Social justice coalition endorses Juan Ardila in bid to unseat Holden in Queens
/
Council District 30 candidate Juan Ardila at a rally in October outside the Queens Center Mall. Eagle photo by David Brand
By David Brand
A coalition of influential labor and immigrants’ rights groups has endorsed Juan Ardila in his bid to unseat incumbent Robert Holden in Western Queens’ Council District 30.
Road to Justice NYC, a network that includes the 1199SEIU labor union, Make the Road Action and Community Voices Heard, rolled out a slate of endorsements Wednesday for council candidates who they say will prioritize economic recovery in low-income communities of color hardest hit by the COVID pandemic, decrease the budget of the NYPD and support immigrants in New York City.
Ardila, a staff member at the Legal Aid Society, “will stand with our diverse communities in the fight for genuinely affordable housing, immigrant rights, and investing in our communities, not criminalizing them,” said Make the Road Action’s New York Director Arlenis Morel.
Unlike adjacent districts, where more than a dozen candidates have filed candidacies for soon-to-be open seats held term-limited councilmembers, the race in District 30 so far remains a one-on-one contest.
Ardila is the lone candidate facing off against Holden, a conservative civic association leader who won his seat in 2017. Holden ran on the Republican Party line after losing the Democratic primary to then-incumbent Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley.
Council District 30 includes the predominantly white and largely conservative suburban neighborhoods of Middle Village and Glendale, as well as large concentrations of immigrants and progressive voters in neighboring Ridgewood. Maspeth and parts of Woodside and Woodhaven are also located in the district.
President-elect Joe Biden won District 30 by more than 10 percent of the vote last month — a significant number, but still Biden’s second lowest margin of victory in Queens after District 19 in the Northeast section of the borough.
During his three years in office, Holden has alienated progressive voters, people of color and immigrant communities by appearing on Fox News to defend courthouse Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests and introducing legislation to reverse a ban on police chokeholds. His 2017 campaign was fueled by reactionary opposition to homeless shelters in the district.
Holden remains popular among a significant number of constituents, particularly in conservative pockets of Middle Village, Maspeth and Glendale, where residents have held pro-NYPD marches in response to Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and where Trump flags fly outside single-family homes or atop businesses. Supporters in September rallied to encourage Holden to run for mayor.
Ardila, a lifelong resident of District 30, said his mother’s deportation motivated him to advocate for social justice and to enter politics. He previously worked for Councilmember Brad Lander.
“I made a vow to ensure no one suffers the pain my family and I did during those dark moments, a reality all too common for Black and Brown New Yorkers,” he said. “As a councilmember, I promise to fight for those that have been left behind and unheard for so many years.”
Ardila has also picked up endorsements from Lander and State Sen. Jessica Ramos.
Road to Justice NYC has also endorsed Tiffany Cabán in District 22 in Astoria, Amanda Farias in District 18 in the Bronx, Jennifer Gutierrez in District 34 in Brooklyn and Crystal Hudson in District 35 in Brooklyn.
