Edited by: Fern Sidman
While the crowd of candidates vying to become New York City’s next mayor keeps growing, one particular candidate stands out from the others for his unwavering commitment and dedication to making the lives of all New Yorkers better in practically every way.
Fernando Mateo, 63, is best known as an advocate for taxi drivers and bodega owners who have worked assiduously for the rights of all people.
As one of the few Republican candidates in the race, Mateo said at the beginning of February when he officially entered the race, “I’m excited. I’m on the road to City Hall.”
Mateo, a native of the Dominican Republic, told the NY Post in an interview, “This is a city of immigrants. This is a city built by immigrants. I want to be their voice.”
On February 26th, the New York Post reported that the Manhattan Republican Party threw their support behind Mateo by giving him their ringing endorsement for mayor of New York City.
The New York County GOP Committee selected Mateo over Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa during a meeting, according to the Post report.
“The city is in desperate need of new leadership bringing the city back to the days of Republican leadership when there was economic prosperity, safe streets and common-sense government in City Hall,” said Manhattan GOP chairwoman Andrea Catsimatidis. She added that, “I am confident with this slate led by Fernando Mateo we will bring our city back to being the greatest city in the world.”
The Post reported that Mateo also secured the endorsements of the Bronx and Queens Republican parties.
“I am so grateful for the leadership and support of Chairwoman Catsimatidis. The Manhattan GOP endorsement put us over the top— without her, I wouldn’t be the presumptive nominee,” Mateo said in a statement. He added that, “Together, we will take the Republican Party into the future and continue to expand our coalition with our historic ticket.”
As a high-performing, civic-minded, serial entrepreneur, Mateo has willed himself into becoming one of the most accomplished and prominent Hispanic citizens in the country, today. He has built a business empire and a remarkable reputation for his achievements.
Reflecting on his past, there is no doubt that Mateo not only possesses remarkable business acumen but an unrelenting drive to succeed and to vastly improve the lives of others who have experienced daunting challenges on the trajectory of life. Matteo began his astonishing career in the world of business and public service as a fledgling entrepreneur, Through an extraordinary work ethic along with passionate determination and sacrifice, he received a plethora of awards and accolades from the business community.
While still a teenager, 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.
Since the early 1990s, Mateo has earned a stellar reputation as a highly respected and nationally recognized public figure. In 1990 he 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.
In 1991, Mateo was awarded the Points of Light award by the late President George H.W. Bush. He also founded the “Toys for Guns” program at Christmas time in 1993 – an exchange program that was eventually rolled out nationwide and helped to get guns out of the hands of criminals. He was then selected as the “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1993 by Ernst and Young. Additionally, in 1994 . Mateo was named “One of the Five Most Influential People in the Country” by the New York Times.
In 1998 Mr. Mateo became President of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers. He secured a $5 million grant for installing bullet-proof partitions in taxis, which contributed to a dramatic decline in the murder rate of taxi drivers. In addition, he is the founder of Hispanics Across America, an umbrella conglomerate encompassing other Hispanic organizations, including the Northern Manhattan Restaurant & Lounge LLC, NYS Federation of Taxi drivers, and the Bodega Association of America. Mr. Mateo has served as a director on the board of the Battery Park City Authority in New York City, Board of Trustees of Mercy College and currently serves on the Westchester County Police Board for public safety, as well as being a Deputy Sheriff in Westchester County.
In 2003 President George W. Bush named Mateo to the White House Presidential Scholars Commission. His work in the political sphere has had an outsized and international impact. In 2005, Mateo served as the Hispanic Director for Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s successful re-election campaign. He delivered over 100,000 signed ballots to the Congress and Senate of the Dominican Republic and helped Dominicans secure the right to vote abroad for the first time.
In 2004, Mateo 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.
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’s illustrious career is a testament to his extraordinary dedication to excellence in every endeavor he has undertaken. His passion for his career, community, and country makes Mateo an outstanding candidate for becoming New York City’s next Mayor.
