Making it easier to vote in New York State...

This comes in from Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda 87th A.D.

  

    I'm pleased to announce that the New York State Assembly has passed legislation that will render the process of voting easier. I firmly believe that a cornerstone of any viable democracy is voter engagement and participation. Under this bill, early voting would begin on the third Thursday prior to a general election and go right up until the Thursday before Election Day, providing voters with a two-week time frame to cast their ballots. In the case of a primary or special election, early voting would run from the second Thursday before regular voting until the Thursday prior to the actual election date, giving voters up to a week of early voting. Early voting polls would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each weekday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

 

Local boards of elections would designate at least five early voting sites in each county, or borough, in the case of New York City. The local board of elections would automatically be designated as a polling place in each county/borough. Boards of elections would also be allowed to staff early voting sites with appointed inspectors or their own employees. Early votes would be secured throughout the early voting period and the results would not be released prior to the close of polls on Election Day. In addition, the names of each early voter would be recorded to ensure that early voters are properly removed from Election Day poll books. 

 

This early voting reform would give disabled voters and those who work non-traditional hours more flexibility to cast their votes well ahead of Election Day, it would also create shorter lines at the polls and give local boards of elections enough time to ensure that no one votes twice in the same election. If made law, New York would join 32 other states and the District of Columbia in permitting an alternative to in-person voting on Election Day.

 

 

Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda-87th District
1973 Westchester Ave
Phone: (718) 931-2620
Bronx, NY 10462

 

******************************************************

IT'S MY PARK DAY IN THE BRONX

Starting with Saturday May 4th and running through the first week of June the Parks Department along with various different local and civic groups will be co-hosting different Bronx park clean ups. Listed below are the posted listings on the Parks Department website.

May 4

It's My Park Day at Poe Park

at Grand Concourse between East Kingsbridge Road and East 192nd Street. (in Poe Park), Bronx

9:00 a.m.–4:00 a.m.
On It's My Park Day, join the Poe Visitor Center in Poe Park for "In Pleine Aire with Poe" - arts activities in the park outside of the center. Activities to include knit…Free  
It's My Park Day at Starlight Park

at East 177th St. and Devoe Ave (in Starlight Park), Bronx

9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, come on out and "Get InVolvEd" with G.I.V.E with a tree stewardship project, a river bank clean up, mulching and the drum beats, song and dance of…
Free! 

It's My Park Day at Brook Park

at Brook Park Community Garden, Bronx

10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join the Friends of Brook Park as they clean, plant in their community garden and help maintain the surrounding trees.
Free! 

May18

It's My Park Day at Crotona Malls

at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Bronx

10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join the Community Board #6 Parks Committee and volunteers as they clean and beautify the Crotona Malls from East 175th St and Crotona Pkwy to East 178th St including…
Free! 

It's My Park Day at Van Cortlandt Park

at Mosholu Avenue & Broadway (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx

10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park as they remove invasive plants and plant native plants on the John Muir Trail.
Free! 

It's My Park Day at Soundview Park

at Lacombe Avenue & Rosedale Avenue, Bronx

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join The G.Y.M. Project as they clean up, plant and host a series of activities in Soundview Park.
Free! 

It's My Park Day at Ewen Park

at Northern Entrance, Bronx

10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join Community Board 8 and volunteers as they help beautify Ewen Park. The volunteers will spread mulch, pick up debris, rake and plant shrubs.
Free! 

It's My Park Day Randall Avenue Community Garden

at Randall Avenue Community Garden, Bronx

10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join the Randall Ave Community Gardeners as they clean up, paint and plant in their garden.
Free!

It's My Park Day at Mosholu Gully

at Mosholu Parkway and Webster Avenue

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join the Bedford Mosholu Community Association to help clean up, plant flowers and paint the guard rails in the Mosholu Parkway Gully.
Free! 

It's My Park Day at Claremont Park

at Claremont Gazebo (in Claremont Park), Bronx

12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join New Settlement's Bronx Helpers in a park clean-up and beautification project. Activities will include projects that promote park stewardship. Projects will…
Free! 

Saturday, June 1, 2013

It's My Park Day at Bronx Park

at Bronx Park East and Thwaites Place (in Bronx Park), Bronx

11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join the Bronx Park East Community Association as they clean up, paint benches and mulch in the park.
Free! 

