After winning<\/a> a contentious June primary among\u00a0a crowded field of candidates, Encarnacion was endorsed by several City Council colleagues, including Majority Leader Amanda Far\u00edas and Althea Stevens, as well as Congress Member Adriano Espaillat. She was also backed by major labor unions, including 1199SEIU and 32BJ.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking from the Somos conference in Puerto Rico, Encarnacion, an East Harlem native, shared some of her plans for the unique district that splits two boroughs.\u00a0 She told the Bronx Times she will not only keep offices in both neighborhoods, as Ayala has, but will relocate the South Bronx office to a larger space near its current location at East 137th St. and St. Ann\u2019s Ave.\u00a0<\/p>\n Encarnacion said expanding the Bronx office \u2014 perhaps even opening it up to community meetings and workshops \u2014 is a commitment she made to Bronxites throughout her campaign. Although Encarnacion said her boss\u2019s leadership role in the council meant more resources for the Bronx, it also meant she was frequently called away from the district.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Encarnacion knocked on doors, residents voiced an \u201cintense message\u201d of wanting to see her more often, she said.\u00a0\u00a0In turn, Encarnacion plans to maintain an \u201copen door policy\u201d and make her South Bronx office feel intentional, not \u201clike an annex.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt should have its own style, its own flavor, its own space,\u201d she said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n Plans for the South Bronx\u00a0 Though Encarnacion was a first-time candidate for office, she said she understood the position and citywide politics well from serving as Ayala\u2019s chief of staff and from the \u201cinstitutional knowledge\u201d she gained as a member of Community Board 11 for about six years.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be able to come in on day one and understand the dynamics of all the players, all of the projects \u2026 I think it\u2019s so beneficial to the community to have that,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the Bronx, Encarnacion said she would focus on improving conditions at NYCHA buildings, especially at Mitchel Houses, the site of an Oct. 1 explosion<\/a> that crumbled a full corner of a 20-story tower. Encarnacion said she would work closely with NYCHA tenant leaders and other stakeholders. \u201cI want them to know they have a champion there.\u201d<\/p>\n Amid rising concerns over youth violence, Encarnacion said young people need more constructive places to go. Her team is planning to create\u00a0a new youth hub, located in the parking lot of the former 40th precinct on East 138th St. and Alexander Ave.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey need a proper place to not just recreate, right? We\u2019re talking workforce development, economic development, workshops, classes, things like that is what my vision is for that space,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Encarnacion said she has already talked with mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani about the youth center, which will be \u201ccommunity-led\u201d and supported by resources she can secure as council member.\u00a0<\/p>\n Similarly, she said she\u2019ll look to support the forthcoming H.E.A.rts Center<\/a>, led by South Bronx Unite, environmental justice efforts on the waterfront and other initiatives already in the works.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese are plans that the community has taken charge of,\u201d Encarnacion said. Her role, then, is, \u201cHow do I bring in the resources to get the things that you want done?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018We have to work together\u2019 \u00a0<\/p>\n Throughout her own campaign, Encarnacion also supported Mamdani, joining him at a community event<\/a> outside Mill Brook Houses on Oct. 5.\u00a0That day, Mamdani told the crowd that city government has failed the Bronx \u201cnot just for the past four years, but for a long time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe want this to be a moment where we build something new,\u201d he said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n His efforts to woo Bronxites apparently paid off. Though former Governor Andrew Cuomo easily won the borough in the June primary, defeating<\/a> Mamdani 54% to 36%, the tables turned in the general, where Mamdani won<\/a> 51.5% of the vote, compared to Cuomo\u2019s 40%.<\/p>\n Encarnacion said Mamdani\u2019s Bronx win was \u201ca testament to his work\u201d engaging with residents in the borough.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cI think that shows a lot about a person\u2019s character, that they\u2019re not afraid, they\u2019re not gonna shy away from those hard conversations,\u201d she said. \u201cFor people in the Bronx, they respect that.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that he\u2019s mayor-elect, Encarnacion said she and other city leaders need to help him succeed and hold him accountable to his commitments. \u201cI think he\u2019s gonna be a great partner.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As she prepares to fill her boss\u2019s shoes, Encarnacion said a small group of family and friends, who are \u201cnot politically connected at all,\u201d is helping her stay grounded in the frenetic world of New York City politics.<\/p>\n Elected officials, including Encarnacion\u2019s fellow newly-elected Bronx Council Members Shirley Aldebol<\/a> and Justin Sanchez<\/a>, will have their work cut out for them as they confront massive citywide challenges \u2014 especially the high cost of living \u2014 and threats from President Donald Trump, who promised to claw back funding from the city if Mamdani were elected over Cuomo, whom he endorsed.<\/p>\n East Harlem and Bronx communities are \u201cvery dependent\u201d on federal dollars, and working to protect residents will be an all-hands-on-deck effort, according to Encarnacion.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to work together,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be facing tough times in the next four years.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t
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Elsie Encarnacion, chief of staff to Council Member Diana Ayala, easily won the District 8 election on Nov. 4 to replace her term-limited boss.<\/p>\n