LIU: NYC FUNDS WIN SUPPORT FOR POLITICAL DISCLOSURE

NYC Pension Funds’ Proposal Calling for Sprint Nextel to Reveal Its Political Spending Gets First Majority Vote Since Citizens United

New York City Comptroller John C. Liu announced a victory for NYC pensioners and institutional investors in the effort to increase corporate disclosures of political donations. Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) released vote totals this week that show 53% of votes at its annual shareholder meeting support the New York City Pension Funds’ proposal for transparency on its political contributions.  It is one of the largest majorities ever recorded on the issue.

“Investors, pensioners, and taxpayers demand that corporations reveal their campaign spending,” Comptroller Liu said.  “This victory for opening the books on political contributions sends a message that corporations ignore at their own risk.”

“Since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, I have been spearheading a national campaign to make companies more transparent and accountable with their political spending,” said Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.  “The shareholder vote at Sprint Nextel demonstrates that momentum behind this national movement is growing.  I commend Comptroller Liu demanding greater corporate disclosure of political spending from these companies.  Sprint Nextel should take heed of shareholder sentiment and adopt the resolution.”

The NYC Pension Funds’ shareholder proposal requested that Sprint Nextel:

§  Report its policies and procedures for political contributions and expenditures (both direct and indirect) made with corporate funds;

§  Account for Company’s funds that are used for political contributions or expenditures; and

§  Identify the people in the Company who make the decisions on political contributions.

The 53% percent vote support that the NYC Pension Funds proposal received from Sprint Nextel shareholders is the largest majority vote on a political disclosure proposal opposed by management in the past four years, and one of the largest majority votes ever on the issue.

In January 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission removed long-standing limitations on corporate spending on political campaigns.   Since then, investors in numerous companies have redoubled their push for disclosures of political spending. 

The New York City Comptroller serves as the investment advisor to, custodian and trustee of the New York City Pension Funds.  The New York City Pension Funds are comprised of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System, New York City Police Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund and the Board of Education Retirement System.  The New York City Pension Funds hold a combined 8,125,023 total shares in Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S) with an asset value of $41,518,867.53 as of 5/16/2011.

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In addition to Comptroller Liu, the New York City Pension Funds trustees are:

New York City Employees’ Retirement System: Ranji Nagaswami, Mayor’s Representative (Chair); New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio; Borough Presidents: Scott Stringer (Manhattan), Helen Marshall (Queens), Marty Markowitz (Brooklyn), James Molinaro (Staten Island), and Ruben Diaz, Jr. (Bronx); Lillian Roberts, Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME;  John Samuelsen, President Transport Workers Union Local 100; Gregory Floyd, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

Teachers’ Retirement System: Ranji Nagaswami, Mayor’s Representative; Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm, New York City Department of Education; Mayoral appointee Tino Hernandez; and Sandra March, Melvyn Aaronson and Mona Romain, all of the United Federation of Teachers.

New York City Police Pension Fund: Mayor Michael Bloomberg; New York City Finance Commissioner David Frankel; New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly (Chair); Patrick Lynch, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association; Michael Palladino, Detectives Endowment Association; Edward D. Mullins, Sergeants Benevolent Association; Thomas Sullivan, Lieutenants Benevolent Association; and, Roy T. Richter, Captain’s Endowment Association.

New York City Fire Department Pension Fund: Mayor Michael Bloomberg; New York City Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano (Chair);New York City Finance Commissioner David Frankel; Stephen Cassidy, President, James Slevin, Vice President, Robert Straub, Treasurer, and John Kelly, Brooklyn Representative and Chair, Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York; John Dunne, Captains’ Rep.; James Lemonda , Chiefs’ Rep., and James J. McGowan, Lieutenants’ Rep., Uniformed Fire Officers Association; and, Sean O’Connor, Marine Engineers Association.

Board of Education Retirement System: Schools Chancellor Cathleen Black, Mayoral: Philip Berry, Gitte Peng, Robert Reffkin, Tino Hernandez, Joe Chan, Tomas Morales, Linda Laursell Bryant, and Lisette Nieves; Patrick Sullivan (Manhattan BP), Gbubemi Okotieuro (Brooklyn BP), Dmytro Fedkowskyj (Queens BP), Joan Correale (Staten Island BP), and Monica Major (Bronx BP); and employee members Joseph D’Amico of the IUOE Local 891 and Milagros Rodriguez of District Council 37, Local 372.

BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT TO HOST A DANCE FOR OVER 500 SENIORS

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. will host a dance event to honor the borough’s seniors.

Residents will grab their poodle skirt and roll up their t-shirt sleeves to do the peppermint twist, the mashed potato and the swim at this old fashioned Sweet Shoppe sock hop.

 

Thursday, May 19 -- 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

177 Dreiser Loop – Community Room A,B,C 

BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ TO SOLICIT PUBLIC INPUT ON JEROME PARK RESERVOIR ACCESS PLAN

On Friday, May 20, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will join with elected officials, community organizations and local activists to call for greater public access to the Jerome Park Reservoir.

The borough president will also announce a public hearing, hosted by the Croton Monitoring Committee, to solicit community input on the future use of the Jerome Park Reservoir, to be held on Thursday, June 2, 2011, at Vladeck Hall in the Amalgamated Houses located at 74 Van Cortlandt Park South (on the corner of Hillman Avenue and Van Cortlandt Park South). The hearing will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

In March, the Department of Environmental Protection released a plan that would allow for very limited, three-day public access pilot to portions of the reservoir once the Croton Watershed Filtration Plant is completed in 2013.