It's My Park Day at Van Nest Park

at Victor Street and Van Nest Avenue (in Van Nest Park), Bronx

11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
On It's My Park Day, join the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance as they clean up the park, spread mulch, weed and plant soil in the planting boxes. 
Free! For more information about It's My Park Day you can visit the New York City Parks Department website at http://www.nycgovparks.org/events/its_my_park_day  or just click on the park listed for directions and more about that park.

 ************************************************************  

 

May 2nd!! Greater Chamber Meeting!! MUST RSVP!!

      

Join Us!!

Thursday, May 2nd / 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

GREATER CHAMBER MEETING

Tosca Restaurant / 4038 E. Tremont Avenue

$25 MEMBERS / $30 FUTURE MEMBERS

For more information, call 718-828-3900 or Click Here to register.

 

 We look forward to seeing you there!

********************************************************

   

Assemblyman Marcos Crespo selected as CHAIR FOR NEW AMERICANS TASK FORCE

 

At Critical Time in National Immigration Reform Efforts, Assemblyman Crespo to Lead Task Force on New American

    Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo, the new Chair of the Assembly Task Force on New Americans, today released the following statement on his new leadership appointment.

“Today, I am most grateful to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for the trust he has placed in me through my appointment to the lead the Assembly Task Force on New Americans.  Through a period that covers my entire adult life, it has been under the leadership of Speaker Silver that New York has moved toward policies that both respect the contributions of our immigrant residents and ease their transition into a new society.

I am the son of Puerto Rican and Peruvian parents; one an American citizen by birth the other through immigration and naturalization.  Their hardships and hard work has allowed me with the opportunity to serve our State and nation as an elected official.  The values they instilled in me are the cornerstone of my work as a public official for the people of New York State.

It is with humbleness and eagerness that I accept my post as Chairman of the Task Force on New Americans.  Our nation is in the midst of long overdue immigration reform.  The past decade has witnessed perhaps the most anti-immigrant epoch in American history: Thousands of families torn apart, wholesale civil rights violations, and systematic attempts to stigmatize entire communities.

There are over 170 nationalities represented in communities all across our State. Slightly over 40% of the population of New York City are immigrants. It was the growth of our immigrant communities over the past decade that prevented New York State from losing more seats in Congress after the 2010 Census and reapportionment process.

Today, immigration reform, national health care policy and regional workforce issues are factors that will shape the lives of our immigrant residents.  I look forward to working on these issues to help ensure that New York keeps avenues of success and opportunity open for all our immigrant communities.

I am a beneficiary of the American people's generosity, and I hope we can have comprehensive immigration reform that moves away from stigmas and dangerous rhetoric while allowing this great country to continue to be enriched by those who were not born here.”

*****************************************************************

Just in time for Mothers Day!  Free Lucid 2, plus free shipping!

Senator Rivera Reminds Constituents That They Still Have Representation in the Legislature

  With the resignation of 86th A.D. Assemblyman Nelson Castro State Senator Gustavo Rivera wants to remind people in the 86th A.D. the following.

    In light of Governor Cuomo's decision to not hold a special election for the Bronx Assembly seat, Senator Gustavo Rivera wants to reassure constituents that he is committed to serving the community and his office is available to those in need of assistance.

"I want to assure all of my constituents that they have the full resources of my office at their disposal to address any concerns that may arise," said Senator Gustavo Rivera. "While it is unfortunate that the Governor's decision will leave the community without representation in the Assembly for seven months, that does not mean that they are without resources or representation."

Senator Rivera encourages all constituents that had a case pending with former Assemblyman Nelson Castro's office to please contact his office.

"I have experienced firsthand the consequences that develop in a community which has lost faith in the system. I will work tirelessly to rebuild that trust and ensure that all constituents are receiving the representation they deserve," said Senator Rivera.

Senator Rivera's office holds constituent service hours from Monday through Thursday from 12 p.m.  to 4 p.m. at 2432 Grand Concourse, Suite 506, Bronx, NY 10458 (across the street from the old Lowe's Paradise Theater). For more information, you can call Senator Rivera's office at 718-933-2034.

LIU: AUDIT FINDS SOMETHING FISHY IN EDC’S MANAGEMENT OF SOUTH STREET SEAPORT

Failing to Protect Taxpayers, Agency Allowed Company to Short City on Rent 

Payments and Provide an EDC Board Member with Rent-Free Office Space

 

City Comptroller John C. Liu today announced that an audit of the NYC Economic Development Corporation’s (EDC’s) handling of the City’s South Street Seaport properties found that the company EDC contracted with to manage office space there shortchanged the City by $1.3 million in unpaid rent.  The audit also uncovered a conflict of interest in which an EDC Board Member accepted free services, including the apparent use of office space from the same company, Seaport Associates LLC.

