Bronx Press Politics

Proposed Bronx charter school to offer chess and fencing

2012-02-09T11:08:00.001-05:00

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review.

By MIAWLING LAM

CHILDREN as young as five will learn fencing, chess, attend school on Saturdays and be given a rigorous, back-to-basics education at a new elementary charter school proposed for The Bronx.

Yes the Bronx chairman and Riverdale Senior Services board member Alec Diacou unveiled plans to open the Rosalyn Yalow Academy Charter School at last week’s Community Board 8 education committee meeting.

The school, which has yet to be sited, will open with at least 224 K-2 students in fall 2013 and grow by a grade each year before eventually expanding to a K-6 school serving at least 448 kids.

Officials said they ultimately plan to seek approval to add grades seven and eight, thereby making it an elementary and middle school serving District 10 students.

Diacou, a former Community Board 8 budget chairman, said the school would institute a gifted model and focus on the traditional and classical subjects of English, math, the arts, foreign language, history and geography.

The school will also partner with the Kasparov Chess Foundation to institute a chess program, with Bronx Arts Ensemble to roll out a music curriculum and with former Olympian fencing champions to train students in the combat sport.

“The whole purpose of the school is to provide excellence in education, to raise the kids’ standards so that kids are prepared to go onto specialized high schools and four-year colleges,” Diacou said.

“And the key to doing that for any children from here, or anywhere else, is a good early childhood education and that’s what we are trying to do.”

Naming the school in honor of Dr. Yalow, a celebrated medical physicist who was the second female to win a Nobel Prize in Medicine, was also deliberate move, Diacou said.

“She is a symbol of excellence for all of our children and the next generation and that’s why we asked her family if we could use her name.”

Dr. Yalow lived in Kingsbridge for more than 60 years and died on May 30, 2011, at the age of 89.

School officials filed a letter of intent with the New York State Education Department on Tuesday, January 17 and will seek charter authorization from the New York State Board of Regents.

Under their proposal, the school day will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and each grade will boast at least two classes of 28 students. By the school’s second year, classes will be held even on Saturdays.

“A lot of the parenting, the extra-curricular activities…your parents used to take the initiative to do. Since that is part of the problem, we’re going to take over the role of the parent,” Diacou said.

“That’s why we have the longer school day and longer school week so the kids get used to a habit of learning and stimulus.”

According to the letter of intent obtained by the Riverdale Review, the Core Knowledge curriculum, developed by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. will provide the basis for the school’s academic program.

Students will also be taught mathematics using the Singapore Math method. The approach, which helps kids develop a deeper understanding of numbers and concepts, is currently being used by the entire Scarsdale school district, Hunter College Elementary School, a public school for gifted children on the Upper East Side and P.S. 132 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Documents also show the school’s initial board of trustees will have five members: Diacou; Dr. Yalow’s son, Benjamin Yalow; Manhattan resident and recently retired partner from the New York law firm Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett, John W. Carr; Bronx County Deputy City Clerk Shirley Saunders; and vice-president of 32BJ Service Employees International Union Kyle Bragg.

Per charter school regulations, admissions will be determined by lottery, with preference given to pupils residing within District 10.

School officials expect to file their application either during the first-round deadline on February 27 or second-round deadline on July 18.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

2012-02-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

As always, here are the stories in this week's (Feb. 9 - Feb. 15) issues of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

* Progress on long-stalled apartment tower > Tulfan Terrace is finally set for completion in January 2013, according to its mortgage owner
* Oregano, eagerly anticipated Johnson Ave. eatery, welcomes new chef > Claude Alain Solliard replaces Ricardo Cardona as Oregano Bar & Bistro's executive chef
* Board okays controversial skate rink > CB8 votes 20-4, with six abstentions, to support a plan to install a skating rink in Van Cortlandt Park
* Residents may be charged for parking inconvenience > Residents along Waldo Ave. may have to pay to park in Manhattan College's garage while the school builds its new student center
* Community leader offers vision for rigorous new charter school > Yes the Bronx chairman Alex Diacou unveils plans to open the Rosalyn Yalow Academy Charter School
* Renewed pleas for neighborhood slow zone on Independence Ave. > A plan to introduce a neighborhood slow zone outside two of Riverdale's public schools is expected to gather momentum after a 54-year-old female pedestrian was struck while crossing the street
* Plans to posthumously honor educator and community leader Debbie Bowden > CB8 members propose renaming the P.S. 24 library in memory of Bowden
* Local home invasion robbery foiled > Authorities arrest two men during an attempted drug-related home invasion in Kingsbridge last week
* Bronx politician calls for transferable Muni-Meter time > Councilman James Vacca introduces legislation to allow drivers to use unexpired Muni-Meter time to park anywhere in the city without fear of being ticketed.

Also in the Bronx Press:
* The Bronx wins battle for FreshDirect > Online grocer FreshDirect announces it will build its new headquarters at the Harlem River Yards, thanks to a $130 million sweetener from state and city officials
* City Island school is awarded landmark status > P.S. 102, which was later renamed P.S. 17, added to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission's register of historic places
* Growers weeded out in Van Nest pot bust > Police remove nearly 800 marijuana plants after raiding a five-story apartment building in Van Nest

This week in the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

2012-02-01T14:44:00.002-05:00

So, this is my (Brendan) last week at the Bronx Press and Riverdale Review. It's been a wonderful 18 months, and most wonderful were the last few when I was blogging as well. I thank all of you for your comments, tips and suggestions (and most of all, your page views!). We had almost 7,000 page views in the month of January, up from less than 1,000 in the first month I started.

Every Bronx Press and Riverdale Review my
byline has appeared in since Sept. 1, 2010.

I leave you in the capable hands of Miawling Lam, our associate editor here at the paper (Her recent post on the Lehman HS protest holds the record for the most page views, so I'd say you'll be fine!)

So, as always, and for my last time, here are the stories appearing in this week's editions (Feb. 2-8) of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press:

Adjoining board rejects 'dinky rink' plan
Taxpayers to foot $8 million bill for new Henry Hudson Parkway signage
Further setbacks for Memorial Grove restoration
Redistricting plan puts Riverdale in one state Senate district
Charter school expansion given green light despite community opposition
Community mourns loss of Debbie Bowden
Bronx Arts Ensemble premiers work by local Riverdalian composer
Bx7 buses to run more frequently
Local elected officials lobby city to repair pothole-ridden streets
'Rooftop Revolution' could surge solar power in Bronx schools by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer
New honor bestowed on local landmark

Also, in the Bronx Press:
Desperate effort to save Lehman HS from city ax
Redistricting plans proposed by legislature
MTA changes 12 Bronx bus routes
Boyfriend charged in Wakefield child's death

Keep Rangel out of the Bronx, Rev. Diaz says

2012-01-31T12:24:00.001-05:00

State Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz has come out with another 'What You Should Know,' and this one goes after Assemblyman Denny Farrell. Diaz says Farrell (Manhattan), has no respect for Bronxites.

Farrell was recently quoted in the Daily News about redistricting, saying the first thing they work on is Rep. Charlie Rangel's district to ensure his reelection. Diaz hates this and goes after the 'machine' of Albany

"Are they are all a bunch of sell-outs or do they have the best interestfor our community as their top priority?" he says. Here's the full post:

Assemblyman Denny Farrell shows no respectfor Bronx residents, for Bronx elected officials, and especially no respectfor the Bronx’s growing Hispanic population.

“You must understand, for the last 40 years, whatever district CharlieRangel wants, we give it to him. I say, ‘Charlie, we can’t draw anythingelse in the state till we draw you.’ That’s always been our position— we do you and then everything. He’s the dean. He’s the No. 1.”

These words expressed today in a Daily News column by Bill Hammond titled‘Albany's Gift to Charlie Rangel’ practically confirmed to the worldwhat I have been asking all along about our representatives in Albany:Are they are all a bunch of sell-outs or do they have the best interestfor our community as their top priority?

Today, my dear reader, Harlem is a very different community. Charles Rangeland Keith Wright may have brought “progress” to Harlem with great businessproposals, 125th Street is thriving with stores and businesses, and peoplenow go to Harlem to shop, but there is one big problem. They pushed theirresidents out – especially the African American community. They did notprotect Harlem residents.

There are not enough African American residents in Harlem to keep CharlesRangel in his position, and there is no one to blame but Charles Rangelhimself – and his colleagues. They allowed African Americans to lose Harlemto others communities. In other words, today Harlem is owned by others– not by African Americans as it used to be.

We cannot deny, and you should know, that Charlie Rangel is a legendaryfigure in the African American community and that whatever he wants forHarlem he has always gotten.
We also have to note that the historical beauty of Harlem has been theirresidents, their struggle for survival and their history. Harlem was astrong political power for the African American community in the eyes ofthe nation, until their leadership, led by Charles Rangel, sold them outto former President Bill Clinton and his business associates.

Now Charles Rangel, Denny Farrell and Keith Wright – after losing Harlem– want to come to the Bronx and without respect or consideration to theleadership, to the people of the Bronx, and to all of us who have foughtto keep our community intact, contrary to what they did in Harlem. RememberDenny Farrell’s words, “Charlie, we can’t draw anything else in thestate till we draw you … we do you and then everything.”

What a joke! What a farce! What a lack of respect to Sheldon Silver, tothe rest of the Assembly members and to the people of the Bronx!

We in the Bronx have built housing to protect the Black and Hispanic communityfrom leaving us. The census verified that the Bronx did not lose people– the Bronx gained residents because the Bronx leadership has been respondingto the needs of its community and has not allowed others to come and pushour people out.

We do not need Charles Rangel to come to the Bronx. We have enough peopleto get two congressional districts independent and apart from everythingelse, to take over our struggles and our fight.

When I hear Denny Farrell practically say that the Assembly will not doanything until “we do” Charles Rangel. I must wonder who is the realSpeaker, Sheldon Silver or Denny Farrell. I also wonder how my Bronx colleagueswill respond to this insult. I’d like to know how they can allow themselvesto be disrespected like that.

I am Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz and this is what you should know.

MTA releases first-ever Late Night Map

2012-01-30T13:20:00.002-05:00

Although the map won't be accessible to everyone--the MTA is releasing it first in a collectible series--here is a Late Night Map, perfect for when you have to find your way back to the Bronx from Brooklyn.

You can download a PDF of the map at the MTA website.

The map shows the scheduled overnight service of the subway system, when three subway lines don’t run, three lines become shuttle trains, six express trains run as locals, and a night-only shuttle appears. The map has a gray background color to prevent confusion with the normal subway map.

The New York City Subway is the only large subway or metro system in the world to maintain service to all its stations around the clock. The overnight service shown in the night map runs generally from midnight to 6 a.m., although certain lines’ overnight service patterns depicted in the map may begin or end slightly earlier or later than these times.

The MTA has printed 25,000 copies of the map in tandem with its normal press run of a million copies of the standard subway and railroad map. The night map is available free of charge while supplies last at the New York Transit Museum, at Boerum Place & Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn, and at the Transit Museum Annex in Grand Central Terminal.

The night map, developed in-house by the MTA, is the same size as the standard map and similarly folds into a handy pocket-sized document. In addition to the folded version, 300 pristine, unfolded press sheets of the night map are available for purchase at the Transit Museum Annex for $20 each.

“The standard subway map depicts morning to evening weekday service,” said MTA Chairman Joseph J. Lhota. “This companion night map will, for the first time, depict service for a particular portion of the day. This is the latest effort we’ve taken to improve the availability of information and detail we provide to our customers.”

The following details the major differences in service shown on the night map, as compared with the standard subway map:

· Three subway lines (theB,C andZ) and the 42^nd Street Shuttle do not operate overnight and are not shown on the map.

· Five subway lines offer shorter service than usual:

o The3 terminates at Times Square.

o The5 runs as a shuttle in the Bronx between E. 180 St and Dyre Av

o TheM runs as a shuttle between Myrtle Av, Brooklyn, and Metropolitan Av, Queens.

o TheQ terminates at 57 St/7 Av in Midtown Manhattan.

o TheR runs as a shuttle in Brooklyn between 36 St and 95 St.

· Six lines make additional stops they don’t make during the daytime.

o The2 makes all local stops in Manhattan.

o The4 makes all local stops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and is extended to New Lots Av, Brooklyn.

o TheA makes all local stops in Manhattan and Brooklyn; it runs to Far Rockaway but not Lefferts Blvd or Rockaway Park, which are served by shuttle trains.

o TheD runs local via Fourth Av in Brooklyn.

o TheE runs local via Queens Blvd.

o TheN runs local via the Financial District.

· There is no skip/stop service on theJ, which terminates at Chambers St on weekend overnight periods

· Six subway lines (the1,6,7,F,G, andL) and Franklin Avenue Shuttle run their normal routes as local trains. (There is no6 or7 express service.)

New maps under-represent City voters

2012-01-27T10:26:00.001-05:00

The proposed maps for the state Senate released today by New York’s legislative task force on redistricting (LATFOR) systematically under-represent voters from New York City, New York World has found.

And they put together this nifty map showing just that. Under the proposed new lines, the average state Senate vote by a New York City resident weighs 7.3 percent less than the average vote cast upstate. The population of almost every district north of Westchester is more 4.5 percent smaller than the average-sized district.

The principle of “one person, one vote” is a cornerstone of American election law, and the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that there must be no more than a 10 percent difference between the largest and smallest districts in a state. But even this margin allows room for manipulation. By creating systematic discrepancies in the sizes of districts, parties can create additional districts in regions that support them and dilute the voting power of regions that favor their opponents.

You can see all of our coverage on the LATFOR maps here.

Redistricted Bronx lines for Senate and Assembly (UPDATE)

2012-01-26T15:54:00.001-05:00

There's a handful of days that resemble Christmas morning for diehard political fans (filing days, primary elections, general elections), and this is one of those days. The first draft of the state Senate and Assembly lines have been released by the legislative task force (LATFOR).

We'll go through each one in separate posts, which will all be linked from here (and they are all available to download at LATFOR's website).

29th Senate-Jose Serrano Jr.
32nd Senate-Rev. Ruben Diaz
33rd Senate-Gustavo Rivera
34th Senate-Jeff Klein
36th Senate-Ruth Hassell-Thompson

As for the Assembly, you can look at the individual maps here, but I'm not going to both going through each one because there are 11 of them and they don't drastically change. However, I have been able to speak with Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who briefly talked about his district and the Bronx as a whole:
81st Assembly-Jeffrey Dinowitz

If you love or hate these lines and want to tell LATFOR about it, Tuesday will be your chance.

And here are the citywide maps of both the Senate and Assembly:

There is mostly just minor adjustments for the Bronx Assembly districts. The biggest change is Peter Rivera's district would no longer be the 76th, it would now be the 87th. The new 76th ends up on the Upper East Side somehow. Oh LATFOR, you and your crazy ways.

Here's what the Assembly looks like now:

Jump below for the Update, the Senate lines, as well as a response blasting the Senate lines.

And here is the proposed Senate districts for NYC. The biggest change is with Jeff Klein's 34th Senate District, which now covers more of the South Bronx waterway, including the Hunts Point Market, as well as all of the northwest Bronx's Riverdale, as opposed to just part of it. He's lost a significant portion of Westchester, which we knew about earlier this week. Ruth Hassel-Thompson's Bronx part of the district has been compacted looks less weird, Gustavo Rivera's district has been pushed south, Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr. lost some waterfront and Jose Serrano Jr. doesn't look too different in the Bronx (though he's gained Central Park, and his new district number is 29, not 28).

