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Ballotpedia, Gonzalo Duran

Gonzalo was born in the Belmont area of the Bronx. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School and holds a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine from Fordham University. 

Gonzalo is the CEO of Devil Dog USA Incorporated. He previously worked as an administrator for the Bronx Department of Veterans Affairs and as a veterans benefits counselor for Single Stop USA. Gonzalo served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps for 8 years. 

Gonzalo Duran previously ran for member of the New York City Council in District 17 in 2023, but he did not win. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Bronx County Conservative Party.

Candidate website

Believes local businesses are essential to communities and provide important job opportunities for residents.

Believes local businesses are essential to communities and "give many residents their first experiences in having a job."

Supports tax breaks for local businesses.

Supports tax reductions for local businesses.

Supports limiting funding to transportation agencies and ensuring funds are used for demonstrated system improvements.

Wants to limit funding for transportation agencies and ensure funds are used for "demonstrated" system improvements.

Supports continuing participatory budgeting, which allows residents to vote on how tax dollars are spent, and aims to increase community participation.

Supports continuing "participatory budgeting," to allow residents to vote on how tax dollars are spent and increase participation in the community. 

Supports the Citywide Ferry Service and wants to expand it to more parts of the Bronx.

Supports the Citywide Ferry Service and wants to expand it to more neighborhoods in the Bronx.

Wants to provide veterans with documentation approved by the city acknowledging the amount of money they have received and include a time line of the educational benefits they have.

- Believes local businesses are essential to communities and "give many residents their first experiences in having a job."
- Supports tax reductions for local businesses.
- Wants to limit funding for transportation agencies and ensure funds are used for "demonstrated" system improvements.
- Supports continuing "participatory budgeting," to allow residents to vote on how tax dollars are spent and increase participation in the community. 
- Supports the Citywide Ferry Service and wants to expand it to more neighborhoods in the Bronx.
- Wants to provide veterans with documentation approved by the city acknowledging the amount of money they have received and include a time line of the educational benefits they have.

Economy

Believes in increasing the number of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers and surveillance in areas with high crime rates.

Supports encouraging non-profits to provide safe spaces for youth after school.

Supports creating youth programs to foster relationships between police and community members.

Supports opening up communication between police and community members through forums and town halls.

Supports allocating budget funds to provide monetary help towards non-profit, no-kill animal shelters and local Bronx animal rescue groups.

- Believes in increasing the number of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers and surveillance in areas with high crime rates.
- Supports encouraging non-profits to provide safe spaces for youth after school.
- Supports creating youth programs to foster relationships between police and community members.
- Supports opening up communication between police and community members through forums and town halls.
- Supports allocating budget funds to provide monetary help towards non-profit, no-kill animal shelters and local Bronx animal rescue groups.

Public Safety

Supports increasing funding for vouchers (Health Bucks for SNAP/EBT) to provide public assistance recipients with access to healthier foods.

Supports teaching healthy living in schools by introducing cooking and nutrition classes.

Supports introducing cooking and nutrition classes in schools. 

Supports locating and addressing "food deserts" by denying bids from fast food corporations and prioritizing supermarkets that offer healthy, affordable food.

- Supports increasing funding for vouchers (Health Bucks for SNAP/EBT) to provide public assistance recipients with access to healthier foods.
- Supports introducing cooking and nutrition classes in schools. 
- Supports locating and addressing "food deserts" by denying bids from fast food corporations and prioritizing supermarkets that offer healthy, affordable food.

Healthcare

Wants to improve current green spaces, like parks, and encourage the formation of more community gardens.

Wants to improve access to current green spaces, like parks, and encourage building more community gardens .

Supports extending nutritional education and agricultural development to adults and families through community and family gardening initiatives.

Supports extending nutritional education and agricultural development to adults and families through nutritional education and agricultural land development. 

Supports programs like Partnerships for Parks to create opportunities for children to learn about environmental conservation.

- Wants to improve access to current green spaces, like parks, and encourage building more community gardens .
- Supports extending nutritional education and agricultural development to adults and families through nutritional education and agricultural land development. 
- Supports programs like Partnerships for Parks to create opportunities for children to learn about environmental conservation.

Energy & the Environment

As of September 19, 2024, Gonzalo Duran’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Foreign Policy and Immigration

Wants to increase voter registration, public position applications, and community board participation.

Wants to increase voter registration, number of public position applicants, and participation in community boards. 

Believes constituents feel unheard and ignored by politicians, leading to widespread voter apathy and disengagement.

Believes constituents feel "unheard and...ignored" by politicians, leading to widespread voter apathy and disengagement.

- Wants to increase voter registration, number of public position applicants, and participation in community boards. 
- Believes constituents feel "unheard and...ignored" by politicians, leading to widespread voter apathy and disengagement.

Voting & Elections

Believes class sizes should be kept at a reasonable level.

Believes class sizes should be kept at a "reasonable level."

Believes schools should include environmental awareness in their curriculum.

Believes standardized testing should be reduced, saying it "has taken over the curriculum where learning is heavily interrupted."

