The Beginning of Events - Bronx Week
This Year The 40th Anniversary

These two items for Bronx Week came in from the borough president's office.

1.      As part of this year’s Bronx Week celebrations, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will be honoring Bronxites that are 100 years of age or older.  If you or someone you know meet this criteria and would like to participate in this event, please contact Larcenia Walton at 718-590-6248 or lwalton@bronxbp.nyc.gov for more information.

   

 2.   Street vendors are invited to take part in the Bronx Week Festival on Mosholu Parkway on Sunday, May 22, hosted by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.  Food, arts & crafts, and an all-day concert draw thousands to the site for the grand finale of the Bronx Week celebration, which marks its 40th anniversary this year. For more information and an application, please contact Sonia Malave at 718-590-3989.

Bronx Week Promo

Here is Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. promoting Bronx Week which runs from May 12th to May 22nd.

Go to www.ilovethebronx.com for more information.

Weekend Recap 

Hundreds of people attended the Neighborhood Festival sponsored by the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center on Saturday. Neighborhood residents and volunteers from the Horace Mann School are pictured here with Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Council member Oliver Koppell, State Senator Gustavo Rivera, and KHCC’s Executive Director Giselle Melendez-Susca.

State Senator Jeff Klein, Councilmember Oliver Koppell, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, helped celebrate the opening of the new baseball season of the Wood-Lean Boys and Girls Club at Sean Healy Field in Woodlawn on Saturday. They are pictured in the attached photo with some of the future superstars.

COMPTROLLER JOHN LIU: CAROUSEL OPERATOR TOOK CITY FOR A RIDE

   City Comptroller John C. Liu today released an audit that found a company that ran three City carousels overcharged customers, maintained little or no records of its cash transactions, and violated health codes.
    The vendor, New York One, was required to pay the City whichever was higher — either a flat fee or a percentage of its sales.  Without fail, the company reported the flat fee was the higher amount.  But the company kept such poor sales records that it was impossible to determine if it paid the City what it owed in 2008 and 2009. Auditors could not find any evidence to back New York One’s claims of its cash revenue from rides, hot dogs, and souvenirs.
    “Our kids want to go for a spin on the merry-go-round, but taxpayers don’t want to be taken for a ride,” Comptroller Liu said.  “This contractor needs to straighten itself out.  The Parks Department needs to monitor the company to ensure taxpayers are getting their due or find someone who is up to the job.”

  Additional financial issues

       Auditors found the operator owes the City $454,325 for restoration and repairs that were not made at the Central Park and Forest Park carousels.
       Auditors found the operator under reported its take from special events at the Central Park carousel by at least $58,424.
       Auditors found the operator charged more than Parks Department guidelines for admissions, food, and souvenirs at the Flushing Meadows
Corona Park carousel.
       Auditors found the operator should spend $110,000 on capital improvements at the Flushing Meadows Corona Park carousel.
       Auditors found that the Parks Department failed to collect up to $151,375 in operating fees from New York One when the vendor ran the Central Park carousel without a contract from January to September 2008.

Health issues

       Auditors found that the operator’s employees built a makeshift toilet in the Central Park carousel’s mechanical room using buckets and a funnel.
       Auditors found that the operator did not maintain the three carousels’ pushcarts, snack bars, and surrounding areas in a safe and sanitary manner.
       Auditors found that the operator continued to use a dirty popcorn
machine and hot dog roller at the Central Park carousel despite a
Parks Department order to halt sales.
       Auditors found that the operator’s food carts at the Flushing Meadows Corona Park carousel were not properly licensed by the Department of Health.

    The audit determined that the Parks Department failed to properly monitor the carousel operator or promptly use the tools at its disposal to enforce the terms and conditions of the contracts.
    New York One currently runs only the Flushing Meadows Corona Park carousel.  The Parks Department cut short the company’s contract to operate the Central Park carousel in February 2010 when it failed to improve its operations.  The Forest Park carousel has been closed since the operator gave up its contract in 2009.

    According to the Annual Concession Report of the City Chief Procurement Officer September 2010, New York One and its related entities operated 25 concessions for which the City received gross revenues of approximately $5 million in fiscal year 2010.
    The Parks Department agreed with the majority of the audit finding and recommendations.  New York One disagreed with most of the audit findings, but agreed with most of its recommendations to get proper licenses and maintain records.
    Comptroller Liu credited Deputy Comptroller for Audit H. Tina Kim and the Audit Bureau for presenting the findings.  The full report is available at http://comptroller.nyc.gov/audits.

Senator Reverend Diaz to Mayor Michael Bloomberg:“Don’t Fluff Off My Request”

New York State Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) released the following statement regarding the one-page letter he received in response to his Freedom Of Information Law request asking for details about Chancellor Cathie Black’s salary and benefits:

“This afternoon, I received an inadequate response to my FOIL request to the New York City Department of Education for any and all information regarding the entire salary, benefits, and other compensation that New York City Schools Chancellor Cathie Black has received or will receive, including any severance or retirement benefits.