The Press Conference calling for greater public access to the Jerome Park Reservoir will be held at the Intersection of Reservoir Avenue & Claflin Avenue, overlooking the reservoir

Friday, May 20, 2011--10:30 a.m.

  

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform Invite You, as Part of Bronx Week, to the Bronx Premiere Film Screening of
ParentPower

This 35-minute documentary dramatically demonstrates how grassroots organizing won major improvements for schools in African American and Latino neighborhoods in the Bronx and across New York City. Through the voices of local parents and their allies, the film chronicles fifteen years of effective community organizing for education reform.

Thursday May 19^th, 2011, 6pm

The New York Botanical Garden

2900 Southern Boulevard (Kazimiroff Blvd.) Bronx, New York

Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery and Lecture Hall

(for directions to the Garden visit www.nybg.org Panel discussion to follow )

Please RSVP to Irena_Jaroszewski@brown.edu or call 212.328.9280

Indian Point Should it Stay Open or Close?

The Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club will host an open forum on Wednesday, May 25^th 2011 at 7:30pm at Tibbett Towers, 3130 Irwin Ave., between West 231^st and 232^nd Sts., to discuss the controversial question of whether the Indian Point nuclear power plant should close or continue to operate. 

          Long-time community activist Marilyn Elie, who lives two miles from the plant, will argue that it’s time to close the plant to avert disaster. She is co-founder of the Westchester Citizens Awareness Network and leading member of the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition (IPSEC).

Defending the plant’s safety will be a representative for the Entergy Corporation, which runs Indian Point.  Entergy is the second largest generator of nuclear power in the country. Located in Buchanan, N.Y., Indian Point employs over a thousand people and produces more than two thousand megawatts, 10 percent of the state’s total energy demand. The plant is 34 miles from Tibbett Towers, the site of the forum.

         

          The public is welcome and questions will be invited from the audience on this hot and timely topic.

          For more information, contact: Raffi Holoszyc-Pimentel, 646-369-0330

BJCC Day at the Bronx Zoo

By Robert Press

The Bronx Jewish Community Council's mission is to provide enhanced quality of life to the residents of the Bronx, by offering services, support, and connections to the resources that help people continue living comfortably and safely in their homes and communities. 

 

Sunday May 15^th in the former Lion House (now refurbished into an event room) of the Bronx Zoo, the BJCC honored some of the people that help the organization continue to provide the services they do, to the people of the Bronx. It's not all just bagels and lox, but a lot of hard work being done by dedicated people that work out of the many offices that the BJCC has throughout the Bronx. While the administrative office of BJCC is located at 2930 Wallace Avenue (718-798-2398), BJCC has offices in Coop-City at 177 Dreiser Loop, Parkchester at 1525 Unionport Road, Van Cortlandt Village at 80 Van Cortlandt Park South, Bedford Park at 3176 Bainbridge Avenue, and in the Pelham Parkway Houses at 2425 Williamsbridge Road.

In attendance were elected officials such as Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. (one of the honorees), State Senator Jeff Klein ( a former vice-president of BJCC), Councilman Jimmy Vacca (one of the honorees), Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, and Former State Assemblyman Steve Kaufman. 

 

The honorees were, for The Public Service Awards – Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Councilman Jimmy Vacca. The Community Service Award was given to Mr. John Calvelli the Executive Vice-President of Public Affairs for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Rabbi David Jonas was the presenter to the guest of honor, his father Mr. Howard Jonas the Chairman & chief Executive Offers of IDT Corporation.

 This is a photo of the honorees, and some of those who work so hard at BJCC to provide needed services to the people of the Bronx. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

If you would like to help in the Bronx Jewish Community Council volunteer program, you can call 917-693-3084.  

 

SENATOR RIVERA HOSTS SECOND TOWN HALL MEETING AS PART OF DISTRICT 33 TOUR at Kingsbridge Heights Community Center

Senator Gustavo Rivera said,

“I am holding town hall meetings throughout my district because I want my constituents to know that I am available to them,” said Senator Rivera. “It is important to me that the residents of the 33^rd Senate District know they have a State Senator who cares about their concerns and wants to listen to their ideas about how to make our community better. I will continue to hold town hall meetings and other public events because so that my constituents feel they know me and my staff and that we know what they are going through in their day to day lives and how the issues the legislature debate in Albany impact them.”  

Read more about this town hall meeting in this weeks issue of the Bronx News or Parkchester Newspapers, in the column 100 PERCENT on page 7.

COME CELEBRATE BRONX WEEK AT THE ARTHUR AVENUE RETAIL MARKET!

TOUR THE MARKET • MEET THE VENDORS • SAMPLES • COOKING DEMOS • TOTE BAGS

Wednesday May 18th, 2011; 4-7 pm

Arthur Avenue Retail Market

2344 Arthur Avenue, Bronx, NY 10458

Hosted by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and NYCEDC and Co-sponsored by

Congressman Jose E. Serrano, State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein, Assembly Member Jose Rivera, Council Member Joel Rivera and the Bronx Delegation of the New York City Council, Community Board 6, Bronx Chamber of Commerce, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, Bronx Tourism Council, Belmont BID, Fordham University, Mary Mitchell Center, Montefiore Medical Center, The New York Botanical Garden, St. Barnabas Hospital, Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo