Diaz Reacts To Rivera News, Seabrook Still In?

After yesterday's big announcement that neither City Councilman Joel Rivera or his father, Assemblyman Jose Rivera, would be entering the race for borough president, I reached out to Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, who is now the clear front-runner for the seat, for some reaction.

“I’ve always maintained that my candidacy was about the people of The Bronx, and not predicated on any other candidate," said Diaz, who added that he expected the team he has built and his support from all over the borough to lead him to victory on April 21.

Yesterday, I also reported that City Councilman Larry Seabrook had declined to run as well, confirmation of which came from Rivera spokesman Mike Nieves.

According to Liz Benjamin, Nieves might have spoken too soon. Seabrook's chief of staff Cleveland Beckett told Benjamin that his boss was still in the race and was circulating petitions.

As for challengers from other corners, Anthony Ribustello also told me this morning that the news about the Riveras was not affecting his candidacy, and that he would continue to collect signatures to qualify for the ballot.

--John DeSio

Neither Rivera, Nor Seabrook, In Special Election

For two days a number of rumors have swirled around The Bronx regarding the fate of the candidacy of City Councilman Joel Rivera in the upcoming special election. Rumors included reports of petitions that listed the councilman's father, Assemblyman Jose Rivera, as the candidate rather than his son.

Now, we have some clarity as to what's happening here in The Bronx. Mike Nieves, a spokesman for the Rivera clan, has confirmed to both myself and Bob Kappstatter of the Daily News that neither of the two Riveras, nor City Councilman Larry Seabrook, will be running for borough president.

“Neither Jose nor Joel Rivera are running for borough president, and Councilman Larry Seabrook also confirms to us that he is not running,” said Nieves. “The Riveras wish whatever candidates are in the race good luck.”

Nieves added that the Riveras' were not pushing any other candidate into the race.

"From our side, that's it," said Nieves.

--John DeSio

GOP's Ribustello In For SpecElec

Anthony J. Ribustello, actor, activist and Republican district leader from Throggs Neck, has confirmed that he will be a candidate in the upcoming special election for borough president.

Ribustello joins a field that includes Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera, and possibly Councilman Larry Seabrook and

"I'm a lifelong Bronx resident, and I care about the community," said Ribustello.

Ribustello, who has been active in his community for years, said his campaign would focus on protecting services for Bronx youth and seniors, as well as preserving The Bronx as a haven for the middle class.

In addition to his political work, Ribustello is an actor, best known for his role as Dante Greco, one of Tony's top guys, on The Sopranos.

--John DeSio

Rivera Confirms Candidacy, Again

We have a new report that City Councilman Joel Rivera is, indeed, going to be a candidate in the upcoming special election, this time from Gotham Gazette, which reports:

Councilmember Joel Rivera said yesterday “his shoes are on,” and he is ready to announce his candidacy as soon as current Bronx Prez Adolfo Carrion steps down formally, which, the young Rivera added, is scheduled for Sunday.

Rivera had previously confirmed to us that he'd be in the race, though there had been some "will he or won't he" noise in political circles over the past week.

--John DeSio

BFRDC Backs Diaz, Rivera Shut Out In Riverdale

I just got back from this evening's meeting of the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club, the Riverdale/Kingsbridge political powerhouse and the home club of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.

To no one's surprise, the club endorsed Assemblyman Ruben Diaz in the upcoming special election. The final vote tally was 38 for Diaz, one for Israel Ruiz and three not to endorse. City Councilman Joel Rivera, Diaz's most likely opponent, did not receive any votes.

Diaz came in after the meeting to thank the club and its members for their support. I'll have video up of that, as well as speeches by Dinowitz and Robert Press of the Committee of 100 Democrats, shortly.

This makes the BFRDC the third club to officially back Diaz, after the Liberty Democratic Association and the aforementioned C-100-D.

--John DeSio

UPDATE: Video here and here.

Caption: State Committeewoman Helen Morik, Democratic District Leader Randi Martos,Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, and Heidi Schwartz BFRDC President.

Senator Serrano Not In The Race

While we have confirmation that Assemblyman Ruben Diaz and City Councilman Joel Rivera (and maybe Israel Ruiz and Larry Seabrook) will be involved in the upcoming special election, we've also been working to track down answers from anyone else who has ever been considered for that job.