And here is what the Senate looks like now:

NYPIRG’s Bill Mahoney sent out an email to reporters blasting the lines, calling them some of the worst lines in the history of redistricting.

“While judging this set of proposed maps by this yardstick, the Senate’s maps are clearly the most gerrymandered lines in recent New York history,” Mahoney said. “The Assembly’s are slightly better than 2002’s final maps, but fall far short of providing mathematically equal representation.”

Mahoney finds that 50 of 62 Senate districts deviate 3 percent or more from the ideal population. He found that about a third of the Assembly's do as well, but that isn't a problem in the Bronx (The Assembly districts in the borough all have about -2.07 deviation. They're all within 31 people of one another.) Each Bronx Senate district deviates 3.47 percent, giving all of them 318,021 people, except for Serrano, who has two people less.

He compared this year’s typical deviation to the last three rounds of redistricting, in 2002, 1992 and 1984:

Senate: Districts 3 percent or further from ideal population:
1984: 0
1992: 0
2002: 19
2012: 50

Senate: Districts within 1 percent of ideal population (as proposed in Gov. Cuomo’s bill):
1984: 44 out of 61
1992: 47 out of 61
2002: 11 out of 62
2012: 3 out of 63

Assembly: Districts 3 percent or further from ideal population:
1984: 15
1992: 49
2002: 70
2012: 67

Assembly: Districts within 1 percent of ideal population:
1984: 92
1992: 46
2002: 18
2012: 26

A Senate Republican source called City and State's Notebook, which has Mahoney's info up already, to note that the Supreme Court’s standard for deviation between districts is actually 5 percent — two percent greater than the proposed maps. If you're reading all of this that must mean you're either as interested as we are in redistrict or being punished for a heinous crime, but assuming it's the former, definitely keep checking the Notebook for great citywide political information.

The proposed 81st Assembly district (UPDATE)

2012-01-26T15:53:00.000-05:00

Maps of Assembly districts drawn by the legislative redistricting task force (LATFOR) have been sent to the relevant Assemblymember. We've reached out to the Bronx members and are waiting to hear back to get each one. Here's the first we've gotten, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz's 81st.

UPDATE: All the lines are out now on the LATFOR site, and you can check another post on Bronx Press Politics to see our breakdowns of the Senate.

The proposed lines add the rest of Van Cortlandt Village, the Jerome Park Reservoir, Clinton HS, Bronx HS of Science, Harris Field and Lehman College, much of Kingsbridge Heights, the four buildings from the Marble Hill Houses that are in the Bronx, and returns the one election district at the bottom of Riverdale (2400 and 2500 Johnson Ave) that was taken away in 2002. Several election districts in Norwood were moved to the 80th Assembly District. The population of the new district is 126,402, a -2.08 percent deviation from the statewide average. The current district has 119,653.

Every single Bronx AD is within 31 people of one another.

Dinowitz said he absolutely loves this proposed district because it puts nearly all of Community Board 8 in his district. It also gives him Lehman College and Bronx High School of Science, both which he attended, as well as a junior high school that goes by a different name now. It also has a good portion of Kingsbridge Heights, which is the neighborhood he grew up in.

In terms of the overall Bronx Assembly districts, "they're very reasonably drawn," he said. There aren't many "zig zags" but instead you see a lot of straight lines that keep communities together.

"To the extent that you can not divide neighborhoods," LATFOR did a good job with the Bronx.

For your consideration, here is Dinowitz's district as it looks now, drawn up in 2002:

Proposed 36th Senate District, Ruth Hassell-Thompson

2012-01-26T15:50:00.000-05:00

Here is LATFOR's redistricted lines for the 36th Senate District, occupied by Ruth Hassell-Thompson.

Her district is much more compact now, no longer weaving along the Bronx River Parkway.

And her district as it is now:

Proposed 34th Senate District, Jeff Klein

2012-01-26T15:46:00.000-05:00

Here is LATFOR's redistricting of the 34th Senate District, occupied by Jeff Klein. This is one of the more drastic changes for the Bronx. Klein's Westchester portion has been nearly completely destroyed, but the district itself is now actually legal. A rule, that not many people know, does not allow districts to cross county lines in two separate places. Klein's district does that now, but under the proposed lines, his district would run through the Bronx and only goes to Westchester one time.

He gains the Hunts Point Market, all of Riverdale--which previously had three senators--Norwood, and actually makes the connection in the central Bronx. The massive additions in the Bronx, as we reported earlier this week, was to make room for Republicans to gain votes to help win the soon-to-be vacated 37th District in Westchester.

And here is what Klein's district looks like now:

Proposed 33rd Senate District, Gustavo Rivera

2012-01-26T15:37:00.001-05:00

Here is LATFOR's redistricting of the 33rd state Senate District, occupied by Gustavo Rivera.

The biggest change is that he loses Jerome Park Reservoir and a significant portion of land all directly below Van Cortlandt Park. That area been taken by state Sen. Jeff Klein, who was pushed farther into the Bronx to give the soon-to-be vacated 37th District seat a better chance to win for Republicans.

Rivera's new district would run much farther south, now having a solid chunk below the Cross Bronx Expressway.

And here is what Rivera's district looks like now:

Proposed 32nd Senate district, Ruben Diaz Sr.

2012-01-26T15:27:00.001-05:00

Here is LATFOR's redistrict of the Bronx's 31nd Senate District, currently occupied by Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr.

He loses some waterfront access to state Sen. Jeff Klein, whose district was pushed farther into the Bronx to give the soon-to-be vacant 37th District in Westchester more Republican support. He also loses the Hunts Point Market

And here is what Diaz's old district looked like:

Hundreds protest Lehman High School turnaround plan

2012-01-26T15:09:00.000-05:00

By MIAWLING LAM

Former Bronx teacher and education activist Peter Lamphere
speaks during a rally to save Lehman High School.

THE odds are stacked against them, but more than 200 former and current students, teachers and parents have mounted a fight to keep Herbert H. Lehman High School open.

Clutching an array of posters and wearing black t-shirts emblazoned with the words “Lehman United,” the crowd packed into the school’s auditorium last night to rally against its closure.

Under Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial proposal, 33 of the city’s most troubled schools will close in June before being renamed and reopened three months later with the same students.

The radical proposal, which was announced during this month’s State of the City address, will also remove more than 1,500 teachers—up to half of the faculty—from these schools.

The aggressive strategy was developed after negotiations over teacher evaluations broke down, causing the state to withhold $30 million in federal funding from the city.

Of the 33 schools under fire, 10 are located in the Bronx including M.S. 391 in Tremont, Banana Kelly High School in Longwood and Fordham Leadership Academy in Belmont.

During last night's meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, protestors took aim at city education officials as they presented their closure plans and implored authorities to give them more time.

Current Lehman High School senior Xsavier Daniels derided the city for being apathetic towards students and said the closure would represent a major setback for the current cohort.

“The education of students should be taken seriously in order to produce leaders of the future,” he said. “We cannot stand by while the mayor pursues this inconsiderate endeavor.

“We must restore the voices of students and teachers across the city and it starts here at Lehman High School.”

Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, a former schoolteacher with 35 years experience, also lambasted officials for weaving a web of lies ever since mayoral control was instituted.

“I had great hope that the changes that the Bloomberg administration would initiate…would make the system better. That was my hope,” he said.

“My hope over the years has gradually faded into dismay. They have set up a system that I just can’t trust anymore.”

Benedetto also accused Bloomberg of using the 33 schools as pawns in the negotiating process.

“What they are doing here is disrupting a community, disrupting school staff and hurting the students within the school and it all comes down to one word—revenge. The mayor has a vengeance against the UFT. This might be coming out of the Department of Education but it says Bloomberg all over it.”

Although the meeting was open to the public, both NY1 and the New York Daily News were reportedly barred from entering the school.

Education officials also banned this reporter from taking photographs of proceedings, even though dozens of students filmed their colleagues delivering their testimonies.

Department of Education cluster six leader Jose Ruiz did his best to answer the crowd’s questions and assured parents all current students will be guaranteed a seat at the new school.

“If the proposal is approved, on June 30 Lehman High School will close and on July 1, we will open a new school in the same space where Lehman is right now,” he said,

However, Ruiz explained that current teachers would be forced to reapply for their positions and half of staff would be purged.

A five-person hiring committee—comprising of the school principal and two representatives appointed by each the Chancellor and the teachers union—will then select candidates based on their qualifications and seniority.

In recent years, Lehman High School has been mired in controversy.

Former principal Janet Saranceno resigned in August after becoming embroiled in a grade-changing scandal. She was accused of giving course credit to students who failed their classes but passed their Regents exams.

Department of Education officials also slapped the school with an F on its two most recent progress reports, placing it in the bottom four percent of the city’s high schools.

But Lehman’s union chapter leader Anne Looser insisted the school was undergoing a rebirth.

She said the arrival of new principal Rose LoBianco was starting to reap benefits and that the school needed support, not closure.

“We’ve created, and are creating, really strong programs,” she said, after the meeting. “We have at least three SUNY college credit courses and those courses will go away if those teachers aren’t here.

“Closing Lehman, giving it a new name and firing 50 percent of the staff while we’re in the middle of creating new students programs is really going to be detrimental to the school.”

Lehman Parents’ Association member and father-of-two Elvin Flores urged the crowd to continue their efforts to save the school. He also implored students to do their part and prepare themselves for the big-world politics.

“Study and work hard because this is the kind of nonsense that you’re going to have to deal with if you’re not prepared,” he said.

“You guys have to believe in yourselves because you know what? The Board of Education does not believe in you.”

The Panel for Educational Policy is expected to vote on the matter at its April 26 meeting.

Proposed Senate District 29, Jose Serrano Jr.

2012-01-26T15:00:00.002-05:00

Here is LATFOR's proposed new district for state Sen. Jose Serrano Jr., who currently represents the 28th district. It appears that by adding a 63rd district, some people's district number has changed.

In terms of the Bronx, just some minor adjustments it looks like. But he does pick up some prime real estate in Central Park. Enjoy having one of the most economically diverse districts on the planet, Jose.

And here is his district as it is now:

New Poll! What would you like to see in a new development?

2012-01-26T13:20:00.000-05:00

We just put up a new poll (left sidebar), which stems from the 230th Street development. The city is currently examining proposals, which you can read about here. Beyond voting, considering leaving comments as to what you'd like to see in the space (and why!) either at this post or at the story we've linked to.

LATFOR meeting in the Bronx this Tuesday

2012-01-26T12:45:00.001-05:00

As the maps designed by the legislative task force (LATFOR) continue to trickle out, there will be more and more debate over whether or not they were done fairly.

And if you have a comment on the lines and would like you voice to be heard, Tuesday, Jan. 31 will be the day to do it in the Bronx.

At 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, LATFOR will be at the Bronx Museum of the Arts to listen to constituents' and elected officials' ideas of the proposed lines. Unfortunately, we won't be able to attend due to a scheduling conflict, but we'll do our best to report back the main concerns expressed at the meeting.

At the first LATFOR meeting in the Bronx last year, residents complained about their neighborhoods being represented by multiple elected officials and asked they be consolidated into one. For example, the neighborhood association for Mosholu Parkway is represented by three different Assembly members. Judging by the only map we have thus far, it looks like they may have narrowed it down to two. Similarly, Riverdale is represented by three state Senators. Based on insider information, state Sen. Jeff Klein may now have all of the neighborhood.

Mostly, people at the first LATFOR meeting discussed congressional lines, which may not come out for a few more weeks. They mostly asked for either a black district or Latino district, which could combine parts of Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester counties.

2012 LATFOR Statewide Hearing Schedule -- Second Round

Five Bronx post offices saved, 12 others still at risk

2012-01-25T15:19:00.000-05:00

Here's a story from the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

By Brendan McHugh

The Bronx went postal on the United States Postal Servicewhen 17 post offices were being studied for closure last year. Through ralliesand community meetings, along with sending thousands of letters, five of the 17have been saved so far.

Fieldston, Einstein in Co-op City, Castle Hill, Hunts Pointand West Farms Post Offices have all been removed from the list, the USPSannounced last week.

Robert Gratz, far right,held a successful
rally to save the Fieldston Post Office.

“I am so glad USPS has come to realize what the communityand I have known all along: these post offices are much more than a place todrop off mail; they provide the essential services that residents rely on everyday,” said Rep. Joseph Crowley, who has four of the offices in his district.

Rep. Eliot Engel, who has the Fieldston office in hisdistrict, was thrilled at the news as well.

“It is also encouraging that the Postal Service is listeningto the rising chorus of reason. The Postal Service is facing difficult timesbut cutting off service to its customers is not the way out. The Post Officecannot fix its financial problems by making access to post offices moredifficult and inconvenient. This is a business plan designed forfailure,” Rep. Engel said, noting that the Mount Vernon office in his districthas also been saved.

“But since the Post Office announced that no offices will beclosed or consolidated until May 15, 2012, we have until then to make them seethe light and keep our post offices open,” he said.

The Bronx still has 12 offices that are being studiedfor closure.

The Einstein office in Co-Op City serves the largest seniorcitizen community in the country. A rally was held in the fall of 2011 withCrowley and New York Metro, the postal service union, to protest the closures.

A rally was also held for Fieldston, led by communityactivist Robert Gratz.

NY Metro legislative director Chuck Zlatkin was proud thatthe Bronx community really let their voices be heard.

“There was tremendous response from the community,” he said.“Closing those post offices would have been unjustified. When everyone workstogether to fight to keep post offices open, it makes it a lot more difficultto close them.”

But he was quick to note there is still work to be done.

“We have 13 others hanging in the Bronx, it’s not like thestruggle is over.”

Crowley also vowed to continue working, both in the Bronxand in Washington, to keep the offices open. “I also want to reassure thecommunity that I will continue to fight to keep the remaining post offices andfacilities in our area open.”

Citing financial concerns, USPS announced the possibleclosure of over 3,000 facilities nationwide last summer. The USPS had a netloss of $3.1 billion in the third quarter last year, according to a USPSspokesperson, and relies only on sales of postage, products and services tofund its operations.

Engel and Crowley are co-sponsors of H.R. 1351, legislationthat will free the Postal Service from pre-paying its pension obligations in aneffort to alleviate the financial burden facing the Postal Service. In 2006,Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, a law that,among other things requires the Postal Service to prefund its retirees’ healthbenefits, a requirement that no other independent government agency or privatecompany needs to fulfill.

230th Street shopping plans come into focus

2012-01-25T13:19:00.000-05:00

Here is our headlining story from this week's Riverdale Review.

By Brendan McHugh

The city’s Economic Development Corporation is choosingbetween five bids for the 230th Street development, ranging from a singlesupermarket to a 16-story mixed-use development with 200 units of housing.

The development will rise near the corner of 230th Streetand Broadway, sandwiched between the elevated No. 1 subway and the Major DeeganExpressway.

A source close to the project laid out basic details of theplans and stressed that they were in no particular order.

