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Mark Viverito is Likely Winner

By Bob Kappstatter

NY Daily News, September 21, 2005

Melissa Mark Viverito appeared to be the winner yesterday in the Democratic primary for the City Council seat covering East Harlem and parts of the South Bronx and upper West Side.

With only a 16 vote lead over her closest opponent shortly after Tuesday’s six candidate Democratic primary, Mark Viverito’s margin over Felipe Luciano had grown to 85 votes yesterday after voting machine recounts and incoming absentee ballots tallies.

City Board of Elections spokesman Christopher Riley said it looked as if the vote tally would generally hold for board certification this week.

“We don’t think there’s going to be a lot more absentee ballots,” he said. “They’re dropping dramatically.”

Luciano’s attorney, Jerry Goldfeder, said yesterday that with the latest vote count, “We are not going to go into court to challenge the vote certification by the board.”

Luciano, an Emmy winning television journalist and founder of the Young Lords, did not return a call requesting comment.

A Democratic primary win in the overwhelmingly Democratic 8th Council District virtually assures victory in the November election.

Mark Viverito is a researcher for the SEIU Local 1199 health care union, which yesterday endorsed Fernando Ferrer for mayor.

“My campaign  and the reason I support Freddy  is because we need to speak for the working poor in the city, and that’s been my platform the whole time,” she said yesterday.

As of yesterday, the vote tally was Mark Viverito, 3,831; Luciano, 3,746; Community Board 7 Chairwoman Joyce Johnson, 2,857; former Assemblyman Nelson Denis, 2,444; local Democratic district leader John Ruiz, 1,623, and former local school board president Edwin Marcial, 387.