SOUTH BRONX — A local nonprofit is planning to host a forum for the huge field of candidates vying to fill Maria del Carmen Arroyo's recently vacated City Council seat.
Nos Quedamos, a group that aims to develop a sustainable, healthy and economically strong community in the South Bronx, anticipates holding the forum on Jan. 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Pregones Theater, a famed venue in the borough located at 571 Walton Ave.
"We want to ensure the community is aware of this special election, and ultimately able to fully participate in the election of their candidate," Nos Quedamos President and CEO Jessica Clemente said in an email. "For a change, we want to be able to demonstrate that our local residents care by voting in significant numbers."
Arroyo made a surprise announcement in November that she would resign from her Council seat at the end of the year, and the special election to replace her has been set for Feb. 23.
So far, candidates who have expressed interest in running for her seat include:
► Rafael Salamanca, Community Board 2 district manager and president of the 41st Precinct Community Council
► Julio Pabón, a South Bronx activist and businessman who ran against Arroyo in the 2013 election
► Marlon Molina, a Community Board 3 member and a founder of the Bronx Volunteer Coalition
► George Alvarez, a South Bronx businessman and former state Assembly candidate
► Joann Otero, Arroyo's chief of staff
► Amanda Septimo, a staffer for Rep. Jose Serrano
► Rev. J. Loren Russell, a Bronx preacher and businessman
► Anthony Sanchez, director of business development at the Human Resources Administration
► Helen Foreman-Hines, political project director at the union 1199 SEIU