Ridgewood Councilmember calls for resignation of Puerto Rico Governor

Councilmember Antonio Reynoso called for the resignation of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló on Friday. Eagle file photo by Andy Katz

By Phineas Rueckert 

Councilmember Antonio Reynoso, who represents parts of Ridgewood, became the first Queens councilmember to wade into the ongoing political crisis in Puerto Rico, calling for the resignation of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. 

Protests against Rosselló have been mounting since last week, after lewd private texts between the governor and his team were leaked to the press. In the texts, Rosselló mocks women, the LGBTQIA community and victims of Hurricane Maria. 

“In light of multiple corruption and ethics scandal, Rosselló’s remarks confirm that he is unequipped to deliver accountability and transparency to the Puerto Rican people,” Reynoso said in a statement Friday. “An individual cannot be entrusted with delivering accountability and transparency to the people he is supposed to serve after mocking their deaths and the destruction that occurred as a result of the deadliest natural disaster in modern U.S. history.”

As the North American Congress on Latin America has reported, the protests in Puerto Rico are about more than just the leaked messages, but a spate of issues including high levels of poverty, persistent corruption and fiscal mismanagement. 

More than 100,000 Puerto Ricans live in Queens, according to the 2010 census, fewer than neighboring Brooklyn and the Bronx and roughly on par with Manhattan. 

Update - 5:45 p.m. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who represents New York’s 7th District, also called for Rosselló’s resignation. “I have come to the inescapable conclusion that it is time for the Governor to resign. I add my voice in solidarity with those marching in the streets of San Juan and all the Puerto Rican people who are demanding change,” she said in a statement.