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The 20 — or Is It 21? — Powerful Latino Faces, Families and Future Leaders of New York City

Gerson Borrero is a political columnist for El Diario/La Prensa. Norman Adler is a political consultant and president of Bolton-St. Johns, Inc. Both were asked to rank the people selected by the City Hall editorial board as the Latino leaders in politics in New York on a scale of one to ten, with ten as the highest.

Political Clout within the Latino Community / Political Clout throughout New York as a whole

Priscilla Almodóvar, President and CEO of the New York State Housing Finance Agency
Adler: 2/5
Borrero: 0.5/0.5
A former policy advisor and attorney for Spitzer while he was attorney general, Almodóvar has a history of managing complicated financial transactions.

Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat
Adler: 4/3
Borrero: 2/2
In 1996, Adriano Espaillat became the first Dominican-American elected to a State House of Representatives in the United States.

Luis Miranda, Jr., principal partner in Mirram Global
Adler: 6/5
Borrero: 2/2
The former head of the Health and Hospitals Corporation for Republican Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Miranda now gives Miran Consulting the first half of its name and much of its clout.

Rep. José E. Serrano, New York State Senator José M. Serrano
Adler: 7/6
Borrero: 4/3
José E. Serrano is the most senior Latino member of Congress. His son went from the City Council to the State Senate in 2004.

City Council Member Hiram Monserrate
Adler: 5/3
Borrero: 4/2
The son of Puerto Rican immigrants, Monserrate made history as the first Latino elected to public office in Queens and nearly won a 2006 Democratic primary against State Sen. John Sabini.

Assembly Member Carmen E. Arroyo and Council Member Maria Carmen Arroyo
Adler: 4/3
Borrero: 3/3
In 1994, Arroyo, Sr. became the first and only Puerto Rican or Latino woman elected to the Assembly. Her daughter is the co-chair of the City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus of the City Council.

Tonio Burgos, President of Tonio Burgos and Associates and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s top advisor
Adler: 3/6
Borrero: 1/4
Longtime political aide to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, all around go-to-man in Latino politics.

Assembly Member
José Peralta
Adler: 3/3
Borrero: 2/2
Born to Dominican Republic immigrant parents, Peralta is also director of the Commission on the Dignity for Immigrants at the New York City Labor Council.

Rosanna Rosado, CEO/President of El Diario/La Prensa
Adler: 7/8
Borrero: *
Rosado heads the oldest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States. She co-chaired Spitzer’s transition team.

Roberto Ramirez, principal partner in Mirram Global
Adler: 5/7.4
Borrero: 2/3
A former Bronx Democratic Party chairman, Ramirez is generally considered a major power broker within the Latino community and beyond. Ramirez was also part of the “Vieques Four.”

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión
Adler: 7/6
Borrero: 3/3
Carrión is New York’s top ranking Latino elected official. Part of the “Vieques Four,” he is expected to run for mayor or comptroller in the 2009 election.

State Senator Martin Malavé Dilan, City Council Member Erik Martin Dilan
Adler: 5/6
Borrero: 1.5/1.5
Born to Puerto Rican immigrants, Sen. Dilan served on the City Council for ten years before being elected to the State Senate. His son was elected to the Council in 2001. He is its second youngest member.

Assembly Member Vito Lopez
Adler: 7/8
Borrero: 0.25/0.25
Chair of the Housing Committee and the new Brooklyn Democratic Leader, Lopez’s district is has one of the highest Latino concentrations of any in the state.

Gladys Carrión, head of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services
Adler: 3/2
Borrero: 3/2
Before Spitzer picked her for this post, Carrión— no relation to the Bronx borough president—was the United Way of New York City senior vice president for community investment.
State Assembly Member José Rivera, State Assembly Member Naomi Rivera, City Council Member Joél Rivera
Adler: 6/8
Borrero: 5/5
Puerto Rican-born Assembly Member Rivera is a New York Latino political icon who made his way from the Assembly to the City Council, then back to the Assembly. He was one of the “Vieques Four.” His then 22-year-old son Joél made history as the youngest person ever elected to the Council. He was immediately appointed majority leader. Naomi Rivera is in her second term representing a neighboring Assembly district.

Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
Adler: 0.5/2
Borrero: 4/4
The former chief of staff to Roberto Ramirez and former president of the Hispanic Federation, Cortes-Vasquez is the highest ranking of the three Latinos Gov. Eliot Spitzer appointed in his administration.

State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. and Assembly Member Ruben Diaz, Jr.
Adler: 3/2
Borrero: 5/4
Sen. Diaz was born in Puerto Rico and has served in the State Senate since 2001. His son is a member of the Assembly’s Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force and the Black/Puerto Rican and Asian Legislative Caucus.

City Council Member Diana Reyna
Adler: 4/4
Borrero: 0/0
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Reyna is the first Latina of Dominican descent to be elected to office in New York State. She is the chair of the Council’s Rules, Privileges & Elections Committee.

1199 SEIU President Dennis Rivera
Adler: 8/9
Borrero: 4/6
Puerto Rican-born Rivera is the head of one of the most politically powerful health care workers’ unions. Support from this union is considered an essential component for most winning campaigns.

Lillian Rodriguez, President of the Hispanic Federation
Adler: 4/5
Borrero: 1/1
Rodriguez has served as president for this membership organization that serves 85 Latino health and human service agencies in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Rep. Nydia Velásquez
Adler: 4/3
Borrero: 0/0
Repeatedly named the most powerful Latina in New York politics today, Velasquez was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the House of Representatives. As the new chair of the Small Business Committee, she is the first Latino woman to lead a Congressional committee.
*Borrero, laughing, opted not to rate Rosado. “You do realize she’s my boss,” he said.

—Additional reporting by Matt Sollars