Helen Foster has held the 16th district seat since 2002, when her father was forced by term limits to give up the seat he'd held since 1978.

Photo by: NYC Council/William Alatriste

Helen Foster has held the 16th district seat since 2002, when her father was forced by term limits to give up the seat he’d held since 1978.

Wendell Foster became the first black person elected to city office from the Bronx in 1978 and didn’t relinquish his City Council seat until term limits forced him to in 2001—when his daughter Helen won the race to replace him. Now Helen Foster is also facing term limits, and and a crowded field is vying to replace her.

The hopefuls squared off in a televised debate:

It was just the latest debate hosted by BronxTalk. Another, for the 17th Council District, airs tonight (Monday) on Bronxnet at 9 p.m.

There will be two more live debates: one for the special 86th Assembly District race (Monday August 26th) and one for the 8th district Council race (Monday, September 2).

Following each debate, Bronx Bureau will post links to the videos. Early on, we listed the candidates running for Council seats here.