National Night Out in the 50th Precinct

  National Night out in the 50th Precinct may not of had the local elected officials that came out last year, but hundreds of people (mostly children) came out to enjoy the night out that took place on Marble Hill Avenue Between West 225th and West 230th Streets. On hand was State Senator Guistavo Rivera who is still expecting a tough primary as he said, but he also said we will know Thursday if the challenge against his opponent Councilman Fernando Cabrera has been successful in getting Cabrera knocked off the ballot. Senator Rivera mentioned that several dead bodies were believed to be on the Cabrera petition, and that with other questionable items may allow him not to have a primary, but he said we will have to wait until Thursday to find out. Senator Rivera also mentioned that a planned debate on Bronxtalk would be cancelled if he has no primary.  

  Staffers from Councilman Andrew Cohen, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, Congressman Eliot Engel, and also on hand was former Councilman and candidate for the 34th State Senate Oliver Koppell as you will see in the photos below.

State Senator Gustavo Rivera with Tony Edwards of Councilman Rodriguez's office.

50th Precinct Commanding Officer Deputy Inspector Rasa and 50 PCT. Community Council President Paulette Schlomo.

Left - Staffers from Councilman Andrew Cohen and Congressman Eliot Engel were on hand.

Right - 34th State Senate candidate Oliver Koppell is stumping for votes.

Cuomo’s Anti-Corruption Panel Nixed 15 Probes:

  That was the headline of an article that ran in yesterday's New York Post, about the disbanded Mooreland Commission. The Post goes into detail on two of the 15 probes that were sent federal prosecutors before Governor Cuomo disbanded the commission. One involved Assemblyman Dov Hikind that was sent to Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Lorreta Lynch involving Maimonides Hospital and tens of thousands dollars spent on ads on Hikind's radio show that the Post said was not reported until Crain's New York raised the issue last year. 

  The second involved State Senator George Maziarz and $137,000 in unitemized 'Cash' Checks of which the Post writes $60,000 were never reported to the state Board of Elections, payments to his campaign manager's daughter, and $125,000 spent at Target, BJ's, and other retailers, again the Post says that half of which were not reported. 

  These were the only two cases in the New York Post article . 

 

Assemblyman Crespo launches his Quality of Life Initiative on August 6, 2014

  Assemblymember Marcos A. Crespo (D-Bronx) announced that on August 6, 2014 he will be hosting a district-wide quality of life initiative titled, “Take pride in where you reside”  with a group of volunteers who will walk around the 85^th Assembly District (consisting of: Bronx River, Soundview, Clason’s Point, Shorehaven, part of Castle Hill and part of Hunts Point) posting “Curb/clean up after your pet” signs, changing trash receptacles and registering business owners for New York City’s Graffiti-Free program.

     

“I feel with these signs being posted in various locations within my Assembly District will make pet owners more conscious about the law to lease and clean up after your pet. Also, cleaning up after your pet goes a long way with not just the appearance of the community but also health and respiratory concerns,”stated Assemblyman Crespo.

Visibility is very important when it comes to placement of these signs, which is why these signs will be placed locations where I may see dog waste and/or on the main street(s) which are most used by pedestrians with the consent of the property owner.

If you would like to know some of the locations where signs will be placed please call my District office at 718-893-0202 and speak to Matthew Shuffler who can give you some sites. 

New Speed Limit Enforcement on Broadway 59th - 220th Street

  This comes from City Council Transportation committee Chair Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez.

Office of Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez Dear Friends and Neighbors, Yesterday, I joined Senator Espaillat, Council Member Rosenthal and  NYPD Traffic Division Chief Chan to announce the NYPD's enforcement  of the new 25 MPH speed limit on Broadway's "Arterial Slow Zone."  This zone, announced in May of this year, will stretch from 220th Street to 59th Street. Police officers will now ticket drivers found speeding over 25 as opposed to 30 in this area. Since 2008, 22 people have been killed by cars in this stretch, a statistic we would like to limit to 0 for the future. Please help us save lives by driving at lower speeds and remaining conscious of all others who use our streets including cyclists and pedestrians. With your help, we can achieve Vision Zero. Thank you.  Sincerely, Ydanis Rodriguez,

Council Member Cohen and Department of Education to Hold Office Hours About Pre-Kindergarten Enrollment

  Council Member Andrew Cohen and the New York City Department of Education are holding office hours at the Council Member’s district office, 3636 Waldo Avenue, to inform parents about pre-K enrollment.  Parents will be able to meet with DOE representatives and the Council Member’s staff to learn more about the pre-Kindergarten options that are available for their families.

Who: Council Member Andrew Cohen, the Department of Education and members of the public.

What: Pre-Kindergarten Enrollment for Bronx families

Where: Council Member Cohen’s district office, 3636 Waldo Avenue, Bronx, NY 10463

When: Wednesday, August 6, 2014, 4:00-7:00pm

NY State Board of Elections Candidates

  Here is the listing of candidates for the Democratic Primary Tuesday September 9 2014 from the New York State Board of elections for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, 34th State Senate District, and the 36th State Senate District. This is not a complete listing of all districts, just the two state senate districts that cover the Bronx and Westchester. The New York City Board of Elections listing should be made public as soon as all the court cases are finished. 
There is no primary for State Comptroller or Attorney General. 

Governor -
Zephyr R. Teachout
Andrew M. Cuomo
Randy A. Credico


Lieutenant Governor -
Kathy Hochul
Timothy Wu

34th State Senate-
G. Oliver Koppell
Jeffrey D. Klein

36th State Senate-
Crystal Collins
Ruth H. Thompson

Senator Rev Ruben Diaz and Fellow Ministers to Welcome Republican Lieutenant Governor Candidate to the Bronx

  On Thursday August 7th 2014 at 9 AM  Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) and the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization will welcome Lieutenant Governor Candidate Christopher Moss to the Christian Community Neighborhood Church, located at 1437 Longfellow Avenue, between Jennings and Freeman Streets, in the Bronx.

  Senator Rev. Diaz stated: “We are honored that Chemung County Sheriff Chris Moss - who has been selected as Gubernatorial Candidate Rob Astorino’s choice for Lieutenant Governor - will join us this week so the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization can share the various concerns that face our community with him.  These issues include help for senior citizens, affordable housing, job opportunities, education, and family values.  In our rich tradition, my fellow pastors and I will continue to welcome candidates to the Bronx to hear how they intend to serve us when they are elected to public office.”

  Senator Rev. Diaz serves as President of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization.

PSC Finds 70 Percent of Con Ed Gas Worker Non Compliant

 This story comes from Capital New York where the first sentence reads as follows. 'Nearly 70 percent of Con Edison workers responsible for the utility's sprawling natural gas network were found to be be out of compliance with state safety regulations because they had not taken an annual qualification test, according to papers filed with the Public Service Commission.'

  It seems that it took a natural gas explosion in May for state regulators at the PSC to take a closer look at just who was installing the new high pressure gas lines in city streets. Capital reports that In its latest filing with the P.S.C., Con Edison reported 186 employees and 115 contractors—301 out of 443 in all, or just under 68 percent—were found to have not taken an annual test required by the state for recertification in gas-pipe fitting, according to documents filed with the commission Monday. On subsequent testing, 62 workers failed one or more qualification tests

  “We are confident that these requalification lapses did not compromise the integrity of our gas system," a Con Edison Spokesperson told Capital N.Y.  In a recent filing, Con Ed said it identified 12 leaks related to the plastic pipe fusions since 2003 that could be attributed to workmanship. 

  Here is the link to the entire Capitol N.Y. article most-con-ed-workers-found-out-compliance-state-regs.