The first, which the source dubbed the “Foodtown murderer,”is a 72,000-square-foot supermarket with 300 parks spaces on the roof.Foodtown, which was recently renovated, is directly across the street.

Another proposal is a 32,000-square-foot, two story buildingwith a supermarket on the ground floor. The second floor would be office space,and 90 parking spots would be available at grade level.

A third project has 133,000 square feet of retail space as atwo-story building. It would be a mix of businesses, such as a specialty grocerand national chains. There would also be 130 parking spaces below grade.

The last two projects both include housing. The 16-story,200-unit building would also have a 300-space parking garage and 32,000 squarefeet of retail, such as a restaurant and possible a movie theater.

The final project has 184,000 square feet of retail,including potentially a supermarket, a fitness center and other shops. Therewould be 66 units of housing and 217 parking spaces. There was no informationabout the height of the building.

The source speculated that any office space would be easilyfilled up by a medical center either looking to expand or just for storage.

Because of the location, the traffic concerns and quality oflife issues, Community Board 8 passed a resolution earlier this monthrecommending to EDC that housing not be included in the winning bid. EDC saidthey would review each proposal based on a number of criteria, includingcommunity input.

A decision by EDC is expected sometime in early February.

The location as it is now is a 75,000-square-foot parkinglot. The city required that at least one commercial parking space be providedfor every 1,000-square-foot of commercial development and the number ofresidential spaces be equal to at least 50 percent of the total residentialunits.

Community Board 8 has also asked the EDC that the publicstill have use to the parking facilities, even if they are not shopping in thatbuilding specifically.

The city also asked that each building achieve at aLeadership in Energry and Environmental Design (LEED) rating of at least Silverby the federal government.

This is the second attempt to develop this project over thepast decade. Ceruzzi Holdings was about the close on a deal early in 2011 butwas unable to, forfeiting a $1 million purchase price before even putting ashovel into the ground.

Local organization Kingsbridge Riverdale Van CortlandtDevelopment Corporation is involved with one of the two housing projects,though they have confidentiality agreements not to discuss the development. In2005, when the city first solicited Requests for Proposals, KRVCDC submitted aproposal similar to 16-story building.

It's official: Boycotter leader just another politician

2012-01-25T13:13:00.000-05:00

Another story from this week's Riverdale Review.

By Brendan McHugh

Stanton is running for City Council.

Cliff Stanton, a Van Cortlandt Village resident who isinvolved in the boycott of the Riverdale Review, has opened a campaigncommittee with the Board of Elections to run for City Councilman G. OliverKoppell’s seat in 2013.

Koppell is term limited, forcing him to vacate the seat.

Stanton also runs United Snacks, which has a relationshipwith the Nuts4Nuts street vendors. Locally, he is involved with the parentsassociations of P.S. 24 and Bronx High School of Science and is the treasurerof the Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corporation.

During a brief phone interview, Stanton said he is notinclined to speak with this newspaper.

"This is not the best time to have the conversation.Frankly, I'm not going to have a whole lot to say," he said.

When asked if he would continue to boycott our newspaper, hewould not say. "Listen, we have nothing to say to each other. I havenothing against you personally, OK?" he replied.

And when pressed further, he stuck to his guns. "I havenothing to say to you."

After trying to change topics, asking what he would bring tooffice, he abruptly hung up.

Stanton did speak with the Observer, blaming the Bronx DemocraticParty for spreading political cynicism. “I’m certain that it is responsible.I’m not opposing individuals here, but I’m opposing this culture, and I’mholding them responsible for perpetuating this culture,” he said.

The boycott, Stanton has claimed, is to silence thecriticism the Review has about a variety of local issues.

A major issue Stanton has with the paper is with AnthonyPerez Cassino’s failed 2009 City Council race, when this newspaper endorsed hisopponent, Koppell. Stanton sees the newspaper as a barrier to him winning anelection.

“Do the campaign and the boycott go hand-in-hand now?” askedone local political insider. “It should be interesting to see if he championsit during his campaign.”

Stanton conveniently filed with the BOE only days after theJan. 17 filing day, which will allow him six months to raise money and campaignbefore making his campaign’s financial data public.

The only other person currently registered to run forKoppell’s seat is Ari Hoffnung, a deputy comptroller for John Liu. Hoffnung hasbeen registered since he cut short his 2009 council run and has over ~~$76,000~~ $30,000 inhis coffers.

Ironically, Stanton donated $180 to Hoffnung in 2008.

In December, Hoffnung said he was focused on his current joband wasn’t considering a run.

In an interview Friday, Koppell said he wasn’t sure how muchinvolvement he would have in the race to fill his seat.

“I haven’t made a decision on that at this point,” he said.“It’s two years away and there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge.”

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who helps run the BenjaminFranklin Reform Democratic Club, which mostly just covers the northwest Bronx,will be heavily involved in the race with his club.

“We’re going to try and elect the best possible person,” hesaid. “Who that is, I don’t know.”

Dinowitz’s name has been floated as a possible candidate forcouncil, and while he said he’s thought about it, he’s not close to aconclusion.

The news of Stanton’s committee drummed up old political aspirationsof at least one Riverdale resident.

Community Board 8 member Robert Press, who ran for Assemblyin the mid-1990s, said several people have asked him to run foroffice over the past few years, and added that he will now give the idea “seriousthought.”

“If Cliff Stanton is going to run for Oliver’s seat, I’mgoing to have to explore the possibility,” Press said.

Hebrew Home explores options for expansion on Palisade Ave.

2012-01-25T13:04:00.003-05:00

Here's a story from this week's edition of the Riverdale Review.

By Brendan McHugh

Reingold (right)and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn
listen to constituent complaints at the Hebrew Home.

The Hebrew Home is planning to add new buildings for moresenior services on the adjacent 14-acre plot, recently sold to them by thePassionist Fathers of Riverdale.

A meditation center, possibly an underground garage and a consolidatedentrance are also preliminary ideas Hebrew Home president and CEO DanielReingold said he has for the future.

The land was bought for $16 million about two months agofrom the Passionists, who could no longer afford the land with increased expenses,fewer retreat guests and fewer new recruits.

“We are excited about this opportunity,” Reingold saidFriday. “We think it will be something the community will be proud of. We hopeto involve the community early on in discussions about what we’re going to tryand do.”

He added that the Hebrew Home will go through the UniformLand Use Review Procedure (ULURP), which requires months of public review andcommunity involvement.

“The Hebrew Home is considered among the best, if not thebest nursing institution in the country,” Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said.“Increasing their ability to provide services to seniors is a good thing.”

Reingold said he was excited to work with the community,noting that the Hebrew Home was the first institution in the area to submit a‘master plan’ to the community board.

“This is very premature, but our plan would be to demolishthe existing structures and replace them with an environmentally sound greenbuilding,” he said, calling the larger building an “eyesore.”

The existing house, while attractive, is not handicapaccessible and would not be able to be used by the seniors at the home.

“It looks pretty from the outside, but it’s completely shot.It would cost a fortune [to renovate], and what do you do with it?” he asked rhetorically.

Going through ULURP, the Hebrew Home doesn’t expect to breakground for at least three years.

“We’re very happy that Hebrew Home is making their planspublic and we look forward to being a partner with a decision that’s helpful tothe community and the public,” said Robert Fanuzzi, chairman of Community Board8.

“Before they get to the construction phase, they need tothink about how it affects their neighbors,” he cautioned, citing traffic woes.

Reingold said the Hebrew Home has offered its employeesincentives for carpooling and taking mass transit, and in the past year hasreduced the number of cars on the lot by about 90.

“I’m envious of my colleagues who get to come on the train,read the newspaper or take a nap,” he said, noting that he doesn’t have a masstransit option from his Westchester home.

Reingold said he’d like to consolidate the entrances to theHome and work with the community to solve the traffic situation. Both PalisadeAvenue and W. 261st Street are very narrow, pothole-ridden roads. Earlier onFriday, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and City Councilman G. OliverKoppell met with Hebrew Home residents, whose main concern was paving thenearby roads. Quinn promised to look into it.

State of the Union response

2012-01-25T12:43:00.004-05:00

Rep. Eliot Engel issued the following statement after President Obama’s State of the Union address. Make the jump to read U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's statement.

“The President’s speech tonight was essentially a strategic plan to bolster the American Dream – which is slipping out of reach for far too many Americans. President Obama cited the fear of losing out on the American Dream for low- to middle-income families as the reason he sought public office. As the son of an ironworker growing up in public housing, and educated in New York City Public Schools and at the City University of New York, this struck close to home for me. I was afforded the opportunity to one day serve my country in the United States Congress. As a parent, we always seek better opportunities for our children than we had ourselves. That should be the case for all American families.

“Our economy has come a long way since the dark days back in 2007-08 when we were losing hundreds of thousands of jobs each month. We cannot ignore 22 consecutive months of growth, and over three million private sector jobs added since the President’s first State of the Union address. Recovery has been slower than anyone wants, but the fact remains our economy is getting better.

“We must return to the days where both parties worked together for the good of the country. Compromise cannot continue to be a dirty word. Our challenges are far too great for us to continue self-defeating partisanship. Our goals should be for the betterment of the American people, not cold-hearted electoral politics.

“I was pleased to hear the President sees energy as one of the main avenues for shoring up the American Dream. Clean energy investments created tens of thousands of good paying jobs in recent years. Reducing pollution will also protect the health of all Americans by, cutting down the rates of serious diseases. Promoting alternative fuel sources will help lead our country to a future free from dependence on foreign governments, many of which are hostile to our interests. Oil production has never been higher, and Democrats must remember we must avoid saying no all of the time and find other ways to produce domestic energy sources.

“Far too many families can barely keep pace with their mortgage payments and household expenses. Our focus must remain on jobs and the economy, and rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. However, we are sadly mistaken if we lose sight of the crisis our public education system faces. We must reform No Child Left Behind, or every American will be left behind. We must fix our borders and reform our immigration system. We cannot forget that immigration done correctly has made our country the successful melting pot it is today. We must also finally come to grips that health care in this nation is a right and not a privilege. We have much more that needs to be accomplished to keep America great, and enable more people to take part in the American Dream.

“I am hopeful that 2012 will be more productive than 2011, when manufactured crises dominated our national rhetoric. Americans expect more from their government, and we should demand it of ourselves. We must show that we can still come together to preserve and expand the American Dream.”

After President Obama delivered his State of the Union address, Gillibrand issued the following statement, including a renewed call to make insider trading by members of Congress, their staff and family members clearly and expressly illegal by passing the bipartisan STOCK Act:

“Our economy can’t afford another year of governing through brinkmanship that we’ve seen too much of from this Congress. We need to set our politics aside, and find the common core values we can agree on to create jobs and set economic opportunity for the middle class in motion – by giving everyone a fair chance to succeed, rewarding hard work, and investing in ‘Made In America’ again.

“We’re not lacking the tools it takes for a thriving economy. We have it all in New York State: the hardest workers you can ask for, bright and innovative minds, world-class universities and research institutions, a thriving high-tech sector to rival Silicon Valley, and manufacturers to power our economy with new sources of clean energy that’s made right here. What we’re lacking is the political will to unleash all of its potential.

“Just as President Obama showed us his leadership by supporting the 9/11 health bill, and just as he declared his commitment to fairness by repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in his State of the Union two years ago, tonight we’re seeing his leadership again by urging Congress to play by the exact same rules as everyone else in America by making insider trading on Capitol Hill clearly and expressly illegal by passing the bipartisan STOCK Act I’ve been fighting for.

“Guided by our sense of common purpose and bipartisanship, I know we can do what’s right, change the way Washington works, and foster the environment for a growing economy and a thriving middle class.”

Gizmo will direct you to empty parking spots

2012-01-25T12:17:00.001-05:00

Here's a story from this week's Bronx Press.

By Brendan McHugh

DOT hopes the senors can withstand the
New York weather and traffic conditions.

Needa parking spot? There may soon be an app for that.

Ifthe technology proves durable, drivers in the Bronx will be the first to findparking spots by checking their smartphones.

Hockeypuck sized sensors were drilled into the streets near Arthur Avenue last weekin 177 parking spaces on both sides of 187th Street in Belmont. If they cansurvive the harsh weather conditions of New York for the next three months,motorists will be able to download a free application on their phones to findvacant parking spots.

"Weare making it easier for drivers to park. We are actually piloting newtechnology that will bring parking information into the palm of yourhand," said Janette Sadik-Khan, the NYC DOT Commissioner.

“There are benefits, not only to drivers butto the surrounding community,” she said. “You’re relieving the congestion andpollution associated with those people who are cruising around looking forparking.”

The app will tell drivers if there are a highnumber of open spaces, if it is beginning to fill up, or if there are virtuallyno spots available.

Sadik-Khan said they haven’t figured out howdrivers will use the app while driving; using a mobile device not physicallyconnected to the car is illegal in New York.

“Right now we’re just testing the equipment,”she said. “The parking app has worked in other cities that have done it.”

A similar system has been successful in SanFrancisco, she added. The sensors, made in Holland by Needap, cost about $250each, and two are needed for each spot. Sadik-Khan said this first batch ofsensors was donated and cost taxpayers nothing.

If the technology proves viable and the DOTmoves forward with a citywide program, the cost of the sensors will go downbecause of the amount ordered.

The United Kingdom and Singapore have usedthe parking app in recent years as well.

City Councilman James Vacca, the chair of thetransportation committee, said the new app will be great for local businesses.

“In a place like Arthur Ave, finding a spaceis crucial,” he said. “You leave in frustration when you can’t find a spot.”The new technology will give drivers an easier time finding a place to park.

When asked about the logistical problem aboutdriving and using a phone, he said that’s something that’s going to have to befigured out, but drivers should never use their phone while driving.

Local businesses weren’t exactly buying the idea.

DOT workers drill the hockey sized pucks into E. 187th Street.

“I’m not sold,” said Carmela Lucciola, ownerof Caffe Egidio, which now has the sensors in front of the shop.. “By the timeyou see a spot open up on your phone and get to the spot, someone else willhave taken it.”

Frank Spaziante, of New Image Contracting,said he liked the idea, but had the same concerns as Lucciola. “By the time youfind an open space on your phone, the spot is gone seconds later.”

Neitherthe parking regulations in the area nor parking enforcement will change, shesaid. However, she didn’t rule out that—if the sensors work correctly—theycould be used to dynamically price on-street parking.

“That’s not the intention rightnow,” Sadik-Khan said when asked about the idea. In a November 2010, she eludedto usingsensors for dynamic pricing, enforcing meter violations and to crack down onplacard abuse as well.

Shedid say that if the city receives reliable parking data from the newtechnology, there will be “all sorts of opportunities” to explore.

This week in the Riverdale Review & Bronx Press

2012-01-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

As always, here are the stories in this week's (Jan. 26 - Feb. 1) issues of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

230th Street shopping plans come into focus
Hebrew Home explores options for expansion on Palisade Ave.
Not much support for expanding alternate-side parking on Henry Hudson Parkway
Community awaits details on plan for the skating rink that won't die
Objections raised to charter expansion
Delays plague restaurant construction
Fieldston post office is saved but 12 Bronx facilities still at risk
It's official: Boycott leader just another politician
No Child Left Behind: The death star of American education (Op/Ed by Diane Ravitch)

Also in the Bronx Press:
Gizmo will direct you to empty parking spots

And here is the online print version of the Riverdale Review:

Open publication - Free publishing

Diaz hopes to see Grand Concourse become a historic district

2012-01-24T12:12:00.000-05:00

During the mid-20th century, if you lived on the Grand Concourse, that meant you 'made it.' Today, you're still rewarded with classic architecture, a vibrant commercial district and loads of history, and that's why Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is asking the City Council to designate the Concourse a historic district.

