Thursday, September 30, 2010

Is He Mad as Hell Palidino, or Crazy Carl?

   Having just gotten the nod from the Conservative Party to run on their official party line Carl Palidino erupted into an in your face verbal and almost physical altercation with veteran New York Post Albany reporter Fred Dicker. Dicker had repeatedly asked Palidino to be more specific when referring to a statement that Palidino had said about his opponent's possible relationships. It came to Palidino saying to Dicker " I will take you out", to what is being said of a Post photographer trying to take pictures of Palidino's 10 year old daughter. Michael Caputo, Palidino campaign manager said “The shooter took photographs of the home. He pointed his lens through the window. He chased Carl’s daughter to a playground, even forcing her to flee across a busy road. Fred Dicker is responsible for assigning the photographer to take photos of Carl’s 10 year old daughter and I have that on confirmation of two Post employees. ”
   The Post’s editor-in-chief, Col Allen, has flat out rejected the claims by Carl Paladino’s campaign manager about a photographer from the paper going to great lengths to capture pictures of the candidate’s daughter. 
   The New York Post is owned by Keith Rupert Murdoch who bought the newspaper in 1976, and is rumored to be a heavy contributor to the Republican Party. It will be seen what if anything will happen to Fred Dicker, as there are reports surfacing that this was not the first time that Dicker had an altercation with  someone in Albany. 
   Then there is the other side of how the voters will feel about the outburst by what he is now being called, "Crazy Carl".
KLEIN APPLAUDS DECISION TO KEEP WESTCHESTER SQUARE MEDICAL CENTER OPEN

   In a statement released Thursday, State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) applauded the New York State Department of Health’s decision to extend a permanent operating certificate to Westchester Square Medical Center, thus removing it from the Berger Commission list:

         STATEMENT FROM SENATOR JEFF KLEIN
    
    "For more than four years, I have fought tirelessly to make clear to the New York State Department of Health that closing Westchester Square Hospital would be a severe miscalculation and have devastating consequences for thousands of New Yorkers. Saving this hospital from the chopping block means nearly 700 New Yorkers will keep their jobs and that the roughly forty-thousand New Yorkers each year who rely on Westchester Square Hospital will continue to have the vital health care and treatment they deserve."

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ TO HOST HEARING ON “JOBS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY” 

  
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and New York State Senate President Malcolm A. Smith will host a joint legislative hearing on “Jobs for the 21st Century,” a public meeting organized by the New York State Tri-Level Legislative Task Force to receive input from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to better determine what local, state and federal government can do to create jobs and put New Yorkers back to work.
Bronx business’ owners and local entrepreneurs will testify in front of the task force, which will compile the information received during the hearing to better determine what can be done to attract companies and create jobs in the borough.

The Tri-Level Joint Legislative Task Force is a collective effort by New York Federal, State and City elected officials formed in 2007 with the mission of putting people back to work in New York State by taking a fresh approach to increasing opportunities, accountability and efficiency.  

Friday, October 1, 2010

851 Grand Concourse- Bronx Borough Hall Rotunda- 1st floor 

10:00 am to 12:00 pm  

Call  718-590-2509 for more information.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Community Events

1-   New York State Senator Jeff Klein and KRVC invite you to attend a

Community Vision Meeting on Wednesday, September 29 at 7PM at Riverdale
Neighborhood House, 5521 Mosholu Avenue, Bronx, NY 10471.

Bring your community ideas and concerns to improve North Riverdale!
This is your chance to be heard! Together we can keep our community
strong and vibrant!

For more information, please contact Senator Klein's Office at (800) 718-2039
or you can contact Tracy Shelton of KRVC at 718-543-7100.

2- The Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Van Cortlandt Development Corp./KRVC and Citibank will be holding an event to release a listing of the full service bank branches available in the neighborhoods of Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, Riverdale, Van Cortlandt and Woodlawn.  The first edition of the handy brochure and the release event have been generously sponsored by Citibank.  KRVC will reach out to all the banks in our community to produce the second version of the bank guide and the online version of the bank guide, which will include more detailed information and more bank advertisements.  Refreshments will be served at this event and it is open to the whole community and to the media. Members of the community who attend this event may also pick up a Restaurant Guide, which was recently produced by KRVC and which was funded by Council Member Oliver Koppell.
    Thursday, September 30, 11 am
   Citibank Kingsbridge Branch, 5660 Broadway (near Staples) 
   Call KRVC at  718-543-7100 for more information.
   
Army Corps awards $10.6 million contract for shoreline protection project at Orchard Beach in the Bronx

   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, has awarded a $10.6 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company of Oak Brook, Ill., to place approximately 250,000 cubic yards of beach fill onto Orchard Beach in the Bronx and to repair the beach's existing south groin.
    The work will help combat erosion at Orchard Beach by replacing lost sand and repairing the south groin to inhibit future erosion. It will also make the beach safer by relieving overcrowding and eliminating dangerous drop-off zones.
   "This project represents an outstanding investment of public dollars to provide the great people of the Bronx with a first-class recreational beach in these tough economic times," said New York District Commander Col. John R. Boulé. "We're excited to be partnering with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to restore Orchard Beach."
    The project is a cost-sharing partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, with 50 percent being federal funding provided by the Corps of Engineers and 50 percent being funding provided by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
   Work will begin in October and will be completed before the beginning of the 2011 summer beach season. This summer, over 1.4 million New Yorkers visited Orchard Beach.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Rick Lazio Withdraws From Conservative Line for Governor

