Senator Rivera Applauds Passing of Financial Disclosure, Votes YES on Ethics Reform

 Senator Gustavo Rivera (D,WF) joined by 61 of his colleagues this afternoon in voting unanimously in favor of S. 5679, the Public Integrity Reform Act of 2011. The Public Integrity Act of 2011 included mandatory full financial disclosure for all public officials, which was the substance of S.382, the first bill Senator Rivera introduced during his first week in office.

“The need for meaningful ethics reform and the importance of restoring Bronxites’ faith in state government was one of the main reasons why I decided to run for public office,” said Senator Rivera. “That is why the first bill I introduced focused on government transparency, making it mandatory for all elected officials to disclose all sources of their income. I believe that New Yorkers have a right to know where their elected official’s salaries are coming from, especially if they are being paid by special interests, companies or individuals whose interests are diametrically opposed to the interests of their constituents and their community.”

“I am proud that the ethics package the State Senate voted on and passed today contains financial disclosure in addition to the creation of an independent ethics commission and the stripping of pensions for elected officials who have betrayed the trust of their constituents. By passing this legislation, I believe that we as a legislature are making enormous strides toward renewing New Yorkers trust in their state government. Although there are measures such as independent redistricting and campaign finance reform that I would have liked to have seen included in this package, I believe we are merely beginning an important conversation about ethics reform. I look forward to continuing to work with Governor Cuomo and my colleagues in the Senate and the Assembly in order to put an end to the culture of corruption in Albany.”

The text of the Public Integrity Act of 2011 can be found at http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S5679-2011

SoBRO's 2011 Job & Career Fair ~ Thursday, June 16

On Thursday, June 16th, SoBRO and the Ambassadors of Change will hold its 2011 Job and Career Fair at the Alfred E. Smith Community Center at 80 Catherine Street in New York City. This career fair is an excellent opportunity for employers and job seekers to meet, network, and make valuable business connections.  

Companies who will be represented at this job fair include: NYC Department Of Aging, Borough Of Manhattan Community College, Reliable Community Care, Henry Street Settlement, The City of New York’s Fire Department, ACCES, New York Urban League, National YAI, Per Scholas, RPCV Dominican Republic (Peace Corps), The City College of New York, Millennium Medical Staffing, Inc., GreenPath, Inc., Los Niños Services, Inc., and New York Life.  

SoBRO and the Ambassadors of Change 2011 Job & Career Fair

DATE:             Thursday, June 16th

TIME:              10am –  3pm

PLACE:          Alfred E. Smith Community Center, 80 Catherine Street, New York, NY 10038

CONTACT:    Alan Ulloa (SoBRO) 718-732-7604, aulloa@sobro.org  

                       Loretta White (Ambassadors of Change) 917-771-1136

About SoBRO: SoBRO, a not-for-profit community development corporation, has been serving the South Bronx since 1972.  SoBRO’s programs include adult education and workforce training, real estate and community development, technical and financial assistance for businesses, and an array of programs for youth. For additional information about SoBRO, visit www.sobro.org or call (718) 292-3113.  

Assemblyman Dinowitz named Chair of Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection

    Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) has been appointed as the new Chair of the Assembly Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.  Assemblyman Dinowitz has served for the past four years as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Aging.

    The Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection has jurisdiction over consumer-related issues.  Among the many issues on which the committee will be working include consumer and child product safety, food safety, cracking down on unfair practices in the debt management, credit card, mortgage and other financial services industries, protecting seniors against scams, and combating identity theft.

   “I’m thrilled to chair this important committee in the Assembly.  I’ve always been a consumer advocate as the Assembly member representing the 81^st Assembly District.  This chairmanship will give me the opportunity to shape legislation and impact consumer issues to benefit people both in my district and throughout the state,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.

Jeter Meter Update

   By getting two hits in Sunday's game against the Cleveland Indians Derek Jeter is now only 7 hits short of the 3,000 career hit mark. There are four more games left on the current home stand. Monday the Yankees finish up with the Cleveland Indians, and then the Texas Rangers come in for three games. After that the Yankees hit the road so Derek Jeter needs some more multi hit games to reach 3,000 on the current home stand. 

   Don't forget to be on 161st Street when Jeter hits his 3,000th hit for the festivities.

ABRAZO BORICUA 2011

   Thursday night was the celebration of the 2011 Puerto Rican Day Parade by Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz Sr. On hand were Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Assembly members Marcos Crespo (85th), Vanessa Gibson (77), and Eric Stevenson (79), Councilman Fernando Cabrera, Civic activist and candidate for Assembly (76) Luis Sepulveda, Ms. Madelyn Lugo (president of the parade), dignitaries from Puerto Rico, and contestants from the Miss Puerto Rico contest.

   They were celebrating 20 years of participating in fundraising for Casa Boricua to buy toys for poor children in Senator Diaz's hometown in Puerto Rico. It was said that Reverend Diaz has never forgotten where he has come from, and his Puerto Rican heritage. Diaz said that we are Americans, but we are also proud Puerto Ricans. 

   New York City has never had a Puerto Rican mayor, and it was said that Ruben Diaz Jr. will be the first. Assembly members Gibson and Stevenson apologized to the mostly spanish speaking audience for not speaking fluent spanish, but said that they will work on it.

   We almost forgot that among the hundreds of people at the event, the Pirate Captain (dressed in full pirate garb) of the pirate ship float in Sunday's parade went to every table to say hello to all and let anyone who wanted to have their picture taken with him.

Borough President Diaz Participates in Rally for Stronger Rent Laws 

  Borough President Diaz spoke in favor of the extension and strengthening of New York's rent regulation laws outside the Bronx County Building on Thursday afternoon.
   “Not only must we fight to pass the laws we already have, we also need to strengthen our rent regulations to ensure that our tenants have the rights and protections that they deserve,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

   BP Diaz is center, with Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson on his right, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo by the BP's left shoulder, State Senator Jose M. Serrano, and with his cowboy hat on in the back row is State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. 

 

New Services Available Through The Bronx Borough Presidents Office

 

The office of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is offering two new services through its constituent services unit.

First, the constituent services office has opened its doors for those residents seeking to obtain food stamp assistance. The office has been assigned a staff member by BronxWorks to assist in filing applications directly with the Human Resources Administration. Clients will be prescreened and processed on Tuesdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In addition, due to the overwhelming concern for those facing home foreclosure, the office has joined with the Parodneck Foundation to assist families at risk of losing their homes by providing counseling, starting Monday, June 20.

Both services are available in Room 209 of the Bronx County Building, 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 718-590-3554.

Company Overseen By Joel Klein Poised To Clean Up With $27M No-Bid NYC Contract

    You had to know this was going to happen, but we thought it would be later than sooner. Celeste Katz of the Daily News writes here  that part of the $700 million dollars that New York State is getting in the Race to the Top federal program will go to Wireless Generation to develop software that will track student test scores, among other things. Did we say that Wireless Generation is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, Joel Kleins current employer after he left the DOE.
    Katz writes that since this is a state contract for the DOE it is classified as not being a conflict of interest to former Chancellor Joel Klein. Wireless Generation created the Achievement  Reporting and Innovative Systems or ARIS that has been widely criticized in New York City.