Here is Diaz's testimony to the Council subcommittee on landmarks and maritime uses from today:

Last year, I applauded the designation of a Grand Concourse Historic District by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Center, and now I urge its approval by the New York City Council.

Designation as a New York City Historic District will complement the Grand Concourse’s already established listing on the National Register of Historic Places. In the future, I hope to see this historic district extended to match the more extensive national register boundaries.

This Grand Concourse Historic District is significantly intact, and contains many notable examples of art deco and other classic apartment houses. As I mentioned in my testimony to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the threats to buildings on the Grand Concourse are in the details. Poorly done renovations and building management with short vision are carving away at the inherent value of this illustrious built environment. As an historic district, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission can guard against ill conceived and undesirable solutions that threaten proper maintenance of these buildings.

The area of the new district has been richly added to with the new Yankee Stadium and Gateway Center. The City itself has invested greatly in the area with infrastructure improvements, including improvements to both the concourse roadway and park system. The lower Grand Concourse has also been re-zoned to create a vibrant, mixed-use, mixed-income community with new housing, waterfront open space, and an array of retail services.

Its status as an historic district is the finishing touch to the revival of the entire area, and I urge its support. Thank you for your consideration.

LATFOR lines dropping soon

2012-01-23T12:40:00.002-05:00

The southern end of Oppenheimer's district.
The new lines reportedly give the district Eastchester.

The first public draft of the new state legislative lines will (probably) come out later today, drawn by LATFOR, the agency charged with the project.

We haven't seen a map yet, but from sources we've spoken to, state Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer's (D) district will be expanded to include republican-heavy Eastchester. State Sen. Jeff Klein (IDC) will be giving up Eastchester and taking over all of the Bronx's Riverdale, which current is split between him and two other senators.

Oppenheimer is retiring this year, so Republicans hope by adding Eastchester to the district, they'll be able to snag the seat away from the Democrats.

From what one of our Democratic sources pointed out, if Klein had anything to do with this change, that would mean he has directly helped the Republicans expand their slim majority. Klein's creation of the Independent Democratic Conference and his involvement with the Republican party last year has already irked Democrats, so this move certainly wouldn't be of any help to mend relations.

Of course, this is just the first public draft, and there's also a chance Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoes the lines altogether and sends them to be drawn by a court, which could create chaos.

Council district 11 gets its first entry in Cliff Stanton (UPDATE)

2012-01-23T09:58:00.000-05:00

Stanton is running for City Council.

Cliff Stanton, a Van Cortlandt Village resident who runs United Snacks (which partly owns those Nuts4Nuts street vendors), has opened a campaign committee with the Board of Elections to run for District 11. The seat will be vacated by City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, who is term limited.

Stanton is involved with the parents associations of PS 24 and Bronx High School of Science.

He's also leading the boycott of the Riverdale Review.

Ari Hoffnung, a deputy comptroller for John Liu, has a committee from races years ago (that has $76,000), but when we last spoke to him in December, he wouldn't say whether or not he will run for the seat in 2013.

Maybe ironically, Hoffnung's campaign received $180 from Stanton in 2008 that Hoffnung could use for this race.

We have been able to speak with Koppell, and he said he is unsure how involved he will be in the race, only saying that he will be retiring from public service.

We'll have updates soon, so make sure to come back for more information.

UPDATE: We spoke to Stanton over the phone, but he said he wasn't going to speak with the Riverdale Review.

"Thisis not the best time to have the conversation. Frankly, I'm not going to have awhole lot to say," he said.

When asked if he would continue to boycott our newspaper, he would not say. "Listen,we have nothing to say to each other. I have nothing against you personally, OK?" he replied.

And when pressed further, he stuck to his guns. "Ihave nothing to say to you."

We tried to change the question, asking him what he would bring to office, but he hung up on us.

Quinn on running for mayor, gambling and the living wage

2012-01-20T16:43:00.001-05:00

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was on, what we'regoing to start calling, the 'pre-campaign' trail today. She brought her fatheralong to the Hebrew Home for the Aged, and according to this 2008 Times article, when Papa Quinn is around, it's for the campaign.

Her and City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell spoke to around150 residents of the Home, mostly about the power of seniors to fight budgetcuts and the vitality that the senior community has (though we counted at least10 seniors fast asleep during the event).

Quinn and Koppell speak to the crowd at the Home.
That's Papa Lawrence Quinn in the background, in brown.

This is the second visit Quinn's made to Riverdale in the last two months, and we couldn't remember the last time she was up here before that. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer was also up here twice in the last month on his own pre-campaign trail.

One member of the Home, while they were waiting for her toarrive, was overheard saying, "She's going to lose a lot of votes; it's not very nicemaking us wait."

While they were waiting, Quinn and Koppell were touring the Hebrew Home's newest technology, the nations first low-vision living area, developed by Rensselaer Institute of Technology (RIT).

But Quinn seemed to win over most of the audience once she didarrive, taking questions from the audience until no one had anymore. Theyranged from the hyperlocal, requesting W. 261st Street be paved, to thecitywide, on whether or not she will run for mayor, to the statewide, on gambling.

As for running for mayor, "I won’t let my father have the microphone becausehe’ll tell you the answer to that question," she said. "You know,it’s something that I’m thinking about. I haven’t declared yet but it’scertainly something I’m thinking about.”

A member of the audience also questioned her aboutlegalizing gambling (because whose grandparents don't like to gamble!? Stereotypes!).She ducked the question, but we caught up with her afterwards and got a decentanswer, though still no commitment from her for either side of the issue.

Quinn speaking to Home residents.
The Home's CEO Daniel Reingold is to her left.

"I'm not a huge fan of gambling, its generally aregressive way to raise money," she said. "That said, if it's goingto exist in New York, then I want it to exist in the whole state and then wecan decide what we want to do on the city. I wouldn't want the city excludedfrom it. I'm sympatheic to Governor Cuomo's situation of having to generaterevenues."

We also asked her about the living wage and whether or notshe thinks it could become broader with a mayor who is more favorable to it(Bloomberg may veto the bill). “I think the key thing for creating more jobs ata living wage in the retail sector is for the Economic Development Corporationto do what L.A. and San Francisco's have done," she said. Both city's haveadopted an aggressive policy "where they’re always negotiating towards [aliving wage] and with that, you need a mayor who believes in it," shesaid.

Could the Bronx get chopped up even more?

2012-01-20T11:14:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately, that's not a clever pun for a story about Fresh Direct, the Hunts Point produce market or any other food related issue in the Bronx. It's the thought of another New York State senator getting a small piece of the Bronx, while the majority of his district remains outside the borough, causing the Bronx to get the short end of the stick, again.

This, from City and State's daily 'Heard Around Town':

Meanwhile, controversial Councilman Dan Halloran apparently formed a state fundraising committee yesterday that could lay the groundwork for a long-rumored challenge to Democratic Sen. Tony Avella. There is talk about extending the district into more conservative Bronx neighborhoods, and Bronx Republican Chairman Jay Savino is said to be on board with the idea.

Could Tony Avella's Queens district enter the Bronx?

This is the first we've heard about it, but checking with some of our Bronx insiders, the possibility that Avella's district goes to the east Bronx is highly unlikely. The only area Queens Republicans could want of the Bronx would be places like Throggs Neck, Country Club and maybe places like Morris Park and Westchester.

However, this would mean they would have to start messing with Sen. Jeff Klein's district.

"Klein has lived in Morris Park his whole life and has had a very good working relationship with the Republicans this last year as he formed his Independent Democratic Conference," a source in the state Senate said. "I doubt very seriously that this is being seriously considered."

If this is being considered, it would be a slap in the face to Bronxites. Only two state senate districts are in the Bronx 100 percent: Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr. and Gustavo Rivera. Four other districts go into another county at some point, which has angered constituents and even some elected officials. At the LATFOR (the government committee charged with redistricting) Bronx public hearing last year, some spoke about creating districts that better represent the Bronx and don't go off into other counties.

If Republicans did chip away at Klein's district, it would only make it more difficult for them to win there when/if Klein decides to run for Congress. The district was first gerrymandered for Guy Velella, a republican, and includes highly conservative areas of Westchester County. It's much more likely that if the Republicans would take away an area of Klein's district to better their chances of beating a Democrat, it would be in the north. This would give them a better shot at stealing a seat from the Democrats if they can win soon-to-be-retired Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer's Westchester seat.

Rivera raked in $83K over last six months

2012-01-19T14:27:00.001-05:00

Rivera has had a successful fundraising period.

Bronx State Sen. Gustavo Rivera, elected to office in 2010 after defeating the embattled Pedro Espada Jr. in the 33rd District, has raised a solid $83,121.60 in the last six months, according to the most recent campaign filings with the New York State Board of Elections.

Looking at this handy spreadsheet, put together by Bill Mahoney of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), Rivera is only outpaced in the Bronx by fundraising heavyweight state Sen. Jeff Klein and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who is toying with the idea of running for a citywide office. Diaz raised $90,880.13 and Klein raked in over $300,000.

We took a minute to chat with Rivera, who said the successful fundraising has been another reminder that he works for the people.

"Ithink that’s definitely very humbling," he said. Rivera added that this success is reminiscent of the election, when a larger-than-expected amount of people came out to support him.

"This is a very big show of support that im very appreciative of. It remindsme of all the people I'm working for--the folks in my district."

Rivera did spend just over $39,000 this period, giving him a total balance of $64,964.24 when including funds he already had.

He said he hasn't heard any rumblings of a challenger for the Democratic primary, but did say that "I want to make sure I have the strongest filing possible so Ican continue to represent the Bronx."

As for the primary itself: "Wedon’t even know when the primary will be. We have to figure that out up here [in Albany]."

We put the spreadsheet below the jump. It was slowing down the whole blog.

Throggs Neck or Throgs Neck?

2012-01-19T11:06:00.000-05:00

The Throgs Neck Bridge, with one 'G.'
Photo courtesy of MTA Bridges and Tunnels.

"There's always been a controversy," Bronx Historian Lloyd Ultan says of the preference to use one 'G' or two in the name.

The bridge is Throgs Neck--one 'G'--that's for certain. But for fans of history and the way things used to be, Throggs Neck is the name of the community.

The name Throggs is originally named after John Throckmorton, who came to the Bronx in 1642 with a party to settle down. However, a Native American uprising started almost immediately, and they were saved by a passing English boat. The Native Americans slaughtered their cattle and burned their houses.

"But the name of Throckmorton was stuck to that neck of land," Ultan said.

Over time, people simplified the Throckmorton name, eventually having Throggsmorton, which then eventually became Throggs. "Some maps labled it Frogs Neck," Ultan said.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the older, more established people in the area spelled it with two 'G's. Some businesses, and even the area's post office, use two. But there were people who, for no reason in particular, had shortened Throggs to Throgs.

Today, the reason so many people only use one 'G' is because of, but who else, 'master builder' Robert Moses.

When the Throgs Neck Bridge opened in 1961, Moses used the one 'G' because he wanted to save money with sign costs. "It would take less paint to make all the signs leading to the bridge," Ultan said.

After consideration, Diaz Jr. jumps on board with Ferry Point Park golf course

2012-01-19T10:25:00.002-05:00

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. didn't come right out praising or damning the Donald Trump deal to bring a Jack Nicklaus golf course to the South Bronx. He sat back, considered the options, and finally chose to praise the deal.

“After extensive discussions and meetings between myself, my office and the Trump Organization over the past week; in addition to hearing from local elected officials, business and community leaders in the area, I have decided to support their concession for a golf course at Ferry Point Park," he said in a statement released Wednesday, Jan. 18.

“The Trump Organization has answered my concerns on this project, and has vowed to be a good neighbor to the people of the Bronx. This includes commitments on local hiring, outreach to our business community, both in the surrounding neighborhood and across the borough; and vital community access to the golf course for both young people and Bronx residents alike, among other points."

The reason this will be a good project for the Bronx, Diaz says, is because Trump is committing a significant amount of money to the Bronx, and having a PGA Tour quality course will enhance the borough's reputation nationally and internationally (No one exactly equates golf with crime and poverty).

City Councilman James Vacca came out praising the project yesterday, after the city's Franchise and Concession Review Committee approved the project.

“Apatient and appreciative Throggs Neck community has reason to celebrate today!" Vacca exclaimed."Although it was initially proposed 32 years ago, a vote by the Franchise andConcession Review Committee means that Ferry Point Golf Course is finally fullsteam ahead. This project has gone from one misstep to another, and had manyobservers truly wondering whether this course would ever be finished."

In1979, as Chairman of Bronx Community Board 10, Vacca was involved in creating this project. "Today, as the District 13 Councilman, I am seeing the reality. It’sbeen a long fight and a long wait, but let me be clear, there is no reason forany further delay and my community will accept none."

From one amigo to another: Diaz Sr. wants to hand over power to the IDC to regain Senate control

2012-01-18T17:05:00.004-05:00

Diaz would like to see the Senate Democratshand over
leadership positions to the IDC to help regain the majority.

State Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr. really brought it this time with his "What you should know" essay.

He says the Democrats in the state senate should give state Sen. Jeff Klein and the rest of his Independent Democratic Conference members leadership positions if they agree to come back to the Democratic Party.

They should start negotiating rightaway with Senator Jeff Klein and his three Independent Members – evento the point, if necessary, for the New York State Senate to transfer SenatorKlein’s leadership position and the leadership positions of his Membersto the Democratic Conference.

Everyone needs to put aside allpersonal differences – and pride – and do with Senator Klein and hisMembers as was done with Pedro Espada when the Democrats wanted him back.

Diaz, as most remember, was one of the 'four amigos' that held the Democratic Conference hostage in 2009 after jumping to the Republican side. They only returned after they were given leadership positions, with head honcho Pedro Espada Jr. becoming Majority Leader.

Diaz won't have the full support of his fellow Dems, however. A Democratic senate insider tells us that they will not be toyed with like they were with the Amigos.

"Senator Diaz does not speak for his colleagues," the source said. "We will not allow the Democratic Conference or the state Senate to be taken hostage by another four amigos who care more about power than they do about the future of New York State."

A message was left with the IDC's spokesman as of Wednesday evening.

Jump below for Diaz's full statement (the bold is his):

I am not a political analyst, Iam not a political consultant, neither am I a political strategist, butlooking at our recent situation as Democrats in the New York State Senate,I cannot refrain from putting in my two cents.

Can our leadership re-claim theMajority in the next year’s election? From what I see, this is notimpossible, but it will be very difficult due to the fact that SenatorOppenheimer is resigning and I am very concerned that her seat might bewon by a Republicans and the Democrats could lose that seat. Also,with Senator Carl Kruger’s resignation, that open seat might also be injeopardy – there is a very good chance that a Republican may win thatseat also.

