The NYC Republicans are proud to endorse Fernando Mateo for Mayor of New York City. Fernando is an entrepreneur and an advocate and was born in the Dominican Republic. He is the embodiment of the American Dream, and is a successful New York City businessman like former President Donald J. Trump, of whom Fernando has been a longtime supporter. He will bring America First principles to New York City and is the only candidate with the skills and experience to revive New York City’s economy and make our streets safe again.
In fact, Fernando’s opponent in the Republican primary for Mayor, Curtis Sliwa, is a Never Trumper. He has stated that he hates President Trump and even went so far as to endorse his opponent in the Presidential election last year. Unlike lifelong Republican Fernando Mateo, Curtis Sliwa recently registered as a Republican just to run for Mayor after a career spent trying to destroy the Republican Party. Sliwa endorsed and supported Andrew Gounardes, the liberal Democrat who defeated my former boss and former NYPD Officer, Republican Senator Marty Golden. Gounardes, along with his liberal Democrat colleagues, passed bail reform, which is putting criminals back on our streets and making New York City less safe. Sliwa also endorsed Rob Astorino’s liberal Democrat opponent and helped him defeat Rob as County Executive. There are fewer Republican elected officials in New York because of Sliwa and this Never Trumper must be stopped.
Fernando Mateo has been working for Republican causes his entire adult life. He was awarded the Points of Light award by President George H.W. Bush in 1991 and in 2003 President George W. Bush named him to the White House Presidential Scholars Commission. He served as the Hispanic Director for the last Republican Mayor of New York City and he was the leading Hispanic fundraiser for the Republican Party in New York State, raising nearly $1 million in campaign contributions for both Governor George Pataki and President George W. Bush.
Fernando is also an advocate for New Yorkers. You may have seen him on the news, advocating for taxi drivers and bodega owners - he has worked to provide economic prosperity and safety and security to these hard-working New Yorkers and as Mayor he will do the same for all New Yorkers.
In 1990 Fernando founded the Mateo Institute of Training, a job training program for incarcerated first-time, non-violent offenders. The program offered participants training in practical skills and eventually evolved into a full-fledged curriculum for inmates at the correctional facility on Rikers Island. He also founded the “Toys for Guns” program in 1993 – a successful exchange program that was eventually rolled out nationwide and helped get guns out of the hands of criminals. He was then selected as the “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1993 by Ernst and Young. And in 1994 Mr. Mateo was named “One of the Five Most Influential People in the Country” by the New York Times.
Mateo started out as a fledgling entrepreneur and through extraordinary hard work, determination and sacrifice, he received many awards and accolades. While still a teenager, Mr. Mateo started a small carpet business in the Lower East Side that blossomed into a multi-million dollar contracting business. He was instrumental in revitalizing the Dyckman Strip in Northern Manhattan and in transforming Uptown Manhattan into a magnet that draws people from all over New York City and beyond.
His most recent entrepreneurial venture was in 2017. Mr. Mateo and his wife Stella started the construction and build out of Zona de Cuba Restaurant located on top of a Federal Landmark building - the iconic Bronx Post Office on the Grand Concourse and cross street of 149th. Zona de Cuba opened in May 2019 and employs more than 100 people from the SoBro (South Bronx) neighborhood.
Fernando Mateo is a lifelong Republican, lifelong fighter on behalf of New Yorkers and would be the first Hispanic immigrant of any party to be Mayor of New York City. Fernando will bring economic prosperity and public safety to New York City and the NYC Republicans are proud to endorse him for Mayor.
