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Manuel Silva, A Hometown Candidate For Council


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Long a staple at meetings across the community, Manuel Silva, Chief of Staff for Councilman Donovan Richards has announced to The Wave that he is planning to follow in Richards’ footsteps and will be entering into the race for City Council either this year or in 2021.

Much of Silva’s predicted electoral timeline revolves heavily upon his current boss, and whether or not Richards cinches the coveted Borough President position this March. Should Councilman Richards succeed in his current bid for BP, Silva says he’d enter into the special election immediately. Should Richards come up short, however, Silva says that he’d have to wait until next year when the council seat is vacated. Richards, it should be remembered, is term-limited, so Silva would not be running against him for the District 31 seat.

“This election will be very important for Rockaway because it could be a special election this year and it will coincide with the mayoral race,” Silva explained. “During the mayoral race, we need to have a Council Member that can leverage his position to make sure that the city continues to support us and agrees to address our flooding issues.”

Those flooding issues, Silva says, are just one component of a 31-point plan that he believes will help make the district a better place. And for him, improving the quality of life around District 31 is personal, as it is the very neighborhood that he was born and raised in.

Silva, as it turns out, was born at St. John’s hospital in 1990, attended school at PS 225 and PS 114, was enrolled in the Alps Program at MS 183, and graduated high school from the Channel View School for Research on Beach 100th Street. After high school, Silva moved to Rosedale, where he married his high school sweetheart and began getting involved in politics.

After the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Silva took a job with FEMA working in Congressional Affairs but soon left to focus on college and his neighborhood. He subsequently began working on the Worker-Owned Rockaway Cooperatives project, where he was able to convert traditional businesses into worker-owned operations, before becoming project manager with the Far Rockaway Arverne Nonprofit Coalition. It was in that capacity that Silva caught the attention of Councilman Donovan Richards, who appointed him Chief of Staff at just 27 years old.

As Councilman, Silva says that he wants to continue to fight for the neighborhoods he’s called home throughout his entire life.

“For far too long we’ve had to live with a lack of investment, a lack of vision, and a lack of accountability. There is no reason to go back to those days,” said Silva. “Our goal is to give power back to the people and make sure that we continue the fight to bring home the bacon and improve everyone’s quality of life on the peninsula.”

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