   It is official now, Rick Lazio has withdrawn his name from the Conservative Party line in the 2010 New York State Governors race. It is said that he will be offered the 12th Judicial nomination by either the Bronx Republican or Bronx Conservative parties. New York State Conservative Party Leader Mike Long has made that announcement, and has said that he (Long) will now push for the State Committee of the Conservative Party to place Carl Palidino as the choice of the party for governor. We spoke to Bronx Conservative Party Chairman Bill Newmark on Saturday, and Mr. Newmark told us that he was offering the 12th Judicial line to Lazio. Newmark also said that he hopes Lazio withdraws, because he (Newmark) is a Palidino supporter. 
   It looks like Andrew Cuomo will have the Democratic, Independence, and Working Family lines, while Carl Palidino will have the Republican, and Conservative lines. Palidino will also have the non recognized Tea Party line, while Brooklyn Councilman Charles Barrons will have the non recognized Freedom Party line. 
   While it was said by Palidino supporters that they needed Lazio out of the race to insure that Andrew Cuomo did not win because of Lazio syphoning votes from Palidino. The question now is will Charles Barrons do the same to Andrew Cuomo to allow Carl Palidino to win the governors race?
New York State Stands to Loose Two Congressional Seats Due to Reapportionment

   When the census data comes out in December there could be a change to 12 congressional districts. New York and Ohio are expected to loose two seats each, while the states of Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are expected to loose one seat each.
   Texas is expected to pick up four new seats in congress, while Florida is expected to pick up two new seats, and Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington are expected to pick up one seat each.
   This could mean a shift in monies that are given to the states from the federal government, as well as political pull by state or states that either gain or loose seats in the house.
   It was predicted that New York would loose only one seat as the census was being taken, but that may be only the half of it. Locally Congressman Eliot Engel is hoping not to loose any of the Bronx, but does expect to go further up into Rockland County. It is expected that Congressman Crowley may loose the Bronx part of his Bronx-Queens district, but Congressman Crowley denies that could happen. We asked Congressman Serrano about his district, and he said he will run for re-election even if his district goes up to Riverdale or where ever the  new boundaries are.
COMPTROLLER LIU UNCOVERS PENSION FRAUD – SUSPECTS CASH IN ON DEAD PENSIONERS

    NYC Comptroller John C. Liu joined by NYC Department of Investigation (DOI) Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn announced today that the Comptroller’s Office has uncovered nearly a half-million dollars in suspected pension fraud.
   “Fraud and waste anywhere in city government cannot and should not be tolerated,” Comptroller Liu said.  “This suspected pension fraud wastes the public’s money and undermines security for the city’s workers and retirees". "We will work with the DOI to aggressively investigate the suspected abuse of the public’s money.”
   As part of Comptroller Liu’s efforts to root out waste and fraud, the Comptroller’s Office applied cutting-edge use of data analysis earlier this year to match pension payments against death records from 2007 to 2009.  Upon examination, the Comptroller’s Office found 14 specific cases where either a person or persons continued to cash the dead pensioner’s checks, or pension checks continued to be deposited into the dead pensioners’ bank accounts. Comptroller Liu's Office will work with DOI to further investigate the 14 cases of potential pension fraud. Along with the 14 cases, the Comptroller’s Office uncovered 171 additional cases totaling nearly two million dollars where pension payments were issued to deceased pensioners from 2007 to 2009.  The Comptroller’s Office will continue its examination to determine why the checks were still issued to the deceased pensioners.
   Chief among the findings:
• One person or persons cashed 38 pension checks totaling $139,818 after the pensioner died in 2007, using the dead pensioner's NYS driver's license. When the license expired in 2010, it was renewed and the person or persons continued to cash the dead pensioner’s checks.
• Another person or persons cashed or deposited 25 pension checks totaling $9,696 after the pensioner died in 2008.
• The remaining 12 cases involved pension payments to dead pensioners totaling $310,456.
   The Comptroller’s Office began matching pension payments against social security death records in February shortly after Comptroller Liu took office. Total pension payments between 2007– 2009 totaled $29 billion. The Comptroller administers pension payments as the custodian of the New York City Employee Retirement System (NYCERS). Comptroller Liu will conduct regular reviews of pension payments to prevent further waste and fraud in city pensions.
   


Sunday, September 26, 2010

COMPTROLLER LIU UNCOVERS POSTMORTEM PENSION PAYMENTS

   New York City Comptroller John C. Liu will be joined by New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn for an announcement on pension fraud.
   The announcement on the details will come on Monday, September 27, 2010 at 11:00 AM. Comptroller Liu, Deputy Comptroller H. Tina Kim, and DOI Commissioner Gill Hearn will be in attendance.This will happen at the Office of the Comptroller Municipal Building - Room 530 - 1 Centre Street New York, NY 10007.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Bronx County Judicial Convention Over, Now Let's Elect a Governor.

   Stanley Schlein ran the Judicial convention last night, that nominated current Acting Judge Edgar G. Walker for 12th Judicial District judge. The convention went off with only a slight bump as Civil Court Judge Fernando Tapia was also nominated from the floor. After a vote of the delegates seated at the convention, Judge Walker was voted as the choice by a 67 to 4 majority. 
   Judge Walker then thanked those who voted for him, along with his good friends and supporters who advocated for his successful nomination to the 12th Judicial District. The meeting then adjourned.
  

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bronx County Committee Meeting Update

   As we told you in yesterday's post Assemblyman Carl E. Heastie was re-elected Bronx Democratic County Leader, and no one was thrown in front of the bus as the Bronx was in the house. While Chairman Heastie got the vote of all in attendance, three district leaders and every Bronx elected official (related or not) named Rivera did not attend the meeting. 
   Assemblyman and County Committee Chairman Jeffrey Dinowitz opened the meeting by saying " This meeting will be a lot calmer than 2 years age", he also added that there will be lights and a microphone this time. Dinowitz was re-elected County Committee Chairman, and we are not going to bore you as to who nominated who or seconded the nominations as the script went on.
   The only real surprise of the night came when Joel Rivera (not the councilman) was elected as a Vice-President of the party. This was probably in return for him not running against recently re-elected Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson, as he had done in the special election. 
   Chairman Heastie thanked everyone for re-electing him as county leader, said that he has tried to listen to everyone, mentioned the unity now happening in the Bronx, giving an example of the defeat of the failed Kingsbridge Armory project in the City Council, and added a pledge to continue to work for the Bronx.
   Don't forget tonight is the Judicial convention, which I have been told should be quick and unevetful.  