With that in mind, I got a hold of Brian Levinson, spokesman for State Senator Jose M. Serrano, to ask if his boss was interested in pursuing the seat. There was a time not too long ago when Serrano, the son of Congressman Jose Serrano, was considered to be a front-runner for the seat himself.

Levinson informs us that Senator Serrano is staying out of the special election, which comes as no real surprise to us at this point. Levinson added that the senator was unsure what his involvement would be regarding his involvement in the race.

"The Senator is not running, and he's not sure right now to what extent he'll get involved in the race," said Levinson.

Committee of 100 Backs Diaz

The Committee of 100 Democrats, a political club based in Assemblyman Jose Rivera’s 78th Assembly District, just announced their endorsement of Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. over the ousted Bronx Democratic County chairman’s son, City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera.

“While we have spoken to other candidates there appears to be no serious competition for Ruben Diaz Jr.,” said Vice Chairman Robert Press.

The resurrected northwest Bronx political club of the late Dominick Fusco, whose membership has been aligned with Rainbow Rebellion leaders in the still ongoing county chair fray, made the endorsement following a special executive committee meeting convened this past weekend.

“We feel Ruben Diaz Jr. has been a voice of the people and has fought for concerns of the people of the Bronx during his time in elected office,” Press added.

The Committee’s president, Ricky Martinez, is also rumored to be eyeing Assemblyman Rivera’s seat for a run.

--Candice M. Giove

Who's In, Who's Out?

Yesterday, Liz Benjamin at the Daily News wrote a piece that cast a bit of shadow on the presumably inevitable campaign of City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera in the upcoming special election.

Benjamin asked Assemblyman Jose Rivera, the councilman's father, about his son's presumed campaign, and later if he might run himself. In both cases, Assemblyman Rivera offered some cryptic responses, and confirmed nothing.

I have also heard from a number of sources that Councilman Rivera may not run for borough president. But I've also heard directly from the councilman that he would run. Until I hear otherwise, I'll take the councilman's word for it.

In related news, the loudest rumor of the day is that another City Councilman, Larry Seabrook, is seriously considering a run in the special election. I haven't heard from Seabrook's camp yet to firm this up or shoot it down.

"As far as I know, that is only a rumor," said Seabrook spokesperson Alison Crouch, who said she would get back to me with more info if she had it.

--John DeSio

Agosto Explains LDA Endorsement Further

Kenny Agosto, district leader in the 80th Assembly District, took a few minutes over the weekend to further explain why his Liberty Democratic Association chose to endorse Assemblyman Ruben Diaz for Bronx Borough President.

As we know, the LDA has in recent weeks gone to battle with Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera, City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera's sister, and Agosto spoke happily about thwarting what he described as an attempt by the assemblywoman to stack the club and take over its leadership.

Agosto said his club chose to endorse Diaz because they felt he was the right man for the job, and because they were disappointed with Councilman Rivera’s record in the City Council, particularly as the health committee chairperson.

“I’m not doing this because I was mad at the Riveras,” said Agosto. “The person who takes over the borough presidency is going to be the political persona of the Bronx, and we need someone that’s going to respond.”

Agosto added that Diaz has practical experience as a member of the State Assembly and that he has been responsive to the needs of his constituents.

“We’re not picking someone just because he’s not someone else,” said Agosto. “There’s a record to run on. We need someone who is pragmatic, who is progressive, who’s going to do right by us.”

--John DeSio

Rivera Camp Not Surprised By County Endorsement

So, just what do the people surrounding City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera's campaign think about the news that the Bronx Democratic organization has backed Assemblyman Ruben Diaz in the special election?

They aren't fazed.

"It's not a surprise," said Mike Nieves, Rivera's campaign manager.

Why no shock? Diaz and county chairman Assemblyman Carl Heastie are personal friends, and the two men worked together as members of the "Rainbow Rebellion" to oust Assemblyman Jose Rivera, the councilman's father, as county chairman a few months back.

--John DeSio

A Rivera For Ruben

Assemblyman Ruben Diaz can count on the support of at least one Rivera in the special election for Bronx borough president.

Haile Rivera, who first came to prominence after winning a dinner with then-candidate Barack Obama in 2007 (he later would become a full-time campaign aid for the current president), has announced his support for Diaz.

Haile Rivera is no relation to City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera, Diaz's declared opposition. Haile had been considering a run for the 14th City Council District seat against incumbent Maria Baez, but has since dropped out of that race.