 

 City Comptroller John C. Liu today announced that an audit of the NYC Economic Development Corporation’s (EDC’s) handling of the City’s South Street Seaport properties found that the company EDC contracted with to manage office space there shortchanged the City by $1.3 million in unpaid rent.  The audit also uncovered a conflict of interest in which an EDC Board Member accepted free services, including the apparent use of office space from the same company, Seaport Associates LLC. “This is more of the same-old from the EDC playbook – hire a consultant to do your job and then doze off while that company stiffs the taxpayers for a pretty penny. What’s more, the EDC failed to notice that a board member received free services from that company,” Comptroller Liu said. “Who knows what other conflicts of interest remain to be discovered? Who knows how much more money the EDC has failed to collect?”
The EDC oversees the management and rent collections for City-owned properties at the South Street Seaport. The EDC contracted with South Street Seaport Associates to maintain and collect rents on the office spaces above the shops and restaurants in the historic Seaport area between Water and Fulton streets.  Comptroller Liu’s office audited this agreement to determine whether EDC properly monitored Seaport Associates and whether Seaport Associates followed the terms of its agreement.
Conflict of Interest
Comptroller Liu’s audit found that a member of EDC’s Executive Committee, who was formerly a principal of Seaport Associates, accepted free services from Seaport Associates, including apparently using office space. The EDC Board Member had paid Seaport Associates $3,000 per month for office space for his private business at 19 Fulton Street.  In 2008, however, he stopped leasing this space and instead appears to have started sharing office space with Seaport Associates in the same building, paying no rent.  He used this address as his private company’s sole New York City location on his website and elsewhere. 
The Board Member, who joined the EDC in 1995, did not disclose to the EDC his past relationship with Seaport Associates or his rent-free use of the office space in the 2010 and 2011 Disclosure Statements for Directors.  EDC acknowledged the Board Member’s conflict of interest and stated that he has since amended his 2011 Disclosure Statement  and no longer uses Seaport Associates office space. After it was brought to their attention, EDC officials described the Board Member’s use of Seaport Associates space as a “mail drop.”  The Board Member, however, had a name plate on the tenants list posted in the 19 Fulton St. lobby and listed the address as his company’s sole New York City location on his website and elsewhere.
Unpaid Rent
Seaport Associates owes the City $1.3 million because it failed to report all its subtenant rental income.  This amount includes $787,664 in unpaid rent and $507,172 in accrued interest.
The EDC relies on Seaport Associates to manage and collect rents for the office space in the Seaport. The lease agreement requires the company pay either a minimum base rent determined by the square footage of leasable space or 20 percent of its gross income — whichever was greater.  Seaport Associates paid the City 20 percent of its income, but it paid 20 percent of its net income — after deducting all operating expenses — sharply reducing what it owed taxpayers for the right to manage these public properties.

 

Year	Rent	Accrued Interest	Total
2011	71,940	17,245	89,185
2010	146,295	52,172	198,467
2009	117,641	59,685	177,326
2008	108,630	70,992	179,622
2007	151,783	121,714	273,497
2006	103,860	93,474	197,334
2005	87,515	91,890	179,405
Total	$787,664	$507,172	$1,294,836

 

Seaport Associates, EDC Audit Responses

Finally, although Seaport Associates offered no facts or documentation to dispute the audit’s findings, the company nevertheless rejected them out of hand, claiming that the findings resulted from political infighting between the Comptroller’s office and the EDC.  Considering that the EDC agrees with the findings and recommendations of the Comptroller’s audit, that accusation rings hollow.

******************************************************

TCM Bargain Bin, $5.99 and up!

OPEN LETTER TO NYS GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO

---

PEOPLE FOR THE DIGNITY OF THE  BRONX ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 86 (D86)

---

Mailing address: 19 E Tremont Ave. Bronx NY 10453*** 

OPEN LETTER TO THE NYS GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO

April 27, 2013                                  

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 1224 

Re: Thank you Governor Cuomo

The people of Assembly District 86th stand grateful for, and empowered by, your support in their quest to chose their next State Assembly representative in a transparent  and democratic process. This district, and the Bronx, are one of the poorest areas in New York State, and the nation, and the "business as usual" way of handpicking leaders in our district has not served its constituents in their efforts to tackle the crucial problems affecting this neighborhood, from staggering unemployment rates to poor health outcomes. Your forthright leadership and public stance on our need for transparent and fair elections, as on most of the important issues affecting  our State,  has given us the sense that we are not alone in wanting to bring justice and fairly elected representation to our community. 
 