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Carl Heastie Re-elected Bronx County Leader

   Yes we know that the Bronx Democratic County Committee meeting is not for several hours, but we wanted to be the first with the news. As Current Bronx Democratic County Leader Carl Heastie told us last week there should be no reason as to why he is not going to be re-elected Bronx Democratic County Leader. Heastie added to the number of district leaders that are on his side this election over two years ago, so we will project that Assemblyman Carl Heastie has been re-elected Bronx Democratic County Leader.
   We will give you the rest of the results tomorrow just in case anyone was thrown in front of the bus, for the good of the party. 
   Don't forget tomorrow night is the Judicial convention, but we are not looking for the "Thriller at the Villa" as was the case last convention. We think this will be one boring uneventful Judicial convention.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

We Just Got These in

#1-BRONX COMMUNITY ACTIVIST AND EARLY OBAMA SUPPORTER, HAILE RIVERA SUPPORTS SENATOR RUBEN DIAZ, SR. FOR MAJORITY LEADER OF THE NEW YORK STATE SENATE AND URGES NEWLY-ELECTED SENATOR GUSTAVO RIVERA (NO RELATION) TO SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL AS WELL.
 
 
#2-VERNUCCIO  FOR SENATE
THE VOTERS DESERVE A DEBATE
 
     New York State has not been well served by its government.  Soaring taxes, failing services, fleeing jobs, and a crumbling infrastructure have been ignored as the professional politicians play their power games in Albany.  The voters deserve to hear candidates for office debate about how they will address these challenges.  I challenge my opponent, Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein, to debate, and I request that the media provide appropriate forums.    

Our answers to both #1 and #2
As to #1 we say that Haile Rivera should hang it up and ride into the sunset now, or how about starting your campaign for the 33rd State Senate 2012 now. What a race Rivera versus Rivera, both with no relation to each other or the other Rivera's in office. 
As to the Majority Leader position, it will be consolidated with the Conference Leader position (a position that kept the power in the State Senate, while affording Pedro Espada Jr. a title) like before the June 2009 senate coup. Halie, I would also stop the Obama talk as he is going to have a hard fight to get re-elected if the Republican Party can come up with a decent candidate.

As to #2 first let me say that Frank Vernuccio is running for the 34th State Senate on the Republican and Conservative lines against incumbent State Senator Jeff Klein the ranking Deputy Majority Leader who has the Democratic line.

As to Mr. Vernuccio's statement I believe that he has left a lot out. However if he has read my column 100PERCENT and the newspapers the column is carried in he would have seen the tremendous job that Senator Jeff Klein is doing in these tough times, and revenues that he has brought to the 34th State Senate district. The statement is a very general one that will apply to any race for any office, without mentioning specific local issues. I am sure that there will be debates set up for the candidates, but I as you have just seen I am biased for the re-election of Senator Klein so I can not do one.   
 
What's your opinion?

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Just How Did Pedro Espada Jr. Lose?
   How did a man who in 2008 won the 33rd State Senate District 60 percent to 40 percent lose in 2010, 62 percent to 33 percent? That is the question Pedro Espada Jr. wants to know the answer to. 
   In 2008 Pedro Espada Jr. was challenging then 33rd State Senator Efrain Gonzalez Jr. who was under indictment from the federal government. Still many elected officials backed Gonzalez over Espada, but when primary day 2008 was over Espada won with 4,988 votes to 3,350 for Gonzalez or 60-40 percent as the voters said no to Gonzalez and yes to Espada.
   Senator Pedro Espada Jr. then went to Albany, and saw an opportunity in an almost deadlocked legislative body. Governor Elliot Spitzer had resigned, and Lieutenant Governor David Paterson (the tie breaker in the State Senate) was now Governor Paterson leaving no tie breaker in the State Senate. Democrats had a slim two vote majority in the State Senate for the first time in many years, and Pedro Espada Jr. was going to take full advantage of it. After failing at first to get power, a pow wow was called between Espada and three other democratic Hispanic state senators. Espada along with Senators Ruben Diaz Sr. (Bronx), Carl Kruger (Brooklyn), and Hiram Monserrate (Queens) formed the "Four Amigos". Espada and Monserrate even went so far as to overthrow the democratic majority in the now famous "Senate Coup of June 2009" by joining with the Republicans in the State Senate. Senator Monserrate however came right back to the democratic side making it a stalemate at 31 to 31 as Espada would not budge. Espada finally came back to the Democratic side when he was given the title of Majority Leader, while Senator John Sampson (D-Brooklyn) was made the Senate Conference Chairman (the real leader of the State Senate). Governor Paterson after some court challenges appointed a new Lieutenant Governor, and everything got back to what could be called normal in Albany. 
   A short time later Senator Monserrate was accused of assaulting his girlfriend, and as a result of the  conviction was quickly expelled from State Senate by a majority of his colleagues. Now there were only three amigos left. 
   A few months before Primary Day 2010 New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo raided the Soundview Health Center run by Pedro Espada Jr., carting away boxes of what was called evidence while accusing Espada of looting the Soundview Health Center of 14 million dollars. Cuomo also filed a civil suit against Espada. This happened shortly before petition time where it looked like Pedro Espada Jr. would have four challengers for his seat, almost a guarantee that he would be re-elected. When the petition deadline passed only three people handed in petitions to challenge Espada. During the petition challenge process another candidate was knocked off the ballot leaving only two challengers to face Espada in the primary. Two debates were scheduled with Espada failing to show for either to defend his record as State Senator. The endorsements for one of his challengers kept coming in from elected officials and unions so great that right after Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. had endorsed Mr. Gustavo Rivera the other challenger Mr. Dan Padernacht decided to end his campaign and throw his support behind Mr. Rivera "To defeat Pedro Espada Jr. for the good of the Democratic Party". 
   By now BP Diaz was hacking Pedro Espada Jr. in the media even though his father Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. was endorsing Espada. This was not the first time that the Diaz's had endorsed different candidates in the same race, and I was told it may not be the last time either. As Primary Day approached Espada challenger  Gustavo Rivera had a unified campaign of elected officials, union support, and others who's main goal was to see that Pedro Espada Jr. was to be defeated on Primary Day 2010. 
   Espada's ground troops were no match for Gustavo Rivera's army of supporters as Rivera blew away Espada 62 percent to 33 percent, with 5 percent of the district vote going to Mr. Dan Padernacht who was supporting Gustavo Rivera the eventual winner. In all the vote in the 33rd State Senate District was 6,870 for Gustavo Rivera, 3607 for Pedro Espada Jr., and 567 for Dan Padernacht. 2,692 more people voted in 2010 that did in 2008, for an increase of voter participation of 24 percent. Mr. Rivera received 3,520 more votes (or more than twice as much) in 2010 than Espada's opponent did in 2008. Pedro Espada Jr. received 1,381 (28 percent) less votes  in 2010 than he did in 2008. 
   We think each and everything we mentioned contributed to Espada's lose, but it could be that Pedro Espada Jr. underestimated the voter above Kingsbridge Road. We say that because it was the Attorney General race of 2010 that brought out more voters above Kingsbridge Road, and most of those voters as we have seen did not vote for Pedro Espada Jr. Senator Diaz told me on election night as the votes started to come in, that there seemed to be an avalanche of votes against Espada in the northern part of the district that Espada was not going to be able to make up. Senator Diazleaving Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. as the "Lone Amigo" in the New York State Senate
   

