can select a range of goods based on their needs, while dozens of volunteers help with the operation every week.
“Our volunteers are trained to interact and engage. We are multicultural and have every language in the community represented here,” Lopez said. “We do family-style shopping. So it’s not just ‘here’s the bag. Go home.’ Everything is placed out on tables, and you take what you need. So it really gives a little more dignity to the process of coming to a food pantry.”
Lopez said he will likely have to step back from his role in the Hungry Monk if he is successful in his bid for council but noted that there are plenty of volunteers waiting in the wings to take over, stating that the organization is in “safe hands.”
