Here is the link to see the 81st A.D. debate
http://bronxnet.org/tv/bronxtalk/viewvideo/250/bronxtalk/bronxtalk-special--october-27-2010
81st Assembly Debate
Nothing for Dinowitz to worry about.
Last night on Bronxtalk the only local debate of this election season took place between the candidates running for the 81st assembly seat. Current Democratic Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz faced off against Republican, Conservative, and Independence Party candidate Joe McLaughlin. While candidate Mclaughlin hit a few singles, it was Assemblyman Dinowitz that shut Mclaughlin down with his pitching. We reference baseball because if you turned on your Cablevision box last night to see the World Series, there was nothing on. We thought that the stalemate between Cablevision and News Corp. (owners of Fox 5, and MY 9 television channels) would have ended by the start of the World Series, but then again we thought the Yankees would be playing so who cares in New York now.
Back to the 81st A.D. debate. McLaughlin got to first base by accusing Dinowitz of favoring the Riverdale community over others in the district. Dinowitz threw a slider back saying that his job is to bring resources into the entire district, and that is what he does. He added that the #10 and #20 buses in Riverdale were cut as were other bus routes.
Dinowitz was asked if he is now an insider in Albany and part of the problem, to which he said "I helped defeat Pedro Espada and am working to help reform Albany". In rebuttal McLaughlin accused Dinowitz of raising taxes and not doing enough to help seniors on fixed incomes. Dinowitz replied that the city provides most of the funding for senior centers, and that he would rather raise sin taxes than have to cut things like school funding.
As to why he did not sign on to Ed Koch's pledge to reform Albany, and if he is in the way of changing Albany Dinowitz said that he makes it a policy not to sign pledges, and that in his last term Mayor Koch's administration was rife with corruption and had many suicides. To the charge by McLaughlin that he put Pedro Espada on the ballot and then did nothing to get rid of him Dinowitz said that he did not put Espada on the ballot, that Espada petitioned to get on the ballot, that he (Dinowitz) did not try to give Espada a platform to run on that those people are after him (Espada), and in fact helped Espada's challenger to win the election against Espada.
The Water Filtration Plant at Van Courtlandt Park came up with Dinowitz stressing that he fought the project "tooth and nail", and said that his opponent should be asking Mayor Bloomberg these questions.
Dinowitz was asked about Tony Cassino not being reappointed to Community Board #8, and the politics of CB8. Dinowitz answered by holding up a clip from a newspaper in which Mr. Cassino had said that no one on CB8 should think that they have a position for life, and added that it was under Cassino and the former Bronx Borough President that politics was injected into CB8.
In closing statements Mclaughlin said that there has been 16 years of Jeffrey Dinowitz and 16 years of disfunction in Albany, and that he was an independent new face endorsed by three different parties that he can cross the isle to get things done in Albany. Mclaughlin also stressed the fact that his running mate for governor on the Independence party line was Andrew Cuomo.
In his closing statement Dinowitz said that he has worked very hard in Albany over the years, and that he grew up in the Bronx, raised his children here in the Bronx, and that there is no issue to small for him to get involved in.
You can see a repeat of the 81st Assembly debate between challenger Joe Mclaughlin and incumbent Jeffrey Dinowitz tonight and on Friday night on Bronxnet Cabelvision channel 67 or Verizon Fios channel 33 at 9:30 PM.
3 comments:
You did a great job running down Jeffrey Dinowitz's responses in the debate. Unfortunately for your readers, you decided not to do your homework and check the facts against his words.
Of course Dinowitz is an insider. He has been in Albany for 16 years and votes with Shelly Silver over 95% of the time. Shelly Silver is the biggest Enemy of Reform in Albany according to not only people like Ed Koch but Andrew Cuomo.
You fall right into his trap of mentioning Pedro Espada. It was Dinowitz who had a say of whether to kick Espada out of the party. He said no. Dinowitz knew of Espada's ethics for years and did nothing. When the heat was finally too much, Dinowitz endorsed Espada's opponent. Hardly an argument for being an insider.
For 16 years Jeffrey Dinowitz has said one thing to the people of the district and voted with the leaders of his party. That is a fact. Yesterday was just more of the same from the Assemblyman.
Jeffrey Dinowitz voted for an MTA budget that increased salaries and pensions for workers and decreased services to his constituents. He voted to kill Student MetroCards and siphoned money from the payroll tax designated for the MTA.
Jeffrey Dinowitz voted to kill a bill that excluded Social Security income when determining eligibility for real property tax exemptions on property owned by senior citizens. (A06862, 4/8/08).
In your reporting, you shouldn't take whatever Jeffrey Dinowitz says as truth. Do your homework.
Dinowitz didn't only just raise sin taxes.
Dinowitz voted for the last two budgets, which included the clothing and shoe tax hike – ending the current sales tax exemption on purchases under $110 – and huge income tax hikes, all while maintaining New York’s massive deficits. (Project Vote Smart).
Voted against giving New Yorkers temporary relief from gas taxes, at a time when gas was close to $4 a gallon. (A10258, 3/13/06).
Voted against nearly $2 billion in property tax relief. (Amendment to A10258, 3/13/06).
Jeffrey Dinowitz has worked very hard the last 16 years. He has fought to raise taxes on anything he could for every New Yorker he could.
Next time, check the facts when you are reporting instead of being a water boy for Jeffrey Dinowitz.
I would like to point out clicking on Bill Murphy's name links to McLaughlin's home page. Who is whose water boy?
The truth is McGlaughlin didn't do his homework and Jeffrey Dinowitz is, has, and always will be a hard working Democrat who will fight for his district and is experienced enough to handle the position. McGlaughlin has no experience. He even said it himself! You can't make 100% of the people happy 100% of the time but I think it's obviously who the right candidate is. Jeffrey Dinowitz.
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