Friday, September 17, 2010


 Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., & the Bronx Clergy Task Force
                                      
     Invite you to join our--- Peace in Our Streets” Initiative

  

“Peace in Our Streets” is a borough-wide community outreach initiative where members of the faith-based community, along with volunteers, go out into the community and speak to fellow Bronxites and disseminate information about ways they can make their neighborhoods safer and help to remove guns from our city’s streets.


Saturday, September 25, 2010

12:00 p.m. – Convene
1:00-4:00 p.m. – Community Outreach

Greater Faith Temple
4214 White Plains Road

If you are outraged by violence in our communities,
be part of the solution and volunteer your time on September 25th!!

This a special call to action to all Bronx houses of worship,
young adults and all Bronxites!

Please wear light blue to signify peace.
 

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Bronx Democratic County Organization Getting Very Busy

   Now that the Democratic primary is over the Bronx Democratic County Committee is getting very busy in the next two weeks. Notices are being sent out to all county committee members and Judaical delegates and alternates of the upcoming meetings.
   On Wednesday evening September 22nd the Bronx Democratic County Committee will meet, and decide on officers, after that the elected officers and district leaders will then vote on the county leader. Current Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Carl E. Heastie is confident that he will be re-elected as Bronx County Leader. The Bronx County Committee meeting will take place at the Eastwood Manor located at 3371 Eastchester Road just south of Boston Road.
   On Thursday night September 23rd the newly elected Bronx County Judicial delegates and alternates will convene to nominate Judicial candidates. The meeting will take place at the Villa Barone Manor located at 737 Throggs Neck Expy, at Phillip Ave. 
   I was able to ask Chairman Heastie about the primary results, and he said that he should not be badgered about loosing only one race (the 86th assembly), when all of the other candidates he backed won. I also asked Chairman Heastie his thoughts on the Republican candidate for governor Carl Palidino. Heastie said "Carl Palidino is the one person that you would want for an opponent, Palidino is a racist, bigot, and anti woman Andrew Cuomo can't loose".  A few weeks ago Republican candidate Carl Palidino visited the Bronx where I was able to ask him his opinion of the recent test score uproar, and bilingual education. Palidino said that he could not give me an answer on those two important education issues, becaus he did not know about them. I wonder if Mr. Palidino has done his research on those and many other important issues to the voters, and would quit using scare tactics that mean nothing to the voters.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Primary 2010 Continued

   We were going around the 33rd State Senate District on primary day, and saw that there was very low voter turnout. We believe that this was because there was no real race of importance to many voters. One reason the turnout was higher in the northern part of the 33rd State Senate District was the fact that the attorney general race was of interest to those voters. Since current AG Andrew Cuomo filed suit charging that Pedro Espada stole 14 million dollars from his Soundview Health Center, that must have been one reason Espada did so bad (being outvoted by up to 5 to 1) in the northern part of the 33rd senate district. 
   While the final tallies won't be in for a few days we were told that Espada did manage to win in the 86th A.D. and was close in the 78th A.D., but only by a very slim margin which was not enough to offset his tremendous deficit from the northern part of the district. 
   I was with Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. when the polls closed and saw that Senator Diaz was both happy and sad at the same time. When I  asked Senator Diaz what was wrong he told me " yes I have won big, but it is looking like I will loose an amigo in the senate". Senator Diaz then told me the early numbers from the northern part of the 33rd State Senate District which had Pedro Espada Jr. behind by very large numbers. 
   I then traveled up to the Gustavo Rivera Victory celebration to arrive as the results were coming in over the televisions that were on. The crowd cheered every time new numbers came in, and the loudest roar came when Senator Pedro Espada Jr. admitted defeat. 
   When Mr. Gustavo Rivera arrived the crowd went crazy chanting "GUSTAVO-GUSTAVO-GUSTAVO" again and again until it was time for the primary winner (and as the Bronx votes new state senator) to speak. Gustavo Rivera first thanked his parents for the way he was brought up, then thanking Ms. Hunter and Dan Padernacht (former candidates who united with him) to defeat Pedro Espada Jr. next came a slip of the lip (or maybe Senator Rivera knows something we don't) as Gustavo thanked Borough President Jeffrey Dinowitz. After correcting himself he thanked Assemblyman Dinowitz, Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr., Councilman G. Oliver Koppell (one of the first elected officials to support Mr. Rivera), the rest of the elected officials on hand, the unions for their help and ended by thanking the Working Families Party who also helped in the victory. Mr. Gustavo Rivera now has the Democratic line which all but ensures him victory in the November general election. Mr. Rivera will also have the Working Families Party line, but must face Pedro Espada Jr. again who does have the Independence Party line in the November general election.
Primary Day 2010 The Day After

   It is the day after Primary Day 2010 and the dust is settling so here's what happened.
   In the 33rd State Senate District Gustavo Rivera won, and won big 62% to 33% for Pedro Espada Jr., with 5% going to Dan Padernacht who withdrew to support Gustavo Rivera. 
   In Bronx Assembly races all incumbents have won.
   76th- Peter Rivera squeaks out a victory over his challenger 56% to 44%.
   78th- Jose Rivera wins by 76% to 24% for his challenger.
   80th- Naomi Rivera wins by 69% to 31% over her novice challenger.
   82nd- Mike Bennadetto wins with 73% to 27% split between two challengers.
   85th- Marcos Crespo wins with 73% over his challenger.
   86th- Nelson Castro pulls this one out by winning 56% to 44%. 

