After U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez announced her retirement late last year, the race to succeed her is heating up, with nearly a dozen different candidates, including local politicians from the City Council to the State Assembly. Velázquez, who has spoken at the Ridgewood Democratic Club (RDC) on numerous occasions, visited the club once again on Feb. 1 for the organization’s annual membership brunch, where she was honored amongst several other dedicated public servants.
About 60 people attended the brunch to hear Velázquez speak, as well as honor former Myrtle Avenue BID Executive Director Ted Renz, Principal Court Attorney Jasmine Valle-Bueno, who works for the Administrative Supreme Court Judge in Queens and was recently nominated to become a Queens Civil Court judge.
As the keynote speaker, Velázquez addressed current issues such as the recent ICE shootings in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As the first Puerto Rican member of the City Council and Congress, Velázquez has spent much of her career advocating for immigrants and against current ICE operations, including introducing a bill, the No Masks for ICE Act, that would require the federal agents to remove all face coverings while on the job.
“Masked raids are terrifying and make it impossible to hold agents accountable,” Velázquez stated in 2025 after introducing the bill. “It’s also dangerous. We’ve seen cases where people thought they were witnessing a kidnapping, not an immigration arrest. That kind of confusion puts everyone at risk.”
Velázquez closed out her “passionate” speech by once again endorsing Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to replace her seat in the 7th Congressional district, though Reynoso was not present that day. Velázquez received a token, presented by Westcott, thanking her for her 30-year career as a public servant for Queens and her long-standing relationship with the RDC.
A special dedication during the event was made to another long-time member, former Assembly Member Cathy Nolan, who represented District 37 for nearly 40 years. Nolan was unable to attend the event for health reasons, but her husband, Gerry Marsicano, received the plaque in her stead and promised to deliver the clubs compliments to her.
The RDC credits Nolan for being the member who saved the club in the 1980s, when it was in danger of closing down, and was instrumental in building the club’s reputation and influence. As a long-time committed member, Nolan and the RDC helped many Queens politicians during their campaigns from then until the present. Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, who brought flowers for the honorees, was one of them and thanked Nolan for her support early in her career.
Renz’s son, former RDC President David Renz, presented his father with a lifetime achievement award. Born and raised in Ridgewood, Ted Renz spent years working in several organizations as a leader of the community, such as the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society and Myrtle Avenue Local Development Coalition. Ted Renz played a crucial role in helping save the Vander Ende–Onderdonk House and remodeling the Myrtle-Wyckoff Ave. subway station.
As of last year, Ted Renz stepped down from his position as executive director of the Myrtle Avenue BID, where he worked to beautify the sidewalks of the highly trafficked area, support local businesses and bring in many more new ones to Ridgewood. Currently, Ted Renz still serves on Community Board 5, now for over 25 years, and made special note on the importance of unity after Velázquez’s speech.
