The Bronx is a bastion of political power. Local officials are flexing their muscles across the state, whether it’s Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie wheeling and dealing in the state Capitol on behalf of his conference and his constituents or District Attorney Darcel Clark pushing through revisions to New York state’s discovery laws. Younger politicians are eyeing opportunities to climb the political ladder, like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (who’s dominating U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer in a hypothetical Democratic primary matchup) and Ritchie Torres (a potential gubernatorial candidate who’s increasingly focused on Albany). It’s also the epicenter of one of the biggest clashes of the current election cycle, with voters weighing in this month on New York City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr.’s intraparty challenge to Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.

City & State’s Bronx Power 100 tracks the latest exploits of these and many more public officials, along with the borough’s top real estate titans, health care executives, nonprofit leaders, college and university presidents, and an array of activists and advocates fighting for change. This list ranks these individuals, all of whom live or work in the Bronx, based on their wins and losses over the past 12 months. We’re pleased to introduce the 2025 Bronx Power 100.

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97. Charles Madray

For the past 11 years at Samaritan Daytop Village, Charles Madray has been on the front lines of the fight against the opioid epidemic, overseeing the human services nonprofit’s sprawling opioid treatment and prevention efforts, including a number of facilities in his home borough of the Bronx. Madray runs treatment and community-based programs that serve more than 3,000 people a year. The former Montefiore Medical Center physician assistant is also pushing to destigmatize methadone use and train the community on using Narcan kits.

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