Adolfo Carrion To Back Espaillat

My item from today’s Heard Around Town:

* Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión is set to endorse state Sen. Adriano Espaillat‘s congressional candidacy today, according to a source with direct knowledge of the endorsement. The endorsement will no doubt help Espaillat’s efforts in the Bronx in the Manhattan/Bronx congressional district, where Espaillat is running against longtime Manhattan Rep. Charlie Rangel, among several others. “Adolfo Carrión is widely respected, having served on high levels both nationally and locally. The fact that someone of his caliber chooses to endorse Adriano demonstrates the campaign’s strength. After 42 years of Rangel, people are clearly ready for change,” the source added. Carrión’s endorsement also puts him on the opposite side of his successor, current Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz, Jr., who is backing Rangel — though it is not unusual for Carrión and Díaz to be on the opposite sides of political decisions. Carrión himself briefly was thought to want to run for the congressional seat, which became much more strongly Latino during the redistricting process.