The reply only contained a one-page letter dated January 3, 2011 to Cathie Black, signed by both her and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, appointing her as Chancellor of the City School District of the City of New York.  While Mayor Bloomberg actually hired Cathie Black to serve as Schools Chancellor, the Department of Education maintains her records, and I am certain the one-page letter is merely part of the response.

Nothing in that one-page letter explains the “standard benefits package for at-will managerial employees of the Department of Education.”  Nothing in that one-page letter explains if Cathie Black received zero dollars after she left, or if she has received a severance package for her 3-month tenure.

On behalf of my constituents, I will continue pursue this request for information and look forward to a complete reply."

 
     We must add that while the letter from Mayor Bloomberg is dated January 3rd 2011, there is no date below Ms. Blacks acceptance signature, it just states dated without any date. So was she even chancellor, and if so as of when was it?

Freedom of Information Law Request

This came in from Senator Ruben Diaz Sr.

Records Access Officer
NYC Department of Education
52 Chambers Street, Room 308
New York, New York 10007

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is a FOIL request for any and all information regarding the entire salary, benefits, and other compensation that New York City Schools Chancellor Cathie Black has received or will receive, including any severance or retirement benefits.

Should there be any portion of this request that is denied, please state the reasons for denying my request.  A prompt response to my request is mandated by statute.

Respectfully,

Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz

 

Assemblyman Marcos Crespo

  Helped Launch New Small Business.

     On Thursday April 14, 2011   Bronx State Assemblyman Marcos Crespo helped inaugurate a new business in the Soundview section of The Bronx.

    The new Glamour Beauty Parlor will employ seven (7)  community individuals as part of its effort to provide employment locally.   The store's Proprietors are Ana Lucia, and Sirvana Urena.  Mr. Giovany Urena helped design and construct the store.

     The store owners have employed 10 local residents, and will offer on the job training for 7 new applicants as apprentices.  The business will open from 10AM to 7PM Monday to Saturday, and will open Sundays from 10AM to 4PM.  the owners intend to train females and males, ensuring that no employment discrimination mysogyny is practiced against one gender.

     "This is the kind of job growth that keeps America going.  Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we need to do more in terms of tax breaks, and incentives for small businesses." said Assemblyman Crespo.

     Ms. Brenda Candelario, Chief of Staff to Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. was also present representing the Senator.

      The event was filled with music, refreshments, snacks.

       Glamour Beauty Parlor is located at 745 White Plains Road in the Soundview section of the Bronx.

  

Pictures are Assemblyman Crespo, Senator Diaz's Chief of staff Brenda Candelario, along with the owners and friends of the new business. Our thanks to Mr. Frank Strongbow for the picture, and information.

BALANCING NEED AND PRIORITY: NYS COMPTROLLER DINAPOLI TO DISCUSS THE STATE BUDGET AT NEXT SOUTH BRONX LEADERSHIP FORUM ON APRIL 28

  On Thursday, April 28^th, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli will speak about the State Budget at SoBRO’s South Bronx Leadership Forum (SBLF). DiNapoli, New York’s chief fiscal officer, is responsible for auditing the operations of all State agencies and local governments, managing the State’s pension fund, overseeing the New York State and Local Retirement System, reviewing the State and New York City budgets, approving State contracts, administering the State’s payroll and central accounting system. Since first taking the position in February 2007, DiNapoli has transformed the way the Comptroller’s office does business, instilling reforms to make government more effective, efficient and ethical. He has pushed for increased transparency and accountability in government, and identified billions of dollars in waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement.

  At SoBRO’s forum, DiNapoli is expected to field questions about Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2011-2012 Executive Budget, which called for a $400 million spending cut in selected social services. According to Albany, the budget “reduces [the] state’s current year deficit without raising taxes [and] outlines a broad effort to redesign state government with the goal of producing long term cost savings and better services.” Some of the affected programs such as adult education and senior centers are in the Bronx, where thousands of low-income residents depend on publicly funded social initiatives.

  The SBLF gives individuals that play a key role in this city an opportunity to discuss their plans and priorities by addressing leaders from the public, private, non-profit and business sectors, along with members of the community. Previous guests have included Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Former Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Charles E. Schumer and many more of the region’s most influential figures. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli will make an excellent and honorable addition to this distinguished roster.

  South Bronx Leadership Forum 

  New York State Comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli

  Thursday, April 28^th, 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.  

  SoBRO Center, 555 Bergen Avenue, 3^rd Floor, Bronx, NY

  Because space is limited, reservations are requested to be made in advance by either emailing Linda Yantz at lyantz@sobro.org or calling, at 718.732.7522.