"The Bronx has nearly 214,000 Dominican-Americans, a community that is rapidly growing in our Borough, and I believe that Assemblyman Diaz will be a Borough President for all Bronxites," said Rivera. "I have known Rubencito for almost ten years and could attest that helping our community is a passion of his. I will be putting all my resources, including the many contacts I made while working for President Barack Obama’s campaign, behind his candidacy."

Rivera added, "I have been a strong advocate for changing the old-school politics for a politics of people and community. That is what Rubencito’s campaign represents."

--John DeSio

Unofficial Democratic County Vote Goes For Diaz, Others Show Support At Campaign Meetup

A few notes...

--This morning, an unofficial meeting of the Bronx Democratic district leaders and other elected officials was held at the party's new HQ on Eastchester Road. According to the reports of several attendees, Assemblyman Ruben Diaz received the support of every district leader in attendance save one, who abstained. While several district leaders did not attend the vote (note--all were invited), I am assured that a majority of district leaders were in the room when the vote was taken.

Several elected officials voiced their support for Diaz's campaign at the meeting. Council Member Maria del Carmen Arroyo, also attended the meeting, but did not voice support for any candidate. Arroyo is considered to be a supporter of Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera. I am also told no one at the meeting spoke up for Rivera.

--At the Diaz Campaign meeting later in the day, sources connected to that campaign tell me over 100 attended the event from all corners of the Borough. "This is a grassroots effort, and we have the troops to prove it," said one Diaz supporter.

Elected officials at the meeting included City Council Members Helen Diane Foster and Jimmy Vacca, both of whom had been considered potential candidates for the post. Diaz spoke, and thanked them for their support, specifically mentioning that he knew they had also thought of running.

Other elected officials at the meeting included County Chairman and Assemblyman Carl Heastie, City Councilwoman Annabel Palma, Assembly Members Jeff Dinowitz, Aurelia Greene, Mike Benjamin and Michael Benedetto; and State Senators Rev. Ruben Diaz (surprise!) and Ruth Hassell-Thompson.

UPDATE: I have been informed that the Diaz meeting was for "captains," meaning that these volunteers will lead the efforts for Diaz (polling, petitions, recruitment) in their respective communities. As it was explained to me, the Diaz campaign expects many, many more people to jump aboard the effort through the work of these individuals.

SECOND UPDATE: There is some confusion on the street as to whether or not the endorsement meeting was "unofficial," as several observers have stated to me today the the Bronx Democratic County Organization has actually endorsed Diaz. I'll wait for the press release.

THIRD UPDATE: It's official.

FOURTH UPDATE: A previous version of this post indicated that Councilman G. Oliver Koppell had spoken up in favor of Diaz during the meeting of the county organization. In fact, Koppell offered high praise of Heastie, but I have conflicting reports regarding what he said about Diaz, though he certainly did not speak out in opposition to him.

--John DeSio

Liberty Democrats First To Back Diaz

Well, that was quick.

The Liberty Democratic Association has announced that it will throw its weight behind Assemblyman Ruben Diaz in the upcoming special election. LDA is a fairly new club, but has played a major role in the shaping of the Borough political atmosphere in recent months.

De facto club leader Kenny Agosto played a key role in the battle between Carl Heastie and Jose Rivera to head the Bronx Democratic Party when, as district leader, he declared his loyalty to Heastie. Agosto, a former Rivera supporter, gave Heastie a majority of district leaders with his change.

More recently, Agosto and LDA participated in a velvet revolution of sorts, purging Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera's supporters, and thus her influence, from the board of LDA, which is the kind of thing you do before you decide to endorse her political enemy over her brother, City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera.

More to come.

--John DeSio

(Caption: Liberty Dems (from l. to r.):Treasurer Diane D'Ambrosio - Pelham Pkwy.; Sgt. At Arms Dr. Charles Gorelick - Bronxdale; Democratic District Leader Kenny Agosto - 80th AD; Bronx Borough President Candidate Ruben Diaz, Jr.; Democratic State Committeeman Joseph McManus - 80th AD; Democratic State Committeewoman Diane Cerino - 80th AD; Democratic District Leader Miriam Schwartz - 80th AD; and Former President Sallie Caudwell - Norwood.)

And Just For The Record...

...both Assemblyman Ruben Diaz and City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera confirmed that they will be running in the special election, though that should come as no surprise.

Game on.

--John DeSio