Adolfo Carrión Jr. (born March 6, 1961) is an American businessman and former elected official from
City Island. He served one term as a member of the
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...
, representing the
14th district. He served for seven years as the
borough president of the
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, for a year and five months as the first director of the
White House Office of Urban Affairs in the
Obama administration, and then for nearly two years as Regional Administrator for HUD's New York and New Jersey Regional Office. He left HUD in February 2012.
In late 2012, Carrión registered as an Independent, to begin exploring a run for
Mayor of New York City
The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...
, and in February 2013 he was granted the
Independence Party nomination. Carrión was appointed Commissioner of the
New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development by Mayor
Eric Adams on January 30, 2022. On March 7, 2025, Carrión was appointed Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce, effective March 14, 2025.
Background
Adolfo Carrión was born in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, in 1961. His family moved to the
Baychester section of the Northeast Bronx when he was in fourth grade. He attended public school at PS34 (Manh), PS111 (Bx),
John Philip Sousa Middle School and
Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx. Later, he graduated from
The King's College, a
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
liberal arts
Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...
college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...
in
Westchester County at the time, where he majored in world religions and philosophy. He followed in the footsteps of his father, a
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
minister, and became an associate
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...
at a Bronx church.
Carrión went on to serve as a
public school teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
in the
West Bronx at Intermediate School 115 and CIS 234. During that time he participated in
CCNY-base
Salvadori Centerprogram which uses the built environment as a teaching tool. Eventually, he went back to school to earn his
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in
urban planning
Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...
from
Hunter College
Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...
, part of the
City University of New York. Upon graduating, Carrión worked for three years at the Bronx office of the
New York City Department of City Planning.
He later served a
district managerfor
Community Board 5 in the Bronx (where he was responsible for overseeing the delivery of services to 150,000 residents within his district), was hired as vice president of human services and community outreach a
Promesa a
community development organization, and served as chairman of the Bronx
Puerto Rican Day Parade.
He currently lives with his wife, Linda Baldwin, an attorney and former city planning colleague, and his children, Raquel, Sara, Olivia, and Adolfo James (A.J.) on
City Island.
Political career
Carrión ran for
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...
in 1997. He won the election and served one four-year term representing the
14th district, which includes the West Bronx neighborhoods of
University Heights, Morris Heights,
Kingsbridge, and
Fordham. While on the council, Carrión belonged to its committees on Economic Development, Education, Higher Education, Environmental Protection, Governmental Operations and Land Use. He also served as chairman of the Special Subcommittee on the
2000 Census.
Although council members are allowed to seek reelection, Carrión did not run for a second term. He had been rumored to be a leading candidate to become the next speaker of the city council, but he chose instead to run in the hotly contested 2001 election to succeed Bronx
borough president Freddy Ferrer, who was at that time prevented under the
City Charter from seeking a third term in office. He edged out then-Councilmember
June Eisland and State Senator
Pedro Espada Jr. for the
Democratic nomination and then won the
general election
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
on November 6, 2001, with a landslide 79% of the vote. He easily won reelection in 2005 with 87%.
Adolfo Carrión would have been limited by the City Charter from seeking a third term as borough president until a narrow October 2008 vote of the
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs.
The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...
allowed third terms for elected city officials (including incumbent Mayor
Michael Bloomberg). The media frequently speculated that Carrión would be a candidate for
Mayor of New York City
The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...
in 2009. However, on December 13, 2007, Carrión announced that he would be a candidate for
New York City Comptroller in the 2009 election.
On December 6, 2008, Carrión announced in a speech at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
that President-elect
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
had selected him for a cabinet-level position. In February 2009, he took office as director of the newly created
White House Office of Urban Affairs Policy.
Carrión's work at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
resulted in the establishment of a White House Urban Policy Working Group and the first interagency review in 30 years of the federal government's engagement with urban and metropolitan areas.
Carrión's position at the Domestic Policy Council ended on May 3, 2010, when the Obama administration named Carrión Regional Director for
HUD's New York and New Jersey Regional Office. He left HUD in February, 2012. As Regional Administrator, Carrión was responsible for overseeing nearly $6 billion in HUD investments in New York and New Jersey.
On February 26, 2013, Carrion announced during an interview with the
EFE news agency, that he will run for the
Mayor of New York
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
as an independent candidate. He also unsuccessfully pursued a
Wilson Pakula designation to secure a spot in the
Republican primary.
Affiliations
;Aspen Institute
Carrión was chosen by the
Aspen Institute as one of 24 of America's most promising emerging leaders to be a member of the Aspen-Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership. The fellowship consists of 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats and focuses on the ethics and responsibilities of public office and teaching democratic principles. This is only the second class of fellows from the institute, and Carrión is the only member from
New York.
;National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)
On July 1, 2007, Adolfo Carrión was elected president of
NALEO, the nonpartisan leadership organization of the nation's 6,000 Latino elected and appointed officials. As President, he announced an increase in efforts to help file naturalization papers for eligible legal permanent residents before impending fee increases take effect as part of
NALEO's "ya es hora" campaign. He previously served as vice president and Treasurer.
NALEO is a national organization that offers training and technical assistance to enhance the leadership skills and political empowerment of
Latino appointed and elected officials.
;New York Blood Center
Adolfo Carrión serves as the Chair of the Volunteer Leadership Team of the
New York Blood Center in the
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
. As the Bronx Chair, he helps the
NY Blood Center meet its goal of closing the blood deficit that forces the
New York region to rely on donations from other parts of the country.
Projects
Yankee Stadium
After his election as borough president, Carrión helped to bring the city and
George Steinbrenner, owner of the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
, together for negotiations over the construction of a new
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...
.
Early in his presidency, Carrión had advocated Community Benefits Agreements intended to ensure that construction in the borough would help as many residents as possible. In the end, $800 million will be invested in construction of a new
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...
with at least 25% of the contracts going to
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
businesses and at least 25% of the jobs going to residents of the Borough. In addition, $160 million will be invested in many public parks including a
running track,
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
facilities, and
softball
Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
and
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
fields on parkland around and including the original
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...
. Carrión has helped to bring in funding to improve other parts of the community, including $65 million to be invested in restoration of the pedestrian
Highbridge, the oldest bridge in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
which connects the
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
to
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, and $91 million to be invested in constructing a new
Metro-North Station at the new
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...
. Also being planned in the area is a Yankee Stadium Sports Museum and a fitness/health club.
Bronx Terminal Market
Just south of the new
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...
is the
Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market, which replaced a dilapidated public market and the closed Bronx House of Detention.
Hunts Point Vision Plan
Carrión worked with Mayor Bloomberg and community leaders to re-envision industrial area on the Bronx waterfront. Key components of the plan include $110 million invested by the
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
for infrastructure improvements, $85 million development of the
Fulton Fish Market at
Hunts Point, $25 million development of the
Produce Market, the construction of the ne
Barretto Point Park the
South Bronx Greenway Initiative, and a re-use plan for the Marine Transfer Station which is still in negotiations.
Issues and controversies
Party affiliation
Until the
New York City Charter was amended in 2008, it prevented Carrión from seeking a third term as
borough president. He raised money for citywide office and it was widely speculated that he was contemplating running for
Mayor of New York City
The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...
. On December 13, 2007, however, he announced that he was running in the 2009
New York City Comptroller's race to replace the existing Comptroller (
Bill Thompson) who, at the time, was also term limited. As events turned out in 2009, Thompson ran for Mayor while Carrión left the borough presidency before the end of his second term in order to accept his post in the
Obama administration.
Navy bombing exercises in Puerto Rico
In 2001, he and three others including the
Rev. Al Sharpton travelled to Puerto Rico to protest the Navy's bombing exercises on the island of Vieques. The "Vieques Four" were imprisoned by the federal government for more than 40 days for protesting the policy. Their actions led to President Bush's imposition of a permanent moratorium on weapons testing on the island
Fire in the Bronx
On March 7, 2007, a fire engulfed the row house at 1022 Woodycrest Ave in the Bronx, killing 8 children and one woman. The two families affected were those of Moussa Magassa, who lost four children, and Mamadou Soumare, who lost four children and his wife. Carrión worked with business and community leaders to raise over $200,000 for the two families, including support from the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
who financed the cost of the funeral and the Soumare family's travel arrangements to
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
. When the incident occurred, Mr. Soumare's application for permanent residency was still pending approval, so Carrión worked with other elected officials to secure permission from immigration officials for Mr. Soumare to return to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
after burying his family in
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
. The fire was caused by a space heater and touched off a fire safety awareness campaign by Mayor Bloomberg and the
New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fi ...
