100 PERCENT

100 PERCENT

By Robert Press

What Happened?

  I have been asked what happened to my political column in the Bronx Voice. It was not my choice, and I will leave it at that. I have made it a policy not to say anything bad about previous connections, but I was not given a reason why the column was halted. Yes I was getting information that was turning out to be factual, Yes I did call the winning percentage of the Democratic primary in the 13th City Council race to the percentage point 39%, Yes the I was in the middle of several hot stories, and Yes I did not pull any punches in the column. 

  It seems when you are trying to be as objective as possible there are those who see it as a threat. Maybe it was the fact that after winning races by over 90% every time, when you criticize some one for winning an open seat with only 42 %, certain people don't like it. Since the 32nd State Senate seat will soon be an open seat now that State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. has become Councilman Elect Ruben Diaz Sr. there should be a special election to fill his soon to be vacant state senate seat. I know that is what current Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda is hoping for, and the reason is that he can run for the state senate while still being an Assemblyman. If there was to be no special election Assemblyman Sepulveda would have to decide which seat in Albany he would go for, while leaving the other seat for someone else. However in a special election any registered voter can run, as long as you move into the district (within thirty days) should they win. 

  Then there is the 80th Assembly District which will also be vacant soon, and may have a special election called to fill that vacancy. The reason many people say there will be a special election is that there is another vacant State Senate seat in Westchester County. Both vacant State Senate seats were held by Mainline Democrats, and should be won by Democrats that is unless the person who wins the vacant 32nd district joins the IDC, and the person who wins the vacant Westchester seat is a Republican. 

  The Independent Democratic Conference or IDC is now an eight member group of elected Democrats who instead of blindly listening to Democratic State Senate bosses, have become a conference that is trying to push Democratic values, while working the other side of the isle. This has paid off for the IDC members who have climbed the ladder of success for their districts. Any IDC member who would leave the IDC would find themselves back at the bottom of the ladder, and their districts would suffer. 

  As for the political column 100 PERCENT, here and on my facebook page 100 PERCENT is where you will be able to find this column, that is unless I find a new home for it (which is already in the works). As for me I will continue to do my job, but I am also looking into doing consulting work on campaigns like I should have done this past year. I am already speaking to more than one serious candidate, and I am open to listening to others. The coming year features races for Congress, State Senate, and State Assembly, not to mention all the party positions. 

  In future columns I will get back to the usual summary of events. If you have any comments you can e-mail me at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call me at 718-644-4199.