   In other State Senate races- 
   28- Jose M. Serrano wins by over 2 to 1 over his challenger (we did not have the exact figures).
   31- Adriano Espaillat wins with 51% to 33% for Mark Levine, and 16% for the other 2 candidates.
   32- Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. wins big 79% to 21% for his challenger.

  In the Attorney General race current State Senator Eric Schniderman won 34% to 32% for Rice, and 33% split between the 3 other AG candidates.

   The other big upset is look out Andrew Cuomo, because upstate businessman Carl Palidino won big in the Republican primary for governor by almost 2 to 1. Rick Lazio did however hold on to win the primary for governor in the Conservative party 60% to 40%, but it does not look good for the conservatives.

  We will have more details and comments in future reports, and in our column 100 PERCENT which appears in the Bronx News, Parkchester News, and Coop-City News.
 

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Primary Day 2010 Final Update

   Voter turnout is much lighter than expected since there has been no real reason for voters other than those in the  Riverdale section of the borough to come out and vote for the Attorney General race, and while there are some local races are of importance it looks like the majority of registered voters in the Bronx will complain once again about their elected officials the day after the primary. This time those who did not vote can only look in the mirror and say to themselves, just why didn't you vote yesterday? 
   There have been reports of allegations of impropriety at the poll sites in almost every assembly district, with most having been reported in the 33rd State Senate District. There have been problems citywide with Mayor Bloomberg saying that this morning has been a royal screw up by the board of elections. 
   We are heading out for our final voter tallies, and will be visiting different campaign headquarters to be with the winners and see how those who did not win are doing. 
   We are now calling the 33rd State Senate race a toss up that could go either way due to the very low turnout.
Primary Day 2010 Update

   We just got back from voting, visiting a few poll sites, and having the honor of being at PS 8 where Pedro Espada cast his ballot. 
   First while I was shocked to see only two ballot scan machines at my poll site that has 11 election districts, voting  however went smooth and fast for me. There was no line as my Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz was not facing a primary, so my paper ballot was very easy to read and understand.
   Upon visiting some other poll sites I saw smooth and fast voting with little problems,  just the usual where do I vote. Turnout in the morning has been very light, and even at the larger poll sites. 
   At 10AM I was at PS 8 where Pedro Espada Jr. walked in to his poll site and signed in to vote. Senator Espada was given a paper ballot, asked if he knew how to fill it in, and then given a privacy sleeve to mark his ballot at one of the privacy booths that were set up. When Senator Espada finished marking his ballot he was instructed to go to the ballot scan machine to cast his ballot. Doing so as his vote was scanned and then recorded Espada said "see how easy it is". He added that he is confident that he will be returned to Albany even though it looks like it will be a low voter turnout. Mr. Espada's vote was number 17 at 10:05 AM which seemed low for his poll site. When asked by a reporter who he voted for Espada jokingly said "Padernacht".
More in future updates.
Primary Day 2010

As primary Day 2010 begins there are reports that a shortage of voter scan machines has occurred in the Bronx.
We have been told that there will be only two voter scan machines per poll site no matter how large the poll site may be. 

We will be trying to catch up on some of the important races, and hope to watch New York State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. as he casts his ballot today at 10 A.M. at his local Bronx polling site.


We urge you to carefully look at your ballot to make sure that no stray marks are on it where you are to mark your choice of candidate. This could result in the voter scan machine informing you that there is a problem with your ballot. If you make an error you can ask for a new ballot.

Monday, September 13, 2010

BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT HOSTS THE ANNUAL
SEPTEMBER 11TH MEMORIAL SERVICE

WHEN:           Wednesday, September 15, 2010
TIME:             12:00 pm 
WHERE:             Steps of the Bronx County 
             Courthouse 851 Grand Concourse          
                        East 161st Street

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. encourages everyone throughout the Bronx and adjoining boroughs to join him, along with community leaders and residents of the borough, to commemorate the lives and sacrifices of those lost on September 11th during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
The memorial service will take place on the steps of the Bronx County Courthouse, located at 851 Grand Concourse at East 161st Street. The Fire Department of New York and the New York Police Department, in addition to other government agencies and community groups, will play a key role in the memorial service.





                                                                                                                      

Borough President's Diaz Jr.'s response to New York State's math and reading tests

In response to concerns regarding the ongoing controversy over adjustments to New York State’s math and reading tests, which are used to measure progress at public schools in the Bronx and across the City, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has sent a letter to State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, chairperson of the State Senate’s education committee.