Believes high school and college education systems fail to prepare students for each other, and that increasing funding only exacerbates existing issues due to disproportionate distribution.

Believes high school and college education systems fail to prepare students and that more funding only exacerbates existing issues due to disproportionate distribution.

- Believes class sizes should be kept at a "reasonable level."
- Believes schools should include environmental awareness in their curriculum.
- Believes standardized testing should be reduced, saying it "has taken over the curriculum where learning is heavily interrupted."
- Believes high school and college education systems fail to prepare students and that more funding only exacerbates existing issues due to disproportionate distribution.

Education

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Gonzalo Duran

Gonzalo was born in the Belmont area of the Bronx. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School and earned a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine from Fordham University. 

Gonzalo is chief executive officer of Devil Dog USA Incorporated. He previously worked as an administrator for the Bronx Department of Veterans Affairs and as a veterans benefits counselor for Single Stop USA. Gonzalo served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps for 8 years. 

Gonzalo Duran previously ran for commissioner for New York City Council District 17 but did not win. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Bronx County Conservative Party.

Believes there needs to be a focus on providing employment that allows for growth and to be treated as a career.

Supports policies that promote job growth, fair wages, and labor rights.

- Believes local businesses are essential to communities and provide important job opportunities for residents.
- Supports tax breaks for local businesses.
- Supports limiting funding to transportation agencies and ensuring funds are used for demonstrated system improvements.
- Supports continuing participatory budgeting, which allows residents to vote on how tax dollars are spent, and aims to increase community participation.
- Supports the Citywide Ferry Service and wants to expand it to more parts of the Bronx.
- Wants to provide veterans with documentation approved by the city acknowledging the amount of money they have received and include a time line of the educational benefits they have.

Believes some neighborhoods are overlooked for park funding.

Promises to avoid insider trading, advocate for term limits, and prioritize national and Bronx-specific issues.

Believes in limiting the number of fast food restaurants in disadvantaged areas.

Believes in addressing community challenges such as domestic violence and financial struggles for parents.

Believes improving health in the Bronx requires addressing access issues.

Supports the "Burn Pits – Has Heart" legislation, which would provide healthcare and disability benefits to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

Believes the high cost of living prevents many parents from affording extracurricular activities for their children.

Believes gas prices are too high, saying they are "up to $5.00 under Joe."

Supports policies that address climate change, promote clean energy, and protect natural resources.

- Wants to improve current green spaces, like parks, and encourage the formation of more community gardens.
- Supports extending nutritional education and agricultural development to adults and families through community and family gardening initiatives.
- Supports programs like Partnerships for Parks to create opportunities for children to learn about environmental conservation.

Supports addressing veteran's mental health issues.

Believes in ending conflicts to focus on domestic issues.

Believes the U.S. southern border is "a total disaster."

Believes President Biden has "almost NOTHING to run on" except abortion and climate change, and that Biden's record is empty for the "last three years."

Believes the withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in "13 heroes killed" and $68 billion of equipment left for the enemy.

Believes in addressing immigration issues through political discourse and collaboration.

Supports voting rights and fair election processes.

Believes in protecting voting rights and ensuring fair elections.

Requests donations to the Bronx Conservative Party to support candidate awareness and aid other local candidates.

Supports donating to political parties to help spread awareness and host events.

Believes that as COVID-19 regulations ease, engagement in democracy must increase.

- Wants to increase voter registration, public position applications, and community board participation.
- Believes constituents feel unheard and ignored by politicians, leading to widespread voter apathy and disengagement.

Believes overlooked non-profit programs should be integrated into the educational system to enhance learning and after-school programming.

Believes in the importance of veteran educational benefits for tuition and living expenses.

Believes in creating opportunities for young people to experience life fully, regardless of financial constraints.

- Believes class sizes should be kept at a reasonable level.
- Believes schools should include environmental awareness in their curriculum.
- Believes standardized testing should be reduced, saying it "has taken over the curriculum where learning is heavily interrupted."
- Believes high school and college education systems fail to prepare students for each other, and that increasing funding only exacerbates existing issues due to disproportionate distribution.

Gonzalo was born and raised in the Belmont area of the Bronx and attended DeWitt Clinton High School. He graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor's degree in health science.

Gonzalo Duran is the Chief Executive Officer of Devil Dog USA Incorporated. He has also worked at the Bronx Veterans Affairs and the Bronx Labor Department.

As of September 23, 2024, Gonzalo Duran’s website did not contain information on this issue.

- Your US Representative represents the interests of your district in the US House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. New York currently has 26 US Representatives.
- US Representatives can author, sponsor, debate, and vote on bills that become national law.
- Representatives may serve on congressional committees. Committees focus on certain policy areas, such as transportation, education, or labor. They may also run for higher positions within their party, such as the Speaker of the House or Majority/Minority Leader.
- Representatives are elected to two-year terms. To hold this office, a candidate must be a US Citizen for at least seven years before their election and a New York resident. US Representatives are paid a salary of $174,000/year.