There are other Senate seats occupiedby Democrats throughout the state that might be in jeopardy.

Aside from that, I believe thatthe four Senate Independent Democrats will never come back just to be simpleMembers of the Democratic Conference.

This is my opinion, and my advicefor the Democratic leadership in New York State and in the State Senate:

They should start negotiating rightaway with Senator Jeff Klein and his three Independent Members – evento the point, if necessary, for the New York State Senate to transfer SenatorKlein’s leadership position and the leadership positions of his Membersto the Democratic Conference.

Everyone needs to put aside allpersonal differences – and pride – and do with Senator Klein and hisMembers as was done with Pedro Espada when the Democrats wanted him back.

The leadership needs to start thisconversation now – before it’s too late. Otherwise, I am afraidthat we will never see the Majority again.

These are my two cents.

I am Senator Reverend RubenDiaz and this is what you should know.

Mayoral hopeful Scott Stringer stresses his local ties

2012-01-18T13:07:00.004-05:00

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

Stringer has been on the campaign trail, coming to Riverdale twice in a month.

By Brendan McHugh

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer toured theRiverdale Y last week, making his second trip to the neighborhood in less thana month.

Following in the footsteps of other 2013 prospective mayoralcandidates, Stringer schmoozed with the seniors at the Riverdale Y during theirFriday lunch on Jan. 13 with Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.

Previously, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn toured thefacilities with City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell and City Comptroller John Liufollowed Dinowitz through the Y.

But Stringer, a suspected candidate for mayor, has an extraconnection to the area that his opponents do not: his mother is a KappockStreet resident. Stringer showed off pictures of his five-week-old baby, Maxwell,and talked to the seniors about saving critical services in the upcomingbudget.

“There is a real vitality in the area, especially among theseniors in this community,” Stringer said. “We need to mobilize seniors toprevent budget cuts to vital services.”

He quickly won over the crowd, aided by the introduction ofDinowitz, a prominent figure in Riverdale’s senior community. Former colleaguesin the Assembly, Dinowitz told the crowd of around 100 that Stringer “was aleader on so many issues,” while in the state Legislature.

Dinowitz said afterwards that it was not an endorsement ofthe borough president for mayor and that instead he just wants “people to seewhat we have going on in our district.”

Stringer told the crowd, all seniors, that they are the“backbone of the city,” and they deserve to enjoy “the fruits of [their]labor,” and not have their services destroyed through budget cuts.

“Every time I see him, I think he’s truly for the people,”Riverdale resident Roberta Singer said. Singer said she used to live across thestreet from the Stringer’s over 35 years ago in Washington Heights. “I rememberhim very well,” she said.

Stringer came to Riverdale on Dec. 21 to speak at Chabad of Riverdale’smenorah lighting at the bell tower, where he joined students from P.S. 24 andlocal Jewish leaders.

As he was in the crane, lighting the 30-foot-high menorah,he joked to the crowd, "12 days ago my wife gave birth...she asked whatI'd be doing in the Bronx...I told her I was only lighting a menorah...if only shecould see me now!"

He quickly got back on track, playing to the crowd: "It's great to be inRiverdale—a wonderful, vibrant Jewish community."

Dinowitz, leading Obama reelection campaign locally, named delegate for national convention

2012-01-18T13:03:00.001-05:00

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review.

By Brendan McHugh

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, leading the local charge toreelect the president of the United States, has been selected by the Obama forPresident Campaign as a candidate for delegate to the Democratic NationalConvention.

Dinowitz, who has been selected five times before, would bethe only Bronxite representing the 17th Congressional district.

In 1980, Dinowitz was one of the youngest delegates in theconvention held in New York City. He was elected as a Ted Kennedy delegate. Hewas a Bill Clinton delegate in 1996, an Al Gore delegate in 2000, a John Kerrydelegate in 2004 and a Hillary Clinton delegate in 2008.

Both President Obama and the candidates for delegates to theDNC are running in the April 24 New York presidential primary. It would appearthat they are unopposed. The 17th CD elects eight convention delegates; theother candidates on the slate include Mario Cilento, the President of the NYSAFL-CIO, State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson and several local legislators andparty officials from Westchester and Rockland counties.

The convention is Labor Day weekend in Charlotte, N.C.

Delegates go to the convention and typically vote the waytheir district votes. Because Obama is unopposed and the incumbent, he’salready garnered the unofficial victory. When there are multiple Democraticcandidates, like in 2008, delegates help determine the nomination by choosingfrom a set of candidates.

“I am excited and honored to again serve as a NationalConvention Delegate for the Democratic Party,” Dinowitz said in a release.“President Obama has an incredible record of accomplishment over the past threeyears. He saved the American auto industry and probably prevented a depression.He kept his promise and ended the war in Iraq. He got Osama Bin Laden. He endedDon’t Ask Don’t Tell.”

Those points were the same in a speech he gave to theBenjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club and the Northwest Bronx for Changepolitical groups Saturday at the kickoff party to reelect Obama. Local activistsjoined together before heading off to petition for the President’s reelection.

“The more you watch the Republican debates, the harderyou’ll work to reelect Obama,” Dinowitz told the crowd in the Ben Franklinclubhouse, 304 W. 231st St.

City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell also took time to rallythe two dozen in attendance with some GOP criticism.

“The fact is, I have never heard that type of nonsense anddestructive rhetoric from the Republican Party,” he said, saying that whileformer Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is a moderate in today’s standards, hewould have been an extremist in the 1970s and 80s.

“There’s no sensitivity to diversity,” he added about theRepublican campaigns, calling it an “undercurrent of racism.”

Pablo Ruiz, the regional director for New York and LongIsland for Obama’s Organizing for America campaign, was at the kickoff party topraise the work of the grassroot activists and urge them to do whatever ittakes to help.

“We want to make sure our base is energized,” he said,hoping to generate enough excitement to encourage people to take trips toPennsylvania—a key swing state come November—rather than spend their timecampaigning in New York, a state Democrats are guaranteed to win.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

2012-01-18T12:53:00.000-05:00

As always, here are the stories in this week's editions of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press:

Board nixes 'conflicted' housing plan
Mayoral candidate Stringer stresses his local ties
Faux 'living wage' bill wins Quinn's support
Deal between Diaz and Bloomberg puts Kingsbridge Armory back on track
Dinowitz, leading Obama reelection campaign locally, named delegate for national convention
Riverdale Children's Theater taps Celia Cruz High School orchestra
Riverdale Rising Stars stage homecoming benefit
Before holding first class, new charter school seeks to expand enrollment
Curves celebrates 10 years in Riverdale
Countdown clock on traffic signal for Riverdale Ave
Health Department calls last drinks at Winners Bar

Also in the Bronx Press:
Good news for Bronx in State of the City

And here is an online copy of the Riverdale Review:

Open publication - Free publishing - More bronx

Espada indicted some more

2012-01-18T09:54:00.000-05:00

Espada has been indicted again,this time for
allegedly lying to the feds about a janitorial service.

Former state Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. and his son, Pedro G., have been indicted again.

This time, the indictment claims the Espada's scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars from the not-for-profit Soundview Healthcare Network, of which the elder Espada is CEO.

The superseding indictment that appears below was handed down late yesterday.

It adds two counts of false statement, alleging Espada lied to the feds about profits he and his son made from a janitorial service they set up to contract with Soundview.

The indictment claims that at the time Soundview was looking to contract out the janitorial services, Espada and his son called the prospective companies and told them more work would need to be done than actually did. When those companies submitted bids, their costs to do business was significantly higher than Espada's company, which was rewarded the contract. Soundview paid the company $389,700 in 2008. Espada claimed he only made $35,000 from this contract, but the feds claim he actually took in over $120,000 from the arrangement.

The Espada's deny everything. Arraignment is next Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 5 p.m.

Here is the full indictment. The information about the alleged fraud, conspiracy and embezzlement begins on page five. Espada Indictment S-2

Diaz Sr. tells us more about what we should know

2012-01-17T14:39:00.001-05:00

If only because I love the title, here is state Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr., telling us what we should know about the recent Supreme Court decision to prohibit the government from restricting who religious groups may choose as their pastor.

The full text (the bold is his):

No newspaper, nor any media source with the exception of the New York Post newspaper, published the defeat suffered by the administration of President Barack Obama at the hands of the Supreme Court.

You my dear reader, should know that the Supreme Court voted unanimously; with nine (9) votes in favor and zero (0) against, that the federal Government cannot impose on any religious group or on any church who they choose as its Pastor.

This argument started when the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hossana Tabor, in the State of Michigan decided to dismiss a teacher in its school and the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission took the case before the courts to show that the Church had committed discrimination when they dismissed its teacher.

The case went before the Supreme Court of the nation, composed of nine judges, who all unanimously, something rarely seen, decided that the Federal Government cannot impose on churches who they hire or who they fire as their pastors, leaders or officers.

Mr. Douglas Laycock, an attorney from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who defended this small congregation from Michigan before the Supreme Court of the nation stated: "This is a tremendous victory for freedom of religion in this nation. The Supreme Court unanimously confirmed the right of churches to select their ministers and religious leaders without the intervention of the Government.”

Mr. Kevin Seamus Hasson, Esquire, a former Director of the Becket Fund said, "This decision of the Supreme Court is a total rejection of the radical, anti-religious agenda of the Obama Administration.”

When the President’s administration took the case to Court, the Federal Department of Justice under the direction of Eric Holder, stated that the first amendment of the Constitution is irrelevant regarding the ability of the churches to choose and dismiss their pastors and leaders. In other words, they want to dictate to churches, how to choose their leaders and that the churches had to be politically correct. My friends, the Obama Administration wanted to tell the churches that sex, sexual preference or religious beliefs could not disqualify a person from being a pastor or a religious leader in a congregation.

Thank God that all is not lost! The Supreme Court of the nation that is frequently divided five votes to four, on this occasion, came together and in a unanimous vote, gave us Christians and believers a tremendous victory by demonstrating to the Federal Administration and the whole world, that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our God, has never abandoned us and will never abandon us as long as there are men and women that do not bend their knees to Baal.

I am Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.

Cabrera to protest DOE's plan to evict churches Wednesday

2012-01-17T14:07:00.001-05:00

Cabrera was arrested last week protesting the DOE's policy.

Oddsmakers are split on whether or not City Councilman Fernando Cabrera will get arrested tomorrow. We're putting the line at +3500 (35-to-1 for those of you not entrenched in NFL betting pools). Obviously, his office is saying there is no civil disobedience planned for tomorrow, but my gambling team (Bronx insiders) note that Cabrera's fellow protesters may want to get arrested to raise the stature of the protest.

At 1 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 18, Cabrera will join his colleagues in government and religious leaders in a press conference in front of the Tweed Court House (52 Chambers St.) to protest the Department of Education's policy that will evict houses of worship from public schools on Feb. 12. Then, the group will march to the City Council to urge passage of Resolution 1155, which calls upon the New York State legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation amending the New York State Education Law to afford houses of worship maximum access to school property.

“We will continue to fight for equal access,” Cabrera said. “We will be meeting at Tweed and then marching over to the New York City Council Stated Meeting at City Hall to continue to make our position known.”

After the Supreme Court declined to hear Bronx Household of Faith vs. New York City Department of Educationon Dec. 5, 2011, the city's DOE announced it would ban Houses of Worship wishing to rent vacant spaces from Public Schools during non-school hours.

Following the announcement, Cabrera and Religious Leaders have organized several protests. These include a Prayerful Protest on Thursday Jan. 5, where Cabrera, pastors and congregants were arrested for kneeling in front of the New York City Law Department in prayer during a display of civil disobedience, and a Prayer Rally during Mayor Bloomberg’s State of the City address on Thursday Jan. 12, where over 40 pastors and congregants were arrested while approaching the entrance of Morris High School in another display of civil disobedience (Cabrera was not arrested in that one).

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'Dream' speech

2012-01-16T15:39:00.000-05:00

Here is the famous 'I have a dream' speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., given Aug. 28, 1963. Below are some statements from various officials and a video of mayoral candidate Bill Thompson.

Also, here is Thompson speaking at the Trinity Baptist Church today. Introduction by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Here is a statement from state Sen. Adriano Espaillat:

“Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. lived his life pursuing equality and justice for all.Along the way, he left a blueprint for what a better world can and must looklike.

“Whilewe’ve made important progress since the days of Dr. King – thanks in no smallmeasure to the courageous works of Dr. King and other civil rights leaders –the quest for economic and social justice calls for a continued struggle.Whether it’s support for labor, an increased minimum wage, the fight againstincome inequality, taking on racism and intolerance, or addressing poverty, Dr.King’s legacy is alive and embodied in today’s progressive movement.

“Together,we must continue to live up to Dr. King’s legacy and honor his sacrifice withour own works, thus, building a stronger, more justice America we can continueto be proud of.”

And here is an email Rep. Eliot Engel sent to his constituents today:

Dear Friends,
Today we commemorate the birth of one of America’s greatest leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Many of our current values stem from the contributions of this extraordinary man. All Americans owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. King for his bravery and commitment to civil rights and nonviolence, that changed this nation and the world.
But Dr. King expanded the idea of civil rights and equality beyond voting and political influence. He also said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” All Americans deserve affordable health care. Medical care in America is the most advanced in the world, but, sadly, it is not available to many Americans. That is why I voted for the Affordable Care Act, and why I believe we should adopt a single payer system of health care for all Americans.
For Dr. King equality also meant a good education. In arguably his most famous speech, Dr. King said ""I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." In order for the children of today to be judged solely by the content of their character, we must do more to address a big obstacle facing too many young Americans – being educated in substandard schools.
The state of education, our economy, and the perilously high unemployment rate means the federal government must take action. This means the partisan bickering which has crippled Washington and brought the business of our country to a grinding halt must end. In 2011 we were forced to deal with manufactured crisis after manufactured crisis. The result being brinksmanship not seen in our Capitol in decades, and led to a downgrade of our national credit rating. The current majority in the House refuses to compromise and has chosen ideology over good government time and again. As a result, legislation which would help put more people back to work has been shelved. Reforms to our education system have been put on the backburner, alongside badly-needed reconstruction of our transportation system, our nation's infrastructure and a reform of our immigration policy.
We must take our inspiration from Dr. King, If we are to work together to make the needed changes and provide the opportunities that can give life to the quote etched on the stone at the Dr. King monument in Washington: "With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope."
I have a deep commitment to fighting for equality for all Americans. I am proud to say that I have received the following honors for my dedication to civil rights:
“A+” for fighting poverty from the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty.
"A" from the NAACP
100% Civil Rights score from The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Dr. King contributed so much to the fabric and the soul of America. It is my intention to continue trying to emulate his example to make the America inherited by our children, better than the one we inherited from our parents.

Living Wage deal struck

2012-01-13T16:37:00.001-05:00

Koppell speaks on the living wage as Diaz (right) and Quinn (left) look on.

After multiple compromises, a living wage deal has apparently been struck in the City Council.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the second-to-last major barricade in passing the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, announced her support of a new living wage bill. The last barricade is Mayor Bloomberg, who still does not support the bill, renewed his vow to veto the bill.

However, with Quinn's support, the City Council should be able to garner the 34 votes needed to override the Mayor's veto.

