Sandro Navarro, district director for State Sen. Jessica Ramos and one of six Democratic candidates seeking to replace term-limited Council Member Francisco Moya, has unveiled a platform focused on education, public space improvements, and housing protections as part of his campaign for City Council District 21.
District 21 encompasses parts of Corona, East Elmhurst, LeFrak City, and Jackson Heights—areas undergoing rapid change while also facing long-standing quality-of-life issues.
From military service to public advocacy
Navarro, 36, is a U.S. Army veteran who served as a sergeant in Afghanistan. He said he discovered a passion for public service after returning to Queens in 2017, following nine years of active duty. Born in Peru, Navarro later worked as a Queens neighborhood organizer with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs under the de Blasio administration before becoming district director for Ramos.
Now a local resident, Navarro is entering a crowded primary field that includes Adrienne Adams staffer Erycka Montoya, LaGuardia Airport redevelopment consultant Shanel Thomas-Henry, district leader Yanna Henriquez, 2021 challenger David Aiken, and former Council Member Hiram Monserrate, who previously pleaded guilty to corruption charges related to his past council tenure.
Navarro has laid out three pillars of his campaign: expanding afterschool programming with a focus on STEM, improving cleanliness and safety in public spaces, and protecting local residents—particularly seniors—from displacement.
Critique of Roosevelt Avenue crackdown
Navarro pointed to ongoing concerns along Roosevelt Avenue, where residents have voiced frustration over rising prostitution, organized crime, and sanitation issues. In response, Mayor Eric Adams and Council Member Moya launched Operation Restore Roosevelt, a 90-day, multi-agency enforcement plan targeting code violations and illegal activity.
According to city officials, the initiative led to over 11,000 summonses and the shutdown of more than a dozen illegal brothels. Navarro, however, criticized the operation, arguing that it disproportionately targeted vulnerable community members—particularly street vendors and sex workers—without addressing the root causes of the problems.
“A lot of street vendors… lost their property, lost their income. These were people who were just trying to provide for their families,” Navarro said. “A lot of the sex workers were arrested. A lot of the young women arrested. But how many of the sex traffickers? That is the root of the problem.”
He added that street vendors deserve access to legal protections. “The city could provide (street vendors) with a safety net… a process to do their job in a manner that is fair, not only for them, but for our neighbors too,” he said. “The problem is that the door to that system, and I’m talking about licensing, is closed for them.”
Navarro is calling for the NYPD to stop issuing criminal fines to unlicensed vendors, advocating instead for civil penalties to reduce the risk of deportation for undocumented immigrants. He said efforts like Operation Restore Roosevelt made Roosevelt Avenue appear cleaner, but only because street vendors are now afraid to operate.
To ensure lasting improvements, Navarro proposes increasing the Department of Sanitation’s budget to allow for more frequent garbage pick-ups and additional personnel. “They (District 21 residents) want to feel proud to live in our neighborhood, and I want them to feel proud,” he said.
Immigrant protections and economic concerns
Navarro, who immigrated to the U.S. at age 15, said many undocumented residents in the district are living in fear—particularly under the Trump administration’s immigration policies—which has had a chilling effect on the local economy. “They’re not going out as they used to go out,” Navarro said. “Our immigrant communities just want to be low-key—out of sight, out of mind.”
He said that, if elected, he would advocate for expanded legal and financial support for immigrants facing deportation, including more funding for immigration nonprofits and efforts to reduce case backlogs among immigration attorneys.
District 21 is also home to several major development projects, including the NYCFC stadium and housing plan in Willets Point, and the proposed $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino project near Citi Field, supported by Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock Entertainment.
Navarro expressed concern about the casino’s impact on housing affordability but acknowledged broad community support for the project due to the promise of union jobs. Adding that he fears that the project, along with the Willets Point development, will drive up rents in the area and force out long-term residents.
He said he would advocate for expanded access to right-to-counsel protections for tenants facing eviction, especially seniors. “We have many seniors going through eviction right now, and there are not enough housing lawyers,” Navarro said. “So the right to counsel is going to make sure that anybody that goes through either an immigration court or housing court… they get the funds that they need to make sure that they go with a lawyer.”
Navarro, who owns a car, supports MTA funding but opposes the proposed $9 congestion pricing toll. Instead, he is proposing a “peak and plate” system—used in several South American countries—that limits vehicle usage based on license plate numbers during specific times. “It helps with congestion. It helps with traffic. It helps with pollution. Without charging them fees,” he said.
Navarro also supports expanding bus service in East Elmhurst and introducing a ferry line connecting Flushing Bay to other parts of the city. “Our neighbors are not asking, they’re demanding more means of transportation,” he said.
Navarro emphasized the need for increased investment in afterschool STEM programs, which he says can offer dual benefits by supporting children’s academic growth and helping working families with child care.
District 21 saw parts of the electorate shift to the right in the last presidential election. Navarro attributed this, in part, to narratives around crime and a lack of effective outreach to Latino voters.
“A good chunk didn’t vote, just didn’t care,” he said. “We have to change that. We have to let them know that we hear them, that we’re here to listen, that we’re here to be open about their needs and how we can make it better.”
