Fernando James Ferrer (born April 30, 1950) is an American politician who was the borough president of The Bronx from 1987 to 2001. Ferrer was a candidate for mayor of New York City in 1997 and 2001 and was the Democratic Party nominee for mayor in 2005, when he was defeated by Michael Bloomberg. Ferrer served on the New York City Council in the 1980s and has served as chairman and vice chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.