The letter urges Senator Oppenheimer to hold hearings on the test score issue in all five boroughs, including the Bronx, and in other communities across New York State. In addition, the letter asks that Senator Oppenheimer also require former State Education Commissioner Richard Mills to testify at any hearing that is held.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Bronx Democratic County Committee Barbecue Huge Success

   Today was the Bronx County Democratic County Committee barbecue, and while it rained midway through the barbecue there was no shortage of elected officials ( to many to list in this column) from the City Council, to the State Legislature, to the U. S. Senate and Congress. The Board of Elections even had the new voting machines on hand for demos by the elected officials and public. 
    Some of what we call the best quotes were. Speaker Quinn on advice from Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, “he gives it to me when I ask for it , and gives it to me when I don't”. Councilman Koppell said, “here in the Bronx we are all proud democrats without a single republican elected official”. New York State Comptroller Tom Di Napoli said “even though I have no primary on Tuesday that should not stop people from coming out to vote”. New York City Comptroller John Liu said that it has now been eight months that he has been in office, and that he will help to re-elect democrats. Comptroller Liu also thanked Bronx County Leader Carl E. Heastie and the Bronx Democratic organization for their support in last year's elections. State Senator Ruth Hassel-Thompson who also does not have a primary this year said, “I will be helping other democrats who do have a primary challenge win and help move the Democratic majority agenda in the State Senate”. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said, “ we have a lot of friends running for  office”, naming a few like Richard Brodsky, Hector Rameriz, and Gustavo Rivera. Congressman Jose Serrano predicted victory in the congress, senate, and the re-election of President Obama in 2012. When I asked about redistricting next year Congressman Serrano said that he has no idea if his district will change, and that he will run where ever his district starts and ends. Chairman Heastie said that he could not be happier by the turnout of people and elected officials, and plans to do it again next year. Due to the rain the dunk the elected official tank was not used, but will put away for next year's barbecue. From what I heard there were a lot of elected officials who volunteered their district leaders to sit in for them.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

 Here is a story from the New York Post dated September 10, 2010 we thought you may like highlighting the 33rd State Senate Race.

We must add that Mr. Ricky Martinez is running for the position of Male State Committee in the 78th Assembly District, and is a part of the Jose Rivera Slate of candidates in the 78th Assembly District. Assemblyman Jose Rivera has endorsed Pedro Espada Jr. in the 33rd State Senate race over Gustavo Rivera.

Mr. Robert Press in his political column 100 PERCENT that appears in the Bronx News, Parkchester News, and the Coop-City News has predicted in the 33rd State Senate race that Gustavo Rivera will become the new state senator in the 33rd district.

Senate Primary Down to Espada vs. Rivera

The 33rd Senate District Democratic primary, a closely-watched contest for months now, has now become a two-horse race.
Daniel Padernacht, a lawyer and member of Community Board 8, officially announced on Tuesday, September 7 that he will be backing out of the race and supporting Gustavo Rivera over the other option, the incumbent Pedro Espada.
It is too late to remove his name from the September 14 ballot, so instead Padernacht has asked his supporters to give Rivera the Democratic nomination.
“I have determined that the right thing for me to do is step aside,” Padernacht said.
“We thought we had a great chance,” he continued. “We did not see it as an absolute win... there is a better chance to unseat Pedro Espada if we support Rivera. We need a new mix of personalities in Albany; legislatures that are willing to work together. My decision comes with the hope of reforming Albany.”
Some residents were disappointed, but for the most part the Padernacht decision deminishes the possibility of him and Rivera splitting the anti-Espada vote, which many opponents of Espada felt sure would happen.
Robert Press, a member of the Committee of 100 Democrats, was unsure of what to expect now. “I myself favored Dan Padernacht,” he said. “We [the C100 committee] couldn’t come to a consensus on endorsing a candidate in the 33rd, so there was no offical endorsement made.”
Ricky Martinez, who is running for State Committee in the 78th Assembly District, was equally puzzled as to what we can expect now from the primary, and could not predict a likely winner.
“I liked Dan. To me he was a great candidate,” said Martinez. “Now we have to ask, which is the best of two evils? I don’t think Rivera is ready. He has something he is hiding. Espada, yes, he has crossed over party lines, but he has also brought revenue to the community.”
Martinez continued: “Espada is a good candidate. But the man has pissed off a lot of people.”
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, the newspaper El Diario and Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. are among those who have now officially endorsed Gustavo Rivera.
But the BP’s father, State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. supports the reelection of Pedro Espada.
It has become, according to most, the biggest race in September 14’s Democratic primary, and with the added support of Padernacht, Gustavo Rivera feels he has a real shot.
“One of the great things about having Dan on my team now is that I want to work with him not only to get elected, but also, looking forward, to make the Bronx better,” said Rivera over the phone while knocking on doors late at night Tuesday, September 7. “I love knocking on doors like this. I’ve done it for other candidates, but this is the first time I’ve done it for myself. It’s so refreshing to talk to people in their homes about what’s important to them, and this is something Pedro Espada does not do.”
Rivera said that grassroots effort has made his candidacy stronger. “Over the past few weeks, we have put together a union of community leaders like Dan to make sure we can defeat Espada. I think we stand a pretty good shot, but we are not taking this for granted. We will continue to knock on doors every single night.”

Friday, September 10, 2010

What The Newspaper Column 100 PERCENT Left Out

   In case you read the print copy of the column 100 PERCENT that ended "We suggest to the 80th A.D. Male District Leader Kenny Agosto", and wanted to know how the column ended, here it is.
   We suggest to the 80th A.D. Male District Leader Kenny Agosto who decided not to challenge the incumbent this year, that he should start his 2012 candidacy for the 80th assembly on September 15th 2010. 
   In next weeks column's of 100 PERCENT we will be looking into our crystal ball once again to try to get some more information on Primary day results as our deadline for the column will be Monday afternoon the day before Primary day. 
   Things seem to be getting a little closer and just how much of an impact will those new voting machines have on the election, as candidate Charlie Ramos (32nd Senate District) has also asked for the Justice Department to monitor the Primary day election.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

BRONX VETERANS DAY PARADE TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER  25th.

THE BRONX VETERANS COMMITTEE WOULD BE HONORED TO HAVE YOU JOIN OUR VETERANS FOR OUR 3RD ANNUAL BRONX VETERANS PARADE.
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The Parade: Starts 11:00am at E. 178th St & Crotona Pkway. Travel along Southern Blvd to E.180th Street, making right turn           
                      at E. 180th Street, and on to 1st stop (Old Soldiers Cemetery), then 2nd/last stop (Vidalia Park).
Wreath Laying Ceremony: At Old Soldiers Cemetery (E. 180th Street, b/w Southern Boulevard and Boston Rd).
Reviewing Stand, Socialization & Entertainment: Until 5:00pm in Vidalia Park on E.180th Street (b/w Vyse & Daly Ave),

    COME ONE!      COME ALL!  
Salute the Veterans!