On Sunday April 21, 2013 we held a rally asking you to help the people of this district get a competitive and open election process to elect their new assembly representative. Like on many other occasions, many people were skeptical that anyone would hear our call. For a neighborhood that has lost trust in the transparency of the electoral process, and the many elected officials that have betrayed us, your call for an open election without party leader interference has given us back our hope.
Starting with that rally, we were in the process of collecting signatures to continue that movement, but today we write to thank you for allowing us to select our best representative in a fair election.

Although New York State politicians have been in the press more for their wrong doing than what they do right lately, your actions prove that it is possible, necessary, and right to allow people to hold politicians, and the system that often supports them, accountable through fair elections.

Thank you once again and we hope to see you visiting our neighborhood soon.
 

Sincerely,

PEOPLE FOR THE DIGNITY OF THE  BRONX ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 86 (D86)
HECTOR RAMIREZ

 COORDINATOR

    

(SEE LIST OF THE MEMBERS ATTACHED)

Editors note:

In the translation from the document that was sent the three page list of names was unable to be printed correctly. 

******************************************************************

The New York Hispanic Ministers Breakfast

 Team Diaz 2013 Left - 15th City Council Candidate Rev. Joel Bauza, Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., Mayoral candidate Erick Salgado, and 11th City Council candidate Cheryl Keeling.

   The New York Hispanic Ministers led by State Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz Sr. held a breakfast fundraiser to benefit their announced candidate for mayor Reverend Erick Salgado of Brooklyn. Over 150 clergy members from all over New York City came to the Bronx to help Senator Diaz raise money for mayoral candidate Salgado. Diaz Sr. is a veteran of many Bronx elections for District Leader, City Council, and State Senate. His son Ruben Diaz Jr. has won elected office as an assemblyman and now is the Bronx Borough President. Lately due to the changes in the state senate with the passage of legislation that goes against the moral principles of Senator Reverend Diaz and others in the clergy, the New York Hispanic Ministers have joined together to come up with candidates who have the same beliefs that they do.

The master of ceremonies for the breakfast was Bishop Luis Bonano. In attendance also were the Hispanic Ministers choice for the 11^th City Council District Ms. Cheryl Keeling, and 15^th City Council District Reverend Joel Bauza. 15^th Council candidate Rev. Joel Bauza spoke first about the importance of contributions and how they are matched 6 to 1 by the Campaign Finance Board to level out the playing field. There are limits on how much is matched, and that is the key. Senator Diaz then spoke on how it has been voting for Democrats in the past no matter who they were and sometimes no matter where they stood on certain topics. Those topics would never become legislation in the past, but now have. Diaz Sr. said “it's about time people voted our way, and for our candidates which includes Erick Salgado for Mayor”. When he introduced Democratic mayoral candidate Erick Salgado Senator Diaz handed him his check for $1,000.00.

    Salgado spoke at length on what is wrong with the city and how he would be a mayor of all five boroughs, not just an area of lower Manhattan. He wants to restore the police force to past levels, and spoke of being stopped by the police but not frisked after he identified himself. Salgado also spoke on the poor condition of the education system in the city that he says is failing the children. He wants to support small business, and reduce the government bureaucracy now in place. Salgado added that he has support from others than only Hispanics, which include Orthodox Jews, and the Russian community in Brooklyn who are supporting him. There was even a reporter from a Russian newspaper covering the event. He said these are the people who believe in the same moral values that we do.

    I asked Reverend Salgado about the candidacy of former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, which Salgado said would not hurt him. I continued that Carrion might not affect the Democratic primary, but in the November election he could steal enough votes from the Democratic candidate for the Republican candidate to win. Then when I asked Rev. Salgado if he would support the winner of the Democratic primary if he did not win he did not answer, and said that he would win adding that he would also be the candidate of the Conservative Party. I called Bill Newmark the Bronx Conservative Party Leader who said that while Rev. Salgado will be getting the endorsement of the Bronx Conservative Party that two other county organizations would need to also endorse him to allow the five borough New York City Conservative Party to have Rev. Salgado on their line. Chairman Newmark also told me that it looked like New York State Conservative Party Leader Mike Long was trying to convince three of the other borough Conservative leaders to endorse one of the Republican candidates for mayor. 

 Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz Sr. at the microphone as his 15th city council candidates Rev. Joel Bauza 15th and Cheryl Kelling 11th Council districts look on.

 *******************************************************