.
Congestion pricing
Carrión was the most vocal outer-borough supporter of Mayor Bloomberg's
congestion pricing plan which would charge drivers a fee to enter
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
between the hours of 8am and 6pm in an effort to reduce congestion and minimize the
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
's air pollution. On June 15, 2007, Carrión held a press conference with Mayor Bloomberg and nearly a dozen other elected officials from the
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
to announce their support for the plan, though he stressed that proposed improvements to
mass transit would need to be clarified before this plan was implemented.
Carrión's endorsement is significant because it dispelled the myth that politicians with a large percentage of constituents who commute into
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
would be intrinsically against the measure.
German military training video controversy
In April, 2007 a video filmed in June 2006 surfaced on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
depicting a
German military training exercise in which a
German Army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
instructor orders a recruit to pretend he is in the
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
and to fire on a van full of
African-Americans who are insulting his mother in the worst way. The soldier fires and yells obscenities in
English, whereupon he is instructed to yell louder next time. Upon seeing the video, Carrión demanded an apology from the
German government and that appropriate action be taken against the offending officer. Carrión, who had just returned from
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
on a tour to promote tourism to the
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, offered to return to educate officials about the
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
. He also offered to host a contingent of government and military officials to give them a tour of the area. As a result of his remarks, the
German Army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
instructor in the video was relieved of duty and denied retirement benefits. Mayor Andreas Breitner of
Rendsburg
Rendsburg (, also ''Rensborg'', , also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the Eider (river), River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Eckernfoerde, Rends ...
, the town where the video originated, and
German Consul-General Hans-Jurgen Heimsoeth issued formal apologies for the incident.
City Island
The
Bronx District Attorney's office investigated some construction work on a piece of property owned by Carrión, in response to a report by the ''
New York Daily News
The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
''. In 2007, Mr. Carrión had a porch and balcony added to his Victorian home on
City Island, Bronx. According to documents obtained by the ''Daily News'' from the contractor, Nationwide Maintenance of the Bronx, and from the
New York City Department of Buildings, "the project's estimated cost was $50,000. Carrión wound up paying less than half of the estimate – $24,000.
Hugo Subotovsky, the architect for the project, was seeking approval for a Bronx development called Boricua Village and obtained it while working on Carrión's house project. The ''New York Daily News'' reports about the subject suggested that Carrión, as borough president, was instrumental in this approval. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported that the project had widespread community support and that though Carrión did recommend the necessary zoning changes after reviewing the project, borough presidents only advise and "cannot kill proposals". Carrión himself claims that his hiring of Subotovsky had nothing to do with the Boricua Village project.
Carrión did not pay Subotovsky for this work until April 2009. Carrión's explanation was that he had not yet requested a final survey of his property and that Subotovsky's "practice was to not bill clients until the permit file at the Buildings Department is complete and closed."
Coincidentally, the bill was not paid until the same week the Department of Investigation raided the offices of the Boricua Village project developer, Atlantic Development Group, as part of a bribery and corruption probe.
Initially, Carrión had reported that he owed Subotovsky $3,627.50 for 51.5 hours of work. The check he sent the architect was for $4,247.50.
As of this writing, there is no information about whether Carrión is still under investigation or not.
See also
*
List of U.S. executive branch 'czars'
*
Timeline of the Bronx, 21st century
*
David Paterson
References
External links
Gotham Gazette's Campaign 2001 FeatureGotham Gazette's Campaign 2005 Feature*
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carrion, Adolfo Jr.
1961 births
Puerto Rican people in New York (state) politics
American politicians of Puerto Rican descent
Bronx borough presidents
Commissioners in New York City
Hunter College alumni
Living people
New York City Council members
Hispanic and Latino American New York City Council members
New York (state) Democrats
New York (state) independents
People from City Island, Bronx
Politicians from the Bronx
The King's College (New York City) alumni
21st-century New York (state) politicians