Erick Salgado Kicks Off Mayoral Campaign: ”I Speak With An Accent, But I Don’t Think With An Accent.”

Surrounded by his wife Sonia and their six children, family members, leaders of the Hispanic, Russian and Orthodox community, Erick Salgado, a pastor from Brooklyn, kicked off  today his campaign for mayor at the steps of City Hall. long lines of supporters who were waiting to get in missed the main event as the clock kept ticking. 

A copy of the letter signed and authorized
 by leading rabbis of the Orthodox community,
as obtained by NYC Elects.

Joseph Hayon, a Jewish activist and  former Assembly candidate, read a letter signed and authorized by some of the leading rabbis in the Orthodox community in support of Salgado. "Mayoral candidate Erick Salgado is the only known candidate committed to fighting for morality and religious freedom for the jewish community," the letter reads. "Therefore, it is a 'mitzvah chiyuves' (religious obligation) to support his campaign. It further obligates any jew who is not registered to vote to do so, in order to vote for Mr. Salgado in the Democratic primary."

The letter was signed by: Rav Avrohom Yaakov Nelkelbaum, Rosh Yeshivas Mir; Rav Benheoil, Rav of Bnei Yosef and Rosh Yeshiva of Mikdash Melech; Rav Elyahu  Ben Haim, Rav of Yesodai Mahsad (5000 congregants) in Queens; Rav Shlomo Tzvi Stern, Debreziner Rav of BP; Rav Amram Klwin, Ungar Rav; Rav Moshe Green, Rosh Yeshiva of monsey and Rav Yisroel Neuman, Rosh Yeshiva Lakewood. 

"This letter inspired me to give the maximum contribution for matching fund to the Erick Salgado campaign," said Hayon, as he handed a check of $175 to the candidate.

State Senator Ruben Diaz from the Bronx, who is an early supporter of the pastor, introduced the candidate as an honest candidate who is God fearing, in light of the latest corruption arrests. "For me it's an honor and privilege to be part of the coalition of Hispanics, Jews, Russians, Poles and African Americans who support Erick Salgado for Mayor," stated State Senator Ruben Diaz

'That is why today I am introducing to you a person.. that is not one of the crowd, a new face, a new heart with a new vision and a clear mind. A person that is a god fearing person, a person that will work as head of a coalition, that no other candidate has, of  Jews, Russians, Hispanics and African Americans," Mr. Dias Sr. said of Salgado.

Adding "to stop corruption, we need one person, that guy, that human being, and that guy is: The honorable Erick Salgado."

Standing on the steps of City Hall, Salgado told  his assembled supporters, who broke out every few minutes in enthusiastic chants that he would “work together with them to repair this City and make it work for all of us.  I will work for all the boroughs.  I will work for all the cultures.  I will work for all the races.  I will work for all New Yorkers.”

"Today, I am promising you that I am going to be Mayor for all the people, including those who have gone for too long without true representation," he vowed.

Mr. Salgado went on to rile up the crowd by citing the reasons of why the City is broken. "When our Police Department is not allowed to continue the tough-on-crime policies of Mayor Giuliani and instead is politicized to manipulate crime statistics and turn our neighborhoods and small businesses into ATM's through ticket quotas, then our City is broken. When our schools are failing, students can't learn, and instead of viable solutions we are presented with statistics that our schools are improving, then our City is broken. When small businesses, the economic engine, life blood and collectively the largest employer of our City, are being choked by over regulation, then our City is broken. Our City is experiencing epidemic levels of childhood obesity. Asthma levels are at a record high. When the City administration’s response is creating strategies to eliminate super-sized sodas, instead of assuring physical education classes for every student, every school day, and aggressively developing additional programs to clean-up our air, then our City is broken. When City Hall continues to put obstacles in the way of different religious groups, then our City is broken. When hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are undocumented and no one does anything about it, our City is broken."

"New York City needs a Mayor who can unite the residents of this city, harness the energy that exists in its communities and move this City forward without regard to the political considerations of career politicians," Mr. Salgado touted his campaign theme. "We need a Mayor whose only allegiance is to the people of New York City's communities from the Bronx to Brooklyn, Staten Island to Queens, as well as Manhattan."

For a moment, Mr. Salgado went off script, as a third person, to address what he thinks is the reason he has been neglected and overlooked in this election season. "I want to thank the first elected official who believed in Erick Salgado, the only politician who had the guts to go public and say: 'I believe that Erick Salgado is going to be the next mayor', Senator Reuben Diaz," he said to the loud cheers of his supporters. "My name is Erick Salgado, and Yes! I am running for Mayor for mayor of NYC," he defiantly stated.  

Speaking in a heavy Latino accent,  Mr. Salgado acknowledged that his Hispanic background might not be good enough to place him as an equal candidate, one of the mainstream, saying "I speak with an accents, and I am very proud of it, but i don't think with an accent."

I spotted in the crowd Rav Yehuda Levin, a vocal religious conservative who opposes gay rights and abortion, who told me he was invited by the organizers and that he fully supports the candidacy of Erick Salgado. "I'm thrilled to be here and I am a soldier in the army," he noted. "This is a miracle. In this late stage of the devolving of the culture, especially in New York, that we can have religious people, family values people from all backgrounds coming together. Hashem (God) is giving us an opportunity to push back, and there is a place from him to really win," Rabbi Levin said.