Bronx Chamber of Commerce Veteran's Luncheon "Salute to the Heros"

  Five of the famous Tuskegee Airmen - Airmen Floyd Carter, Wilfred DeFour, Dabney Montgomery, Joseph Spooner, and Pilot Audley Coulthurst were on hand along with veterans from other U.S. wars for this celebration of their service to the United States of America by the Bronx Chamber of Commerce. BCC President Lenny Caro opened the luncheon by thanking each and everyone of the attendees who had served in the armed forces. Caro pointed to a memorial wall that was set up with the names of former armed forces members who "gave their life so we could be here", Mr. Caro said. After the national anthem was sung by PEPE (from Alive & Kickin) who was accompanied by a trio of bagpipers a short video tribute was played. Father Richard Gorman then gave the invocation. 

  Keynote speaker Senator Jeff Klein said that it should not be only on one day that members of the armed forces are remembered. He went on to say that unemployment is the highest among returning veterans. Klein added that starting in January 2014 any business in NY state will get a $5,000.00 tax break for every new veteran they hire. Klein had his staff members present proclamations to the five Tuskegee airmen present at the luncheon. Other speakers were Thomas Messina from Congressman Crowley's office (who also had citations for the airmen), Terrance Holliday the Commissioner of Veteran's Affair for Mayor Bloomberg, Hugh Meehan of sponsor AT&T, and Captain Matthew E. Loughlin of the NROTC unit SUNY Maritime College.

 

Left & Right - Two of Senator Klein's aids give citations from Sen. Klein to the airmen.

 

Left - One Airman checks over the citation from Sen. Klein.

Right - Father Richard Gorman chats with the Tuskegee Airmen after the luncheon.

Left - Geri Sciortinoof the BCC chats with the Airmen.

Right - Sen. Klein and the airmen as the show Sen. Klein's citation. Sorry, but the lighting was bad on this shot.

 

Left - PEPE from Alive & Kickin sings the National Anthem.

Right - Bag Pipers from the FDNY accompany him during the National Anthem.

Left - The memorial wall to fallen members of the armed forces.

Right - Mr. Caro with two of the Tuskegee Airmen and other veteran's.

Left - Mr. Caro, Senator Klein, Captain Loughlin and others in front of the memorial wall.

Right - Members of the NAM KNIGHTS a five borough chapter of Vietnam Veterans.

CPC UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES KINGSBRIDGE ARMORY

 

  In a unanimous vote, the City Planning Commission today approved the Kingsbridge Armory ULURP application, moving the much-heralded Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) project one step closer to completion. The project now heads to the Bronx Borough Board and then to the City Council, where it will seek its final approvals before it reaches the mayor’s desk.

“This is an extremely important, transformative project that will not only reshape this historic structure, but will provide living wage jobs, recreation opportunities and community programming. This project will not just help revitalize the surrounding neighborhood, but will add to the borough’s new reputation as a sports mecca while advancing the concept of the ‘New Bronx.’ I look forward to its approval at the City Council,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Borough President Diaz added, “The KNIC Proposal will preserve a significant and irreplaceable architectural and engineering icon and landmark, which will now be saved for posterity. Developed for military use, the Armory will now become a cultural and recreational asset for our great borough and city in the near future.”

“Today’s vote will facilitate the construction of a world class skating, community and educational facility that will promote the Borough, produce many needed permanent jobs, teach the art of skating, promote the art of competitive ice hockey and be the catalyst for the rebirth of the Kingsbridge Heights section of the Bronx, the entire borough of the Bronx, the City as a whole and the entire region,” said Orlando Marin, Bronx Representative to the City Planning Commission.

“I am very pleased that the City Planning Commission has approved the Kingsbridge Armory proposal.  The project is enormously important for the Bronx and will transform the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood. I will be a vigorous advocate for prompt Council approval,” said City Council Member G. Oliver Koppell.

“I am incredibly pleased that the City Planning Commission has unanimously approved the Kingsbridge National Ice Center project. This decision brings us one step closer to transforming the Kingsbridge Armory into an important economic engine for the Kingsbridge community and the Bronx as a whole,” said Senator Gustavo Rivera. "I am proud that we have been able to move forward a deal that will revitalize a Bronx landmark while providing living wage jobs, community programs and economic development to the community I serve,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera.

“This unanimous vote by the City Planning Commission on the proposal of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) is great news for the Bronx and New York City.  I want to commend Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. for his leadership on this important initiative. The KNIC proposal will give the children of our borough and our city an amazing recreational outlet, bring numerous jobs for the people of the Bronx and revenue to the surrounding merchants in the area, and is deserving of such strong support,” said City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito.

“Community Board #7 is very happy that the NYC City Planning Commission has approved the Kingsbridge National Ice Center proposal and we look forward to the opening of this wonderful facility which will empower our community and its residents,” said Adaline Walker Santiago, Chairperson, Bronx Community Board #7.

"This is great news for Kingsbridge Heights and all of the Bronx. I have strongly supported the proposal by KNIC because it promises to not only bring living wage jobs to the community, but also provide world class facilities that will benefit young people from throughout the Bronx and beyond. I also believe that this project will revitalize the Kingsbridge Road shopping district and the entire community. Kudos to Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. for his steadfast leadership, without which this project would not have been possible,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.