"There is nothing more important for government right now than the work of creating and retaining the best jobs we can," Quinn said in prepared remarks delivered today (full remarks below the jump).

"As Speaker, one of my jobs is to do all that I can to keep and create jobs in New York and to make sure those jobs provide people with the resources they need to support their families."

As everyone already knew, "I could not support the original living wage bill as it was introduced," she said. "The requirement that tenants in subsidized projects pay more when the city has no financial connection with them is a provision that I believe would have cost us future retail jobs. Placing this requirement on businesses that don’t receive a direct benefit is simply unfair."

That being said, Quinn said it was necessary to have the businesses that directly take money to pass the benefit along to their employees.

"I believe it is fair and appropriate for government to place requirements on a business that has voluntarily entered into an economic development agreement with the City. At the end of the day, they have a choice as to whether or not they want both the money offered to them and the wage requirements."

A living wage would require certain developers of direct, significant city subsidies to pay their employees at least $10 an hour with benefits or $11.50 without.

Local leaders around the city have applauded the compromise, the second Bronx-related compromise with the city this week. The first, which elevated the living wage debate into the spotlight, was the issuing of the request for proposals for the Kingsbridge Armory.

“I am extremely happy that we have reached an agreement on the ‘Fair Wages for New Yorkers’ Act, and that this important bill will finally see a vote in the City Council," Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said. "The deal we have reached today creates the strongest ‘living wage’ legislation in the nation, one that will demand that direct recipients of significant taxpayer subsidies do better by their employees."

Diaz had City Council members G. Oliver Koppell and Annabel Palma introduce the bill on his behalf.

“This bill will ensure that taxpayer subsidies are used to improve the quality of life of New Yorkers. Today’s announcement is a victory for the people of this City, and I look forward to this legislation becoming law,” Diaz said.

Palma not only applauded the compromise, but also noted that there is now a fight going on for a minimum wage increase at the state level and that it should elevate to the federal level.

“This hard-wrought agreement will help a number of New Yorkers secure jobs that pay a living wage and I am grateful for the support of my colleagues and all of those who have been vocal advocates of this bill," Palma said.

"Additionally, it is encouraging that Speaker [Sheldon] Silver is carrying the fight against income inequality in Albany," she said. "I commend him for highlighting the need for a State-wide minimum wage increase tied to the cost of living. I am further encouraged that this idea is picking up steam on both sides of the aisle, with Mayor Bloomberg’s strong endorsement in yesterday’s State of the City address.

"I also urge our Federal representatives to engage in the conversation on economic inequality that is occurring across the country. People throughout our nation are struggling to survive by working low wage jobs, yet it has been over a decade since Washington increased the federal minimum wage. It’s time for our leaders in Washington to get serious about the challenges ahead and the reforms that will be necessary to fix an economy that too often fails our working people.”

City Comptroller John Liu also released a statement, saying, “This living wage agreement will ensure

better use of public subsidies for private business and help reverse the widening wealth gap in our City. The City Council and the Living Wage Coalition are to be commended for their tenacious effort in getting this accomplished.”

Quinn's prepared remarks:

"For the past year, we have had a debate in the City Council about how to bring more jobs to New York in a way that raises salaries and does not stagnate job growth.

"Some have said we should do that by letting the market run its course. Some have said that we should do it by replicating what many major cities in America have done: place a wage requirement on any jobs that are developed through public subsidies. Others have said we should go a step further and put that same requirement on tenants of developments that are built with public subsidies.

"I want to thank everyone who has offered support, opposition, data, agreement and disagreement on all three of these perspectives. This has been a worthy debate.

"There is nothing more important for government right now than the work of creating and retaining the best jobs we can.

"As Speaker, one of my jobs is to do all that I can to keep and create jobs in New York and to make sure those jobs provide people with the resources they need to support their families.

"I could not support the original living wage bill as it was introduced.

"The requirement that tenants in subsidized projects pay more when the city has no financial connection with them is a provision that I believe would have cost us future retail jobs. Placing this requirement on businesses that don’t receive a direct benefit is simply unfair.

"That said, I want to be clear that more needs to be done to raise the wages of retail workers, and I want to thank in particular Stu Appelbaum for articulately raising that issue.

"Today, I also want to announce that I, together with my colleagues Oliver Koppel and Annabel Palma, will introduce a new piece of legislation next month. This legislation will require companies that receive substantial subsidies from the City of New York to pay their employees a living wage of $10 or $11.50, depending on benefits.

"I believe it is fair and appropriate for government to place requirements on a business that has voluntarily entered into an economic development agreement with the City. At the end of the day, they have a choice as to whether or not they want both the money offered to them and the wage requirements.

"This is a policy that is fair, one that will help workers, will not deter job growth and is one that I am honored to support.

"I want to thank Oliver Koppel, Annabel Palma, Ruben Diaz and Stu Appelbaum, who have been valiant in their efforts to raise the issue of the needs of low paid workers.

"I also want to thank Kathy Wylde, the Partnership for New York City and the business and real estate community, who have worked with us to ensure that jobs are protected and encouraged, and that the future of our city’s economy is strong.

"No one bill can single handedly raises wages for all minimum wage workers. But we will take a fair and philosophically sound step forward.

"Legislation is powerful but by its nature it can be limited. The issue of raising the salaries of workers in a way that promotes job growth is complicated and deserves a more comprehensive response than just legislation.

"That is why I believe that our city’s Economic Development Corporation must have a policy goal of negotiating development packages that result in not just the recipients of subsidies creating higher wage jobs, but also their tenants. That is what we negotiated with the Domino Sugar Factory project.

"The power of a negotiating process is that it provides the ability to craft each deal differently. In fact, both Los Angeles and San Francisco have achieved most of the jobs where they have raised salaries through the negotiations of their economic development corporations and the policies those agencies have set.

"EDC should also use other measures at its disposal, such as giving higher points in an RFP process for applicants who have wall-to-wall higher wages.

"As I’ve said, this is complicated. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach when trying to cover tenants and retail workers who have not gotten a direct subsidy.

"We need to explore other models beyond legislative mandates. That is why in next year’s capital budget we will allocate money to the Economic Development Corporation and work with them to put out and RFEI and eventually and RFP to developers and retailers who are looking for subsidies that would place a requirement that tenants pay a living wage.

"I believe that is an exercise that will help us and EDC determine how to best structure future programs."

Bloomberg's State of the City address

2012-01-12T14:21:00.002-05:00

Bloomberg at the State of the City.

Below is the full text of Mayor Bloomberg's State of the City address, given today at Morris High School in the Bronx.

Before that, here is some of what he said about the Bronx:

"Here in the Bronx, the first wave of 2,000 construction workers will break ground on New York's next great shopping destination: Eastchester's $270 million Mall at Bay Plaza. In Port Morris, Smith Electric Vehicles will open its first East Coast plant and more than 100 New Yorkers will go to work assembling zero-emission trucks and vans.

"A new supermarket, stores, offices and a new charter school will bring 200 new jobs to along-vacant spot at the Bronx Hub on 149th Street. We'll begin renovation work on the Bronx River Art Center, creating a new media center, photography studio and gallery.

"We'll begin re-zoning East Fordham Road to allow for more private sector investment and explore economic development possibilities on Webster Avenue. To do that, we're working with a group of neighbors we call the Bronx Quad: the New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx Zoo, Montefiore Medical Center and of course, the emerging basketball powerhouse, Fordham University. (Brendan's note: Manhattan College is better than Fordham. Much better.)

"We're also stepping up efforts to keep some 3,600 good-paying jobs where they belong, at the Hunts Point produce market. New Jersey is making a big pitch to lure the market away, butwe¶re fully committed to modernizing the market and keeping those jobs here.

"So today, in partnership with Council Speaker Christine Quinn, we're adding another $25 million to what will now be the City's $87 million commitment to re-building the market. And that's not the only big news here in the Bronx.

"We're also launching a new effort to bring jobs to the most talked-about empty building in the Bronx: The Kingsbridge Armory.

"In collaboration with Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., today, we are releasing a Request for Proposals for a new operator of the Armory. We're putting aside our differences to do what's best for the city. That's what leadership is about. It's not about a series of running arguments--it'sabout getting things done.

"We've heard from a variety of interested parties, including those who want to develop itinto recreational space. And we're hopeful that the Kingsbridge Armory, vacant for some 15 years,will soon be transformed into a place that benefits the community and employs communitymembers.

"In every borough in 2012, we'll bring new jobs on line and make investments that willattract more visitors."

The full text:

Mayor Bloomberg Delivers 2012 State of the City Address

City accepting proposals to develop Kingsbridge Armory

2012-01-12T12:54:00.001-05:00

Thought to be the largest armory in the world.

We're going to have a full story on the Kingsbridge Armory in next week's paper, but here's the basic information you should know (because, as I assume, you all love to talk about Bronx economic development at the local watering holes just like I do).

In 2009, the City Council killed The Related Cos. attempt to put a shopping mall in the armory because they would not commit to having their tenants pay a living wage

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was, and still is, one of the biggest supporters of a living wage, which would require developers who take significant subsidies from the city to pay at least $10 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 without
Diaz also did not support the shopping mall project because it would compete with local merchants in the area, a fact often overlooked when discussing the project

Since then, Diaz created the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force with local elected officials to search for better alternatives

Most notably, NYU's Wagner School of Public Service helped the task force by drawing up a comprehensive report
NYU and the task force found interested bidders that would use the armory for anything from a sports arena (focusing on hockey) to a mega-church

This week: Crain's first reports that the city is issuing a new Request for Proposal for the armory. The RFP does not require a living wage be instituted, but preference will be given to those projects that do.

Diaz said on NY1 that he is OK with this and that the living wage bill will continue to be fought in the City Council, where advocates are still fighting to gain support

So there are the highlights. As Crain's reported:

The new request for proposals is similar to one the city issued in September 2006, with two exceptions. First, the winning developer will have the option to lease the building from the city, instead of buy it. And while the previous request spelled out a preference for a mix of commercial, retail, entertainment, recreation and community uses, the new solicitation allows respondents to propose a broader range of uses, although not housing. Two public schools that were part of the previous plan are no longer in the works.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

2012-01-11T13:00:00.001-05:00

Here are the stories in this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press, out on the streets today.

Local resident named Obama's top aide
P.S. 24 student leads drive for toy donations
Dogs taken from wayward owner
Conflict of interest in 230th Street development?
Pols and DOT make progress on school traffic gridlock
After slap on conflict, Carrion resigns post
A new generation of students and alumni demand change at Bronx Science

Also in the Bronx Press:
City Councilman Fernando Cabrera arrested
Bronx Sunshine for entrepreneurs

And here is the print version of the Riverdale Review:

Open publication - Free publishing - More bronx

Bronx State of the Borough invitation

2012-01-11T11:13:00.001-05:00

Here is the invitation for Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.'s State of the Borough address, open to everyone.

If you feel like watching last year's State of the Borough, you can watch it here.

Adolfo Carrion resigning as HUD director (UPDATE)

2012-01-10T15:38:00.002-05:00

Former Bronx Borough President AdolfoCarrion is stepping down from his post as regional director for the Departmentof Housing and Urban Development in New York and New Jersey next month.

Carrion is leavingthe Obama administration to go to the private sector and help work to re-electthe president. One source said he is planning on starting a company.

After serving as boroughpresident until 2009, Carrion went to Washington to serve as Director of theWhite House Office of Urban Affairs before taking the position at HUD.

Carrion officially leaves hispost Feb. 10.

Theresignation comes less than two months since the New York City Conflict ofInterest Board fined him $10,000 for his connection with an architectwho helped renovate his home in 2006. At the time, the architect was alsoseeking approval from his office for a separate project.

Thesource, with Washington ties, said the resignation is likely an effortto get himself back into the political limelight for the 2013 mayoral race orcity comptroller. With City Comptroller John Liu struggling lately, Carrioncould hope to gain the minority vote in either race.

Hehas over $2 million in his war chest that could be used for either race. According to reports, having a federal job would prevent him from raising campaign cash.

CurrentBronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., also a Latino, still hasn’t ruled outa run for mayor either, though.

Thesource said Carrion most likely was not pushed out and that it was not relatedto Monday’s news of fellow Bronxite Jack Lew’s appointment as President Obama’snew chief of staff.

UPDATE: Here is a letter Carrion sent to friends and colleagues, where he writes, "Upon my departure from HUD, I will be launching Metro Futures LLC, an entity that will be dedicated to advancing investment in infrastructure, housing, and smart metropolitan growth. In this work, I plan to continue to make progress towards our shared mission of building competitive, sustainable and opportunity-rich communities across our great country."

ADOLFO CARRIÓN

Bill to legalize using City buildings for religion

2012-01-10T12:59:00.002-05:00

For our consideration, state Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz has passed along the bill that would allow houses of worship to use schools and NYCHA buildings for religious meetings and worship. I thought I'd pass it along further.

This bill has hit the spotlight after City Councilman Fernando Cabrera was arrested last week with six other pastors while they were protesting against the status quo.

It has been introduced into the Senate by Sen. Martin Golden and so far cosponsored by Diaz and six other senators. "We are working very hard to get more senators to sign onto this bill," Diaz said.

The bill is sponsored in the Assembly by Bronx Assemblyman Nelson Castro.

SUMMARY:
S6087 GOLDEN Same as A 8800 Castro (MS)
GOLDEN, DIAZ, GALLIVAN, LANZA, LIBOUS, MAZIARZ, SMITH, ZELDIN
Amd S414, Ed L
Authorizes the use of school buildings and school sites for religious meetings and worship when not in use for school purposes or when such service or worship is deemed not disruptive of normal school operations.

SPONSORS MEMO:

NEW YORK STATE SENATE
INTRODUCER'S MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT
submitted in accordance with Senate Rule VI. Sec 1

BILL NUMBER: S6087

SPONSOR: GOLDEN

TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing religious

meetings and worship in school buildings and school sites

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of the bill is to authorize the use of school buildings and

school sites for religious meetings and worship when not in use for

school purposes.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the opening paragraph and paragraph (c) of subdivision

1 of section 414 of the education law, the opening paragraph as amended

by chapter 369 of the laws of 1977 and paragraph (c) as amended by chap-

ter 345 of the laws of 2009, are amended to include:

The City of New York and community school boards and;

A provision that allows religious meetings to include, but not limited

to: meetings, services, and worship.

JUSTIFICATION:

This bill would prevent school districts from excluding groups from

meeting on school property because of the religious content or viewpoint

of their speech, including allowing religious worship services.

Currently, State Education Law allows for social, civic and recreational

meetings and entertainment on school property, as well as other uses

pertaining to the welfare of the community. State law further holds that

such meetings, entertainment and uses shall be nonexclusive and shall be

open to the general public. However, certain groups or organizations are

not always allowed to hold the types of meetings seemingly envisioned

herein, including those with religious content or viewpoints.

For example, several years ago, a U.S. appeals court ruled that the

Bronx Household of Faith church ("Bronx Household"), based in New York

City, was not permitted to use space in a Bronx public middle school for

its Sunday morning worship service. Since then, however, the United

States Supreme Court ruled in Good News Club vs. Milford Central School

that it was unconstitutional for a public school district in upstate New

York to exclude from its facilities "a private Christian organization

for children;u and the Supreme Court further held in the Good News Club

case that "by denying the club access to the school's limited public

forum on the ground that the club was religious in nature, Milford

discriminated against the club because of its religious viewpoint in

violation of the free speech clause.

