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District 11

Eric Dinowitz

Bedford Park, Norwood, Kingsbridge Heights-Van Cortlandt Village, Kingsbridge, Riverdale-Spuyten Duyvil, Wakefield-Woodlawn, Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Cortlandt Park

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BRONX, NY – Council Member Eric Dinowitz held his official swearing-in ceremony at the Lovinger Theatre in Lehman College last Sunday, Dec. 5th in front of a crowd of over 300 attendees. The ceremony was streamed live by local news outlet, BronxNet.

Dinowitz, who won in a special election in March of this year, went on to win the primary in June, and again in the November general election. Dinowitz has been serving in the City Council since April, 2021.

Among those who spoke were U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Attorney General Letitia James, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, Congressman Ritchie Torres, former Congressman Eliot Engel, State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, State Senator Jamaal Bailey, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Borough President-Elect and Council Member Vanessa Gibson, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, and former Council Member June Eisland. A representative from Governor Hochul’s office gave remarks on her behalf.

Other attendees included Westchester County Executive George Latimer, several members of the New York State Senate and Assembly, Comptroller-elect Brad Lander, and current and incoming colleagues at the New York City Council. The Ceremonial Oath of Office was administered by State Supreme Court Justice Andrew Cohen.

The ceremony included a performance by the Celia Cruz School of Music, led by conductor David West. Celia Cruz is a local school that Council Member Dinowitz previously taught at during his 14 years as a public school special education teacher. 

After his swearing in, the ceremony ended with an inaugural speech by Dinowitz. 

Reflecting on the local support garnered through his elections, Council Member Dinowitz said, “We had volunteers in high school not yet old enough to vote; we had older adults who had voted for decades but never participated in a campaign before; community members who found that they had a voice in the future of our community. We brought together a broad and diverse coalition of community members and small businesses; tenants and co-op shareholders and homeowners; elected leaders and union members – from across all ethnic, age, income, religious, and political backgrounds.”

“As a candidate, I vowed to ensure the Bronx is never left behind,” said Dinowitz. And in the brief time I have served as your Council Member, I’ve kept that vow. Since taking office in April of this year, I have delivered for District 11. We brought composting back to the neighborhood, continue to address food insecurity, saved a school and community garden, secured millions of capital dollars, invested heavily in clean-up services, and provided superior constituent services while being physically present in every corner of the district. I have sponsored 48 pieces of legislation beneficial to the people of our city and the Bronx, 23 of which have already been signed into law.
Council Member Dinowitz ended his speech by saying, “For me, it all started in a classroom, and now I proudly bring those lessons learned to City Hall. And the lessons I have learned at City Hall so far, I proudly take into my upcoming full term at the Council. The future is bright here in the Bronx.”

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