3RD Annual Bronx Veterans Parade                             

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Your browser may not support display of this image. Your browser may not support display of this image.                         
                       SAVE THE DATE                                              Saturday, 9/25/10
                         (RAIN OR SHINE) 
              The Line Up: Starts 9:00am at  
Your browser may not support display of this image.                E.178th Street & Crotona Pkway                              
                                                                       
                                          
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CO-CHAIRPERSON: Raymond Lettsome
(718) 824-2197


 
SGM Santiago 1917559-6248
   CHAIRPERSON:
   Dolores Steele          
   (718) 506-6533

Croton Filter Project - CFMC Meeting Next Week

Agenda
Croton Facility Monitoring Committee Meeting
Thursday, September 16, 2010 – 7:00 PM
DEP Community Office, 3660 Jerome Avenue, Bronx NY 10467
 
I Welcome      Damian McShane, Chairman
 
II Consider, Adopt 6/17/10 Meeting Minutes CFMC Representatives
 
III Construction Update and Look-ahead  Bernard Daly, DEP
      Including Status of Force Main
 
IV Brief Update on Croton Jobs, Training  Mark Lanaghan, DEP  
      Including M/WBE Meeting on 10/13/10 

V  Status of Public Access Report   Mark Lanaghan  
 
VI CFMC Discussion, Set Next Meeting  CFMC Representatives
 
VII Adjourn
 





Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Dan Padernacht Endorses Gustavo Rivera in 33rd State Senate District

   In front of the municipal building, and across the street from City Hall, Dan Padernacht officially  ended his campaign for the 33rd State Senate District.  All the elected officials including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., New York City Comptroller John Liu and Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio, State Senators Eric Schniderman and Liz Kruger, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, and former Bronx Borough President Freddy Ferrer said that Dan Padernacht was doing the right thing by ending his campaign for the 33rd State Senate and endorsing Gustavo Rivera to defeat incumbent Pedro Espada Jr. 
   Ruben Diaz Jr. said that it is not only knowing when you have to step up, but more important to know when to step aside for the good of the community. Freddy Ferrer said to Mr. Padernacht "Dan you did the right thing,and that does not always happen in politics". Assemblyman Dinowitz said that it is not often that people put the good of the community before their own political ambitions. Dinowitz and those gathered again thanked Dan Padernacht for his unselfish act of withdrawing to support Gustavo Rivera to defeat Pedro Espada Jr. 
   Dan Padernacht thanked everyone for their words of praise, and for creating a unified democratic front. He added that "it was a difficult decision to withdraw, but in order to defeat Pedro Espada Jr. we needed a united front".  He ended by saying that he will help Gustavo Rivera defeat Pedro Espada Jr. in any way he can.
   Gustavo Rivera then thanked all who came to support him, and mostly Dan Padernacht saying "from the first time we met Dan showed me that ha cared about community issues". Rivera added that with your support we will win on September 14th, and that he wants people like Dan Padernacht and Assemblyman Dinowitz, and others to be with him in Albany. " This is not about me or Pedro ,but it is about the needs of the people of the district and the Bronx.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

New Voting Machine Demo at Bronx Courthouse

   Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and the Board of Elections gave those in attendance a demonstration on exactly how the new ballot scan voting machines work. Board of Elections spokeswoman Valerie Vasquez along with Bronx Board of Elections Commissioners J.C. Polanco (republican) and Naomi Barrera (democrat) who were on hand to say a few words on just how easy it is to use the new voting machines. Ms. Vasquez said that there has been community outreach with neighborhood demos such as today's, to ads on buses, in newspapers, and on television and radio. BP Diaz said that it is important for people come out and vote. He added that "this is a very important election, and we will be using new voting machines".
   The demo started with BP Diaz being given a sample ballot to fill out in one of the available privacy booths that was equipped with a magnifying sheet if needed. BP Diaz read the items on each line to be voted, and said aloud his choices on the sample ballot. When he was finished filling out the sample ballot he was instructed to feed the finished ballot in to the Ballot Scan Machine (see photo below). After accepting the ballot the number one came up in the vote tally area to show that the ballot was accepted and counted. BP Diaz asked for another sample ballot this time to mark more than one choice in the same line. When he fed the finished second ballot into the Ballot Scan Machine a red and green light came up warning that there was an error on the ballot. The red light was to be touched if the voter wants to redo their choices on a different ballot, or the green light can be touched if the voter wants the incorrect ballot to be processed anyway with the error. Voters will be given up to three times to cast a ballot on the new machines if an error happens.
  We would caution you however to check you ballot before you start marking it for any errant stray marks that may have gotten onto it by accident that could be read by the Ballot Scan Machine to void one or more lines. If you do receive a ballot with a mark on it you should go to the person in charge at the polling site to report it, and you may want to also call the board of elections at 212-487-5300 to report it also.
   We must say that we might agree with the candidate in the 33rd State Senate District who has asked for federal observers to oversee the election in that district, and we can think of other districts where impartial observers might be needed. We however hope that it does not come to a court case like was the case in the 2000 Florida election.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. feeds sample ballot into the new Ballot Scan Voting Machine. Ms. Valerie Vasquez of the Board of Elections is also in the photo.

  

Monday, September 6, 2010

Dan Padernacht ending 33rd State Senate Bid and Endorsing Gustavo Rivera

   Tuesday morning at City Hall 33rd State Senate candidate Dan Padernacht will be ending his state senate campaign, and endorsing Gustavo Rivera in the race to defeat Pedro Espada Jr. 
   We sat down with Dan Padernacht who said "while I believe that I am percentage points ahead, I can't be sure that Pedro Espada Jr. will be defeated in a three way race". "My goal has been to defeat Pedro Espada Jr., and I will now support Gustavo Rivera for the good of the Democratic Party". 
   While Padernacht's name will still appear on the ballot he will be campaigning with Gustavo Rivera around the 33rd State Senate District, urging his supporters to defeat Pedro Espada Jr. by voting for Gustavo Rivera.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Bronx Borough President hosts a demonstration of the new voting system to be used on Primary Election Day

  
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will urge Bronx voters to seek out information about the new voting system, in preparation for the New York City Primary Election to be held on September 14th. Along with representatives of the New York City Board of Elections, Borough President Diaz will be hosting a demonstration of the new system.