In light of Milford, Bronx Household re-petitioned the U.S. appeals

court, which again upheld the school's policy banning the use of its

space for religious worship services, reasoning that "While the conduct

of religious services undoubtedly includes expressions of a religious

point of view, it is not the expression of that point of view that is

prohibited by the rule. Prayer, religious expression of devotion to God,

and the singing of hymns, whether done by a person or group, do not

constitute the conduct of worship services. These activities are not

excluded.

Groups like Bronx Household should be allowed to hold and conduct such

meetings, even in the event that such meetings include religious content

or views in their speech, so long as these meetings are open to the

general public. Some school districts have excluded groups and have

thereby acted to regulate free speech and the conduct of such members of

the public, potentially in violation of the First Amendment to the

Constitution of the United States. This bill seeks to protect such

organizations from these actions.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

(Unknown)

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect immediately.

New York State prohibits itself from doing business with businesses that do business with Iran

2012-01-10T12:50:00.000-05:00

Nice headline, right?

The state Senate and Assembly passed a bill prohibiting local governments from entering into new contracts or renewing existing contracts with any company that has more than $20 million in dealings with the Iranian oil industry

Bronx AssemblymanJeffrey Dinowitz released a statement on the Iran Divestment Act:

“The IranDivestment Act of 2012, which I co-sponsored and helped pass in the Assemblyyesterday, would prohibit New York State from doing business with companiesthat invest in Iran’s energy sector.

“Thislegislation renews New York’s commitment in the fight against terrorism,taking a bold stand and sending a message loud and clear that our great statewill not help fund Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. Under our bill,people, businesses and organizations that invest substantial sums of money in theIranian energy sector would be identified by the state Office of GeneralServices and prohibited from doing business with state and local governments,helping keep taxpayer money out of the hands of known internationalterrorists.”

There are 47 companies affected by this, though it looks like only one, Siemens, has divisions that do business with New York. The list was compiled last month by the California Department of Insurance. All are based overseas.

Here is the video of Assembly Majority Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos discussing the ban as well as other issues, such as redistricting the state Senate to 63 seats, from the Albany Times Union.

Riverdale resident Jack Lew to be named Obama's chief of staff

2012-01-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

Riverdale resident Jack Lew will
beObama's new chief of staff.

Reports are rolling in that Jacob "Jack" Lew is going to be named President Obama's chief of staff, replacing William Daley.

Lew, an Orthodox Jew, is currently the director of the Office of Management and Budget, a Cabinet-levelposition and a post he also filled during the Clinton administration.

He was previously Obama's deputy secretary of state.

Daley is leaving after just over a year on the job; he replaced RahmEmanuel, who left the White House to run successfully for Chicago's mayor.

The shift from Daley to Lew will take place at the end of this month. Lew will complete the budget proposal and Daley will oversee crafting of the State of the Union address due in two weeks.

"Ithink the world of Jack Lew," Rep. Eliot Engel said in a phone interview, going on to list good trait after good trait about him. "Both as smart as awhip and as bright as can be. He’s a nice person and he interacts well with people.The president made a good choice."

We are going to have a full story on this in this week's paper, so make sure to pick up a copy Thursday.

St. Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz tells us what we should know

2012-01-09T15:41:00.002-05:00

Diaz loves Jesus.

St. Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz has come out with another "What You Should Know" column, this one about the city preventing worship services in public buildings, such as schools and housing developments.

Diaz mentions an upcoming rally, in which a group of local religious and elected leaders, led by City Councilman Fernando Cabrera, will demonstrate against Mayor Bloomberg. The rally will be held on Thursday, Jan. 12, when the Mayor will present his State of the City Address.

Here is the full statement. The bold is Diaz's:

The Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, has decided to prohibit churches and religious groups from using auditoriums in public schools for worship services to our God.

You should know that this is not the first time that Mayor Bloomberg has demonstrated his rejection of everything that has to do with religion.

During the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers- where more than three thousand people died- Bloomberg forbid formal prayers and the participation of religious leaders, including the Catholic church’s Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

To counter this new decision of Mayor Bloomberg against churches, a group of religious leaders, led by Councilman Fernando Cabrera, has organized a demonstration against Mayor Bloomberg to be held on the day when the Mayor will present his State of the City Address.

This demonstration will take place this Thursday, January 12 at 12:00 noon in the atrium of Morris High School, located at 1100 Boston Road, on the corner of East 167^th Street in the Bronx.

As a State Senator representing constituents who attend worship services in public high schools and as the President of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization and through this column I invite all Ministers and members of the community to join us in our protest against having many of our churches and Ministers thrown into the street without a place to worship God.

I ask all members of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization that when you attend our weekly meeting this Thursday, please wear your White Jacket, as we will be attending this demonstration after our meeting.

I expect that all organizations, singers, evangelists, leaders and members of the Christian community will support the leaders who are coordinating this demonstration in the same way that we like others to support us when we have our meetings or events.

This Thursday, January 12^th at 12:00 noon at Morris High School, located on Boston Road and E. 167^th Street, as members of the rank and file, and not as leaders; we will be there to participate and support such a noble cause.

I am Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.

Jose Rivera calls out ABC

2012-01-09T09:55:00.002-05:00

Assemblyman Jose Rivera is demanding an apology from television network ABC for offensive remarks made on its newest sitcom, "Work It."

Here is Rivera's statement:

Enough! The Puerto Rican communityonce again became victims of racist abuse by the American media. Last Tuesday,January 3, ABC transmitted a new show called “Work It” in which a Puerto Ricancharacter states “I am Puerto Rican – I’d be great at selling drugs.”

This is not the first time that the American mediastereotypes and racially discriminates against Puerto Ricans. However, ourcommunity has always fought back, winning important battles against billiondollar media conglomerates. Oliver Stone’s 1980 film, Wall Street, originallyhad a scene in which Puerto Ricans are compared to cockroaches. In the 1990s,an episode of Seinfeld showed the character of Kramer stomping on the PuertoRican flag during the Puerto Rican Day Parade. In both occasions, Puerto Ricansprotested, and both Seinfeld and Stone apologized. Stone went on to eliminatethe offensive remarks from the video and DVDs of the movie. This type ofdiscrimination is not unique to these two examples and goes back to West SideStory and beyond.

The fact that in the 21st Century we still have to changethe channel in order to prevent our children from hearing comments on TV andfilm that attack their humanity and self esteem is unacceptable. We should notlive in fear of watching TV or going to the movies because we do not know whenthe next insult is coming. We demand that ABC apologize to the Puerto Ricancommunity at the beginning of the next episode of “Work It” and that thePresident of ABC meet with Puerto Rican community leaders to create a plan inwhich, instead of discriminating against the Puerto Rican community, thenetwork promotes the rich tradition and contributions of Puerto Ricans andLatinos in general.

Not only is Rivera calling for an apology for the offensive remarks, but also I am calling on ABC to issue an apology for the entire show, which wasted a half hour of my life.

Engel continues call for jobs bill

2012-01-06T16:28:00.001-05:00

On the news of a better-than-expected jobs report, Rep. Eliot Engel has renewed his demand that a jobs bill be passed by Congress.

White House provided chart showing private
payroll job loss and growth over the last four years.

With the overall amount of jobs created at 200,000, higher than expect, the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest it has been in three years.

Engel believes the passage of a jobs bill will boost the economy and get more Americans back to work. The latest report, combined with the revised September report showing over 200,000 jobs created, followed by two months which combined for another 200,000, means more than 600,000 new jobs created in the last four months. In all, the American economy has added over 1.6 million jobs in 2011, the most in five years.

“The recent trend towards job growth stands in stark contrast to the near-depression numbers of the Bush Administration. The economy seems poised to continue moving in the right direction, and it would extremely helpful if Congress could give it a hand with a jobs bill. We need to use the recent job growth as a springboard to a stronger economy. The House Republican Majority refuses to work with Democrats, or the President, on legislation to help create jobs. Instead it is fixated on an ideological agenda not on helping middle and lower income families," Engel said in a statement today.

“Too many Americans are out of work, but at least the trend is moving in the right direction," he said. "Hopefully, we can continue this momentum into 2012. It could have been even better if not for such unavoidable obstacles such as the Japan earthquake and European financial crisis, and avoidable ones such as the debt ceiling debacle and credit downgrade. The fact that we are here at the end of the year talking about real gains in job growth is satisfying."

An Engel spokesman said a jobs bill would focus on improving infrastructure, such as rebuilding schools and bridges.

“There is still much to be done, and it would be very helpful if Congressional Republicans would work with Democrats and the White House to boost job creation through a bipartisan jobs bill. Unfortunately, they show little indication they care to do so.”

Diaz Jr calls for Living Wage vote

2012-01-06T16:18:00.000-05:00

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. first had the Fair Wages for New Yorkers bill introduced to the City Council in 2010, and in 2012 is now calling for the Council to vote on the bill.

A December Quinnipiac poll on the living wage--$10/hr. with benefits or $11.50/hr. without--found that New Yorkers overwhelmingly support a living wage. However, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has so far sided with Mayor Michael Bloomberg strong opposition and not allowed it to come to a vote in the Council. Rumors among the city-wide media say the bill once had enough supporters to override a Bloomberg veto, but more recently the bill appears to be losing steam, even as City Council Members G. Oliver Koppell and Annabel Palma, the two main sponsors, scaled the bill back to appease opponents.

In the video, Diaz says, "This is simply a matter of fairness, and to the mayor and the City Council: it is time for you to be fair to the people of New York City. We can no longer wait. The time to vote is now."

Koppell met with Quinn recently, trying to convince her to support for the bill. He said the meeting didn't convince her to take a stand, and didn't want to speak for her.

"Shehasn’t made up her mind yet." Koppell said in a phone interview. "I’mhoping she makes up her mind."

A comment from Quinn's office is forthcoming.

Bronx High School of Science alum protest status quo

2012-01-05T16:44:00.000-05:00

Bronx High School of Science alumni held a protest Thursday afternoon, calling for Principal Valerie Reidy to be more open and transparent, saying it will lead to a better school. "Don't rule with an iron first," one protester said. We are going to have a full story in next week's paper, but I wanted to share the events of the today earlier than that, with some photos:

Around 50 alumni and students stood across from Bronx Science.

Chants included "Enough is enough!" and "We are not a number!"

Most of the alumni present graduated in the past few years.

Cabrera arrested Thursday morning (UPDATED thrice w/photos)

2012-01-05T12:39:00.000-05:00

Cabrera and city pastors pray in front of the law department's building.

City Council Member Fernando Cabrera and a group of around six Pastors from across the city were arrested when participating in a peaceful protest against the New York City Law Department’s stance to evict Houses of Worship from city owned or operated space today.

A spokesperson for Cabrera said they began protesting at 8 a.m., and around 9 a.m. the group was arrested for blocking the entrance.

The Prayer Protest was organized by Pastor Dimas Salaberrios of Infinity New York, which met at the NYCHA Bronx River Houses. The purpose of the rally was to protest the eviction of the Infinity New York Church from the NYCHA Bronx River Houses.

One of Cabrera's New Year's resolutions is to pass legislation that will prevent the eviction of religious groups from public spaces.

After the Supreme Court declined to hear Bronx Household of Faith vs. New York City Department of Educationon Dec. 5, 2011, the New York City Department of Education announced it would ban religious worship inside public schools, as permitted by the June 2011 decision of the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. Subsequently, religious groups have begun to be evicted from other public spaces, including Bronx Bible Church from Justice Sonia Sotomayor Houses, and Infinity New York Church from Bronx River Houses.

New York City is the only municipality in the nation that bans Houses of Worship from meeting in public spaces.

“Today we are seeing the first indication that the churches in New York City, and nationally, are awakening,” Cabrera said in a statement. “Together, we will fight these restrictive laws that discriminate against hundreds of thousands of Church-goers.”

The law department is at 100 Church St., Manhattan.

UPDATES:

A Cabrera spokesperson told us, "It began as a “prayer protest,” and then became an act of Civil Disobedience as several pastors and congregants knelt in prayer. There was significant police presence, as Infinity NY Church had a permit to be there."

PolitickerNY reports that Cabrera was released from jail and had a brief phone interview with him:

According to Sheila Stainback, a spokeswoman for NYCHA, none of the churches who have used their facilities have lease agreements, so “we have not evicted anyone. That language would be incorrect.”
Instead, she said the churches have operated for years in the common spaces –which during the rest of the week residents sign up to hold birthday parties or block association meetings or the like–and that NYCHA is attempting to systematize how those common spaces get used.
Mr. Cabrera, newly sprung from jail, said in a brief phone interview that he didn’t buy it, that instead all the Bloomberg administration and NYCHA were instead using Supreme Court’s actions as a pretext.
“This particular church has been there for six years. They have been a complete positive impact on the community. Why is this happening now,” he said.
“We are getting the perception that we have an anti-religion mayor. I have never been arrested for anything. I don’t even drink beer. This is how desperate I am.”

City Councilman Jumaane Williams has these photos posted on his Twitter account:

The Twitter account reads:

"@FCabreraNYCC performed his #civildisobedience outside 100 Church Street, #protesting for #NYC's #housesofworship."

State of the State script

2012-01-05T12:30:00.003-05:00

In case you're interested, here is the script Gov. Andrew Cuomo used (but didn't exactly stick to) during his State of the State Wednesday.

SOS Book-1

Bronx Zoo hosts toy drive for children of veterans

2012-01-05T12:08:00.000-05:00

Santa and Mrs. Clause came on a horse and carriage to the Bronx Zoo,
where they delivered hundreds of toys to the children of veterans.

Last month, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. joined the Bronx Zoo and the Bronx Chamber of Commerce in a toy drive for the families of veterans.

Included among the veterans was Jeans Cruz, the Bronxite who found Saddam Hussein.

Children received sports balls, action figures, dolls, and much, much more. The National Guard also showed up half way through to give kids some of their swag, including backpacks and winter hats.

We caught up with Cruz for a minute to ask him about the event and the news that the last soldiers were leaving Iraq. He said he was very appreciative for the donations, adding that it's difficult for him to buy multiple gifts for each of his four children. Also, he said, two of his children have birthdays a week before Christmas.

Cruz said it is difficult to buy multiple presents for his four children in this economy.

He wasn't overly joyful about the Iraq news, because "you can't say that it's definite," he said. He has friends that are already on their way back to the area for cleanup.

The National Guard showed up to give kids their swag.

The 'Lost Subways' of the Bronx

2012-01-05T11:45:00.003-05:00

The Bronx has two 'lost subways.'

The MTA had plans for much greater subway lines, but ultimately ran out of money to complete some of them. Included in that are two in the Bronx. The first was the extension of the D Train, which would have continued beyond Norwood all the way to Eastchester, ending at Boston Road and Baychester Avenue. The second was more complicated, having the 2nd Ave. Subway split into two, with one line running all the way to Throgs Neck and another cutting right up the middle of the borough within the right-of-way of the Metro North to Wakefield.

Check out the map at WNYC to see the two Bronx lines and all the other lost routes. Here is a screenshot of the Bronx, where you can see the two extended lines, in orange and light blue.

Poor 1 Train, still left all alone in the west.

Bronx leaders react to NYSOS (Update)

2012-01-05T09:36:00.002-05:00

The New York State of the State washeld Wednesday, Jan. 6. Here are some reactions from local leaders:

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.:

“I applaud GovernorCuomo for putting forward a strong vision for the future of New York State intoday’s speech, and I look forward to working with him and his administrationon the critical issues of job creation, education, infrastructure, tourism, publicsafety and other themes that have been high priorities for my administration.

“What is good for theBronx is, of course, good for the state. Moreover, the agenda he has outlinedreflects the action plan we have set forth for the Bronx, whether it is ourrecent education summit, our East 153rd Street hotel development proposal, andthe expansion of Metro North service to the East Bronx. My office will continueto work with the Cuomo administration on these and other major projects we haveplanned for the Bronx in 2012, including the redevelopment of the Hunts PointProduce Market—an area where Governor Cuomo has already shown his commitment toour borough through his allocation of almost $30 million in funding through hisRegional Economic Development Council."

State Senator Adriano Espaillat:

“Governor Cuomocontinues to demonstrate that he is in touch with New Yorkers’ needs and weshare his priorities. As a progressive state senator, I will continue to workwith Gov. Cuomo, particularly in areas such as housing, job creation, economicjustice, and the treatment of immigrants.

“As someone who ledthe fight to extend and strengthen tenant protections as part of last year’srent regulations fight, I am pleased that Gov. Cuomo announced the creation ofa Tenant Protection Unit and other measures that will help keep millions ofpoor and working-families in their homes.

“Immigrants are one ofNew York’s most important assets. That’s why I am heartened by Gov. Cuomo’scommitment to immigrants and look forward toward working with him as weestablish the Office for New Americans.

“We will continuesupporting Gov. Cuomo in addressing the challenges faced by everyday NewYorkers. Together, we will build a stronger –and more fair – New York that allNew Yorkers can be proud of.”

State Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz

A Bad Start for the New Year:

“Although I may be the lone voice cryingin the wilderness, I need to publicly and ardently disagree with New York StateGovernor Andrew Cuomo and his plans to call for an amendment to the StateConstitution to legalize casino gambling. I also need to express mystrong opposition to his proposal in his State of the State Address to build aDNA databank of samples taken from criminal defendants in New York State.

“Like the rest of us, Governor Cuomo must know that by legalizing casinogambling, gambling addiction will increase and more and more families andchildren will suffer. Rent will not get paid. Food will not be on thetable. In a State where poverty levels have increased, gambling revenueswill not draw from expendable income but from families’ necessities. Instead of helping the many New Yorkers who already suffer from gamblingaddiction, this amendment will only continue to destroy their worlds andfurther exploit vulnerable and poor New Yorkers and their families.

“Governor Cuomo has already legalized gay marriage. Now he wants tolegalize casino gambling. What’s next – legalizing prostitution andmarijuana and drugs – all in good “faith” to make money to raise tax revenuesfor the State?

“In regard to Governor Cuomo’s hopes to build the DNA database, he must beaware of the racial injustice that exists within New York’s prison system. It is unsettling how on one hand, the Governor says that he opposes harshfingerprinting requirements for families who need food stamps, and on the otherhand, he wants to expand the DNA databank samples of criminal defendants. The racial imbalance targeted by both of these rules is clear, and thedisregard of civil liberties and privacy protection laws and the implicationsit gives to the authorities is also clear.

“To some, Governor Cuomo may seem to be unstoppable, but I do not see him asour economic savior. I see him as quite the opposite.”

Senate leaders remarks today

2012-01-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

Here are the remarks made today by Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos at Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State of the State, and Senate Minority Leader John Sampson during the first Senate session of the 2012.

Let's see how they do this year, in terms of fulfilling promises and running an efficient government this year.

Skelos:

Sampson:

AQE responds to Cuomo's State of the State

2012-01-04T15:04:00.003-05:00

Well that didn't take long. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's annual State of the State address is still going on, and the Alliance for Quality Education is already out with two statements firing back at the governor for his words about education and his 2011 budget:

“If Governor Cuomo intends to be an effective lobbyist for every school child across the state his budget will incorporate the New York State Board of Regents call for fairness and equity in our schools by prioritizing funding to high needs schools. In his first year, it was Governor Cuomo’s budget that failed to represent students’ educational needs by slashing 11,000 teaching positions and cutting arts, music, after school and college prep courses,” said Nikki Jones, Communications Director for the Alliance for Quality Education.

“Governor Cuomo said that he is going to be the lobbyist for our children, as a mother of eight children I ‘lobbied’ for my children along with thousands of other parents from across the state against the devastating classroom cuts that Governor Cuomo implemented last year. What our children need Governor Cuomo to do is to listen to what parents and students are saying by restoring funding for lost after school programs, art, music and college prep courses especially for our neediest schools and students,” said Zakiyah Ansari, Advocacy Director for the Alliance for Quality Education.

We'll post more reactions as they come in, and will probably have some sort of story about it in next week's newspaper.

New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-31T19:49:00.008-05:00

We collected New Year's resolutions from as many state and local officials as we could. If you'd like yours added to this list, email us!

Some gave us personal ones, some professional, and some both. Enjoy.

Rep. Eliot Engel: “My New Year’s Resolution is to have the Democrats return to the House majority, this way we could pass a real jobs bill and protect the middle class.”

Mayoral hopeful Tom Allon: “My New Year's resolution is to be an even better father to my three teenagers and a better media CEO, all while I am communicating my message of job growth ideas and real education reform to the voters in NYC. If I can accomplish all three of these in 2012, I will consider it a successful year, personally and professionally.”

City Comptroller John Liu: “For 2012, I resolve to uncover more waste to help the difficult budget outlook, to reform the way the City pension investments are made, to ease up a bit with my third base coaching of my son’s little league, and to check out the Corner Café in its new location.”

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's New Year's Resolution: Use stairs more and elevators less.

State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens: To do all that I can to protect New York's precious natural resources, consume less energy and promote sustainable communities and jobs, both personally and professionally.

Yankees broadcaster Suszyn Waldman: "To be a little kinder to myself."

Jean Cruz, the Bronxite who found Saddam Hussein: To move out of New York City, to a quieter place, like Ohio, to raise his four young children.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.: Learn how to cook dinner (Latin and Italian). Also, to help bring more jobs to the borough.

Bronx Chamber of Commerce President Lenny Caro: Would like to create jobs for the borough, and to make it one of the best boroughs to live and work in.

Bronx Historian Lloyd Ultan: "I never give New Year’s resolutions. I give old years resolutions, I’m a historian!"

50th Precinct Commanding Officer Captain Kevin Burke: To reduce crime and improve the quality of life for the residents of the 50 Precinct.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz: "Unlike some of my colleagues in government, I won’t be making a resolution regarding any political issue, other than continuing to work hard for our neighborhood, resolving constituent complaints, passing good legislation in 2012 and fighting hard to re-elect President Obama and defeating the Tea Party Republicans. Rather, my resolution is more personal. December 31, 2010 was the last day I ate cake, cookies, ice cream or candy. I haven’t had these yummy sweets all year – and I intend to continue not to have any. Resolution made. Resolution carried out. This year my resolution is going to be just as tough for me. For 2012 I intend to do something that I have never done in my entire life: eat one or more vegetable each and every day. What an amazing feat that would be!"

City Councilman Fernando Cabrera: Personal: Go back to the gym and pay more attention to his health. In Government, to strike a deal by Feb. 12 that will legislate guaranteed access for churches at New York City public schools.

City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell: to lost weight and do more exercise. Professionally, to get the living wage bill passed.

City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez: "Once the weather warms up, I think we're going to see a huge surge in activity from the Occupy Wall Street movement. My prediction is that by working together with elected officials, OWS will influence the budget process. Organizing with thousands of city residents, the movement will stop the Mayor's pattern of balancing the budget on the backs of working and middle class New Yorkers. Apart from Occupy Wall Street, I also predict that State Senator Adriano Espaillat will soon be changing his title to Congressman Adriano Espaillat, taking his long history of great work for Northern Manhattan and the Bronx to Washington, D.C."

City Councilman Jumanne Williams: "My personal resolution is to take a few off the waistline. In fact, I'm getting a jump-start on that this week. My professional resolution is to continue to shine a spotlight on the issues of gun violence and police accountability. These should be discussed in tandem in the overall consideration of creating a safe place for our young people to learn and grow. Remember, it's never too early to get started on your goals!"

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz: “I have to commit in 2012 to lose weight. I easily went up one size and in order to fit into my shirts and suits again, I need to really ‘lighten up, Brooklyn!’”

State Senator Gustavo Rivera said he thinks about it right before the New Year; takes a few minutes to sit down and consider the last year and the upcoming year. He did point out that it was a good year and hopes for more of the same.

State Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr.: “As the end of the year approaches, I praise and thank the Lord for so many blessings that I received in 2011. I thank the Lord for my family, my health, my constituents, my faith community, my colleagues, and for all of my achievements this past year. It was a great year! As we prepare for the New Year to begin, I pray especially that the Lord will bless all of my friends and all of my foes. I will continue to place my trust in His mercy and love, and I will continue to pray that the Lord will use me at all times to serve His will.”

State Senator Tony Avella: He would like to stop hydrofracking in New York State.

Donald Trump to build public golf course in Ferry Point Park

2011-12-23T15:55:00.001-05:00

A little bit of Jack Nicklaus is coming to the Bronx, via The Donald.

Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe today announced that the City has negotiated a 20-year license agreement for the operation of the Ferry Point Golf Course to the Trump Organization. The course is a Jack Nicklaus Signature, tournament-quality golf course that will be open to the public and will generate economic activity in the Bronx.

The golf course is expected to open to the public for play in the spring of 2014.

In addition to the primary responsibilities of maintaining and operating a tournament-quality golf course, the Trump Organization has committed to a minimum $10 million capital investment to design and construct a new, state-of-the-art golf clubhouse – expected to create 100 new construction jobs. The clubhouse will include a cart storage facility, locker rooms and a grill room.

The parks department has not yet said when construction will begin.

The Trump Organization was selected through a public Request for Offers issued by the Parks Department.

“This new public golf course will be a great amenity for the Bronx, for the City, and for visitors,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “More than $600 million has been invested in parks around the Bronx during Mayor Bloomberg’s tenure, and now this long-awaited golf course will soon be among them – bringing more people from across the country and around the world to the Bronx. The Trump Organization is known for operating world-class golf courses, and I’m excited to be able to partner with them to build and run the first tournament-quality golf course in New York City.”

“This is an opportunity to have one of our country’s greatest golf courses right smack in the middle of New York City – an unheard of opportunity,” said Trump Organization CEO and Chairman Donald J. Trump. “The residents of New York City will be very proud of the end result which will include championship tour play, with all of its benefits, right down the road.”

At 222 acres, Ferry Point Park East represents one of the largest pieces of previously undeveloped parkland in New York City, and one of the biggest opportunities for augmenting the City’s recreational resources. When complete, the new park will contain the golf course, a community park with playgrounds and ball-fields, and a waterfront park with rambling trails and scenic overlooks.

Ferry Point Golf Course is an 18-hole, links-style, Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course that will be open to the public. Sitting at the foot of the Whitestone Bridge in the Bronx, it is designed specifically to take advantage of spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, East River, and Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges. In addition to the 18-hole course, the facility also will include a clubhouse, snack bar, comfort station, and driving range. It will be the only tournament-quality course in New York City, giving avid golfers a unique and more challenging alternative to the City’s other ~~well-maintained~~ (hehe, nice try Parks Department) public courses.

The Trump Organization has past experience developing, maintaining and operating first-class golf venues around the world including a recently completed links-style course in Aberdeen, Scotland. Trump courses have played host to major professional golf tournaments, including the LPGA playoffs in West Palm Beach and the PGA Puerto Rican Open. The Trump Organization is also an experienced Parks concessionaire with background operating the Wollman and Lasker ice skating rinks and the Central Park carousel.

Koppell grateful for new taxi accessibility law

2011-12-23T14:29:00.002-05:00

As Chair of the Council Committee that deals with disability services and a longtime advocate for full taxi accessibility, City Council Member G. Oliver Koppell said he is particularly pleased that the legislation creating changes in NYC taxi service will provide for wheelchair accessibility and has praised Gov. Andrew Cuomo as being instrumental in making this happen.

In a letter to the governor, Koppell said,“Your leadership with respect to this legislation was crucial in moving the city toward the goal of full accessibility. Without your insistence that there be greater taxi accessibility for disabled people this would not have happened.” (Jump below for the full letter)

In addition to giving credit to the governor for the success of this historic legislation, Koppell also credited the disabled community and their advocates saying in a statement,“A victory of this magnitude does not happen in a vacuum. It can be attributed in large measure to those who have been forcefully calling for “taxis for all” for more than a decade."

As the prime sponsor of a bill in the City Council to make all new yellow cabs inNew York City wheelchair accessible, Koppell has been a strong spokesman for equal transportation. It should be noted that a member of his staff is in a wheelchair.

The legislation provides for 2,000 more wheelchair accessible yellow cabs, whose medallion auction is expected to raise at least $1 billion for the city. It also creates a new class of livery cabs with metered fares, credit card readers and roof lights. Of the 18,000 new permits that the Taxi and Limousine Commission is expected to issue for these cabs, one fifth will be wheelchair accessible. The city will also provide up to $54 million in subsidies and loans to encourage livery drivers to buy vehicles that accommodate disabled riders.

Head over to our post to see other Bronx politicians' reactions, and jump here to see how Assemblyman Carl Heastie celebrated.

As part of the deal, within a year, the city must create a long-term plan to convert the entire yellow cab fleet to disability access. The State Department of Transportation, which is overseen by the governor, will have to approve that plan before the city can auction all 2,000 new medallions.

Koppell also said how grateful he is that people in northernManhattan and the outer-boroughs will have vastly expanded access to taxi service, something his constituents have wanted for a long time.

“As the representative of an outer-borough district, I am delighted that my Bronx constituents will no longer be disadvantaged with respect to taxi service. I am equally gratified that, after a long fight, members of the disabled community will have equal access to taxi service,” Koppell said.

Jump below for the letter.

Dear Governor Cuomo:

I congratulate you on the agreement reached with respect to changes in the regulation of taxi service inNew York City.

As you are aware, as Chairman of the Committee that deals with disability services, I am particularly concerned with the need to make taxis wheelchair accessible. Towards this end, I am the lead sponsor of a bill to make all newly approved taxi models accessible. Unfortunately, the Mayor has chosen as the “Taxi of Tomorrow” a model that does not provide for accessibility.

However, your leadership with respect to this legislation was crucial in moving the city toward the goal of full accessibility. Without your insistence that there be greater taxi accessibility for disabled people this would not have happened. I know that this action will be something you will be proud of in years to come. Thousands of individuals will benefit from this step. The city should also benefit from cost savings associated with Access-A-Ride and other transportation subsidy programs.

Your action regarding this taxi plan will most certainly further increase the confidence New Yorkers have in their Chief Executive.

I wish you and your family a happy holiday season and continued success in the New Year.

Sincerely,

G. Oliver Koppell
Council Member