The Board of Elections in the City of New York is performing daily demonstrations of the new voting system in neighborhoods throughout the city to allow voters and the media to see how the new system works, ask questions and to practice voting with a paper ballot. The demonstrations are part of the board’s ongoing, comprehensive public education program to raise awareness among New York City voters that there is a new way to vote that assures all votes will continue to be counted accurately.

This system is being implemented in compliance with the Help America Vote Act, passed in October 2002 by Congress, which requires a voting system that produces a permanent, verifiable paper record. The lever machines previously used in the city did not comply with this requirement.  The new voting system will be in place in all poll sites for the Primary Election on Sept. 14, 2010 and the General Election on Nov. 2, 2010.

For further information on the new voting system, please visit www.vote.nyc.ny.us. Any Bronx organization interested in scheduling a demonstration can do so through the website. Information is provided in several languages.
WHEN:    Tuesday, September 7

TIME:        1:00 PM

WHERE:   The Bronx County Courthouse 851 Grand Concourse, 1st Floor- Rotunda

Friday, September 3, 2010

Gustavo Rivera sends Letter to Justice Department to ask for Federal Observers in Primary Election in 33rd

    In a letter to Mr. Justin Weinstein-Tull of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department in Washington D.C. dated September 3, 2010 Mr. Gustavo José Rivera says that he is a candidate for the office of State Senator in New York’s 33rd State Senate District. He writes to request that the U.S. Department of Justice
send federal election observers to the 33rd Senate District, in Bronx County, New York on Primary Election Day, September 14, 2010.
   Mr. Rivera mentions that there has been a pattern of intimidation to people who signed Mr. Rivera's petition of Hispanic origin to outright threats by a staff member of Senator Pedro Espada Jr. to Mr. Rivera's campaign workers at the Bronx Board of Elections.
   The letter goes on to say that this year new voting machines will be used, and it is expected that in the 33rd senate district minimal information have gotten to the voters on how these new voting machine operate.
   Mr. Rivera adds in the letter that the incumbent Pedro Espada Jr. is under investigation by the Bronx District Attorney, New york State Attorney General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
   In closing there is another request that federal observers cover the 33rd State Senate District.  
  To see the entire letter go to  http://www.scribd.com/doc/36867726/Jgr-Doj-Letter

J.Gustavo Rivera Ducks 33rd District Debate for Another Outside Endorsement.

   Last night there was a debate scheduled at the Fordham Lutheran Church in the southern part of the 33rd State Senate District. It was known that incumbent 33rd State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. would skip this debate just like Espada skipped the first debate on Bronxtalk, not wanting to defend his questionable behavior in the state senate and elsewhere. What was not known was that challenger J. Gustavo Rivera would also bail out at the last minute by attending an event out out of the district rather than being with the voters of the 33rd State Senate District. Mr. J. Gustavo Rivera's policy director said Rivera would be attending a candidates' forum in the east Bronx, near Westchester Square, an event hosted by the Bronx branches of the NAACP. 
   Last week, Rivera's campaign said he would participate in the debate, organized by Transportation Alternatives at Fordham Lutheran Church, moderated by the Bronx News Network You can go to the BNN website to read their story and comments from people at http://www.bronxnewsnetwork.org/ .
   Getting back to the debate at Fordham Lutheran Church Mr. Dan Padernacht Democratic candidate for the 33rd State Senate came to the debate in the southern part of the district,  as did Mr. John Reynolds the candidate of the Green Party who was also invited.
   This debate was on mass transit and other community related issues which would have been an excellent forum for Mr. J. Gustavo Rivera to give the voters his position on the issues, but Mr. J. Gustavo Rivera showed his lack of concern for the voters by going instead to an event out of the district he is running for. 
   Mr. Padernacht was very kind though to Mr. Rivera by answering the questions as if Mr. Rivera was there to the point, with Mr. Reynolds of the Green party saying most of the time that he agreed with Mr. Padernacht on the issue. In his closing statement however Mr. Padernacht said that he expected Pedro Espada Jr. not to show, But for Mr. J. Gustavo Rivera to bail out at the last minute shows that he is no different than Pedro Espada Jr. 
   A spokesperson for Transportation Alternatives the sponsor of the debate said that they do not endorse any candidates as they are a 501c3 corporation.
   After the debate I asked Mr. Padernacht if he missed anything in the Bronxtalk debate which Mr. J. Gustavo Rivera did attend, and he said yes I did. "When Mr. J. Gustavo Rivera said that he worked in the senate conference to help the democrats gain a majority, I should have said so it was you that helped put Pedro Espada Jr. in the position he now is". 
   It is our opinion that Mr. Dan Padernacht was the hands down winner of both debates and would have been if all the candidates had attended. Mr. J. Gustavo Rivera showed by not attending the second debate that he will politics ahead of the people of the 33rd State Senate District, and it is well known that the incumbent Pedro Espada Jr. has put his own self interests ahead of anything else.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Link to the Bronxtalk Debate for 33rd State Senate

  Here is the link for the Bronxtalk 33rd State Senate debate between J. Gustavo Rivera and Dan Padernacht that incumbent Perdo Espada skipped. Listen to host Gary Axelbank's comment on Espada. Watch the entire debate and decide if we are right or wrong on our commentary of the debate, as we have called Espada the looser, and Dan Padernacht the winner. You may want to check the other blogs for their coverage of the debate, and read some of the comments. We suggest that you visit the Bronx News Network if you want to read some interesting comments.  http://blip.tv/file/4067458/