“It’s exciting to know that the Bronx is one step closer to becoming home to the world’s largest indoor ice skating rink,” said Marlene Cintron, President of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation. “I believe that the Kingsbridge National Ice Center will attract numerous visitors from all over the world, which is always great business for the Bronx.”

A Thank You From Joe Lhota

Friends,

When I began my campaign for Mayor in February, I said we would focus on issues, substance, and what’s best for the future of New York – and we did.

Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who spent countless hours making phone calls, knocking on doors, and handing out literature.  And thank you to everyone who made a financial contribution to our campaign.

I will remain a strong advocate for all New Yorkers and I will continue to speak out to ensure New York continues the progress it has made over the past 20 years.  I love this city.  I cherish its diversity and optimism.  New York is five boroughs, but we will always be One City.  Thank you again.

With warm regards,

Bronx Election Results - No Surprises Here

   There were no surprises on Election Day 2013 as the three citywide Democrats coasted to easy victories. In the Bronx the story was the same, that the real election day was the Democratic Primary. 

   Citywide The Mayors race went as follows - 

Bill deBlasio 73.3% - Joe Lhota 24.3% - Adolfo Carrion 0.8% - All other candidates (12) 2.4%

   In the Bronx the Mayors race went as follows - 

Bill deBlasio 86.1% - Joe Lhota 11.1% - Adolfo Carrion 1.9% - All other candidates (12) less than 1%

  A Breakdown of the 5 boroughs for Mayor -
Bronx -                  Bill deBlasio 86.1% -  Joe Lhota 11.1%
Brooklyn -           Bill deBlasio 77.7% - Joe Lhota 20.1%
Manhattan -        Bill deBlasio 72% -     Joe Lhota 25.4%
Queens -               Bill deBlasio 70.6% - Joe Lhota 27.3%
Staten Island  - Joe Lhota 53.2% - Bill deBlasio 44.2%

  Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. - 89%

The Bronx City Council Races all were won by the Democratic candidate.
CD - 8 - Melissa Mark-Viverito (I) -      94%
CD 11 - Andrew Cohen -                             80%
CD 12 - Andy King (I) -                               96%
CD 13 - James Vacca (I) -                          83%
CD 14 - Fernando Cabrera (I) -               96%
CD 15 - Ritchie Torres -                              91%
CD 16 - Vanessa Gibson -                           91%
CD 17 - Maria del Carmen Arroyo (I) - 93%
CD 18 - Annabel Palma (I) -                      89%

Questions About Voting & Poll Workers

  In my travels today I have witnessed some questionable things that I saw when I went to vote, and reports from other people who I spoke to when they went to vote.

  First as I waited behind a few people at the desk where i vote I noticed that the tags of the three pole workers sitting at the desk had an "R" by the name. I watched as one of these "R"s gave instructions to the three people in front of me and then to me. She said that one does not have to go straight down the line to vote (moving her hand over the first column on the ballot), and reminded all of us that there were other candidates on the ballot. After the other people left and I was given these same instructions, and I said that the poll worker could not say that asking if there was a Democrat at the table. One worker said that she was, but that the tags were screwed up.

  Second at no time were any of us instructed to turn the ballot over to vote on the 6 ballot proposals. It was as if the NYC Board of Elections did not want anybody to know the 6 ballot questions were on the back of the ballot. Upon going to the scanning machine I informed the person by the machine that I wanted to place my ballot in the machine, rather than have the poll workers who seemed to be looking at the finished ballots as they placed the ballot in the scanner.

  Before leaving I had a long talk with the poll coordinator who agreed with me, but did nothing.

  As my day went on I met several other people who told me much of the same story that I had at my poll site. Almost everyone told me that they were not instructed to turn the ballot over for the 6 propositions. 20% said that they also were told not to go straight down the column, while more than half said that it looked like the poll worker was checking their ballot before placing it into the scanning machine.

  Upstate New York will benefit the most if Ballot Proposal #1 is passed, as the Governor and state legislature have already penciled in the revenue the casino gambling will bring in into the upcoming state budget. Is it any wonder that the less New York City votes on Ballot Proposal #1 the better it is for the pro casino people.

  To put it another way.

Strike one was the wording of Ballot Proposal #1.

Strike two was the millions of dollars spent to have voters vote yes on Ballot Proposal #1.

Strike three is the way the NYC Board of Election placed the Ballot Proposals, on the back of the ballot.

It looks like we are out, because those millions spent in advertising can be won back by the casinos in a few short months. Don't believe me - just go to the Aqueduct Racino website to see that ELEVEN BILLION DOLLARS was bet ther in the first year.

What Borough was Freddie Ferrer President of?

  This comes from the State of Politics blog and was posted under the heading of Gaming, titled  Ferrer Robocalls: A "Win-Win for our Community" . The first sentence reads however - Former Manhattan Borough President Freddy Ferrer is popping up a pro-casino robocall that’s going to Latino homes across the state. 

  The article quotes Ferrer saying “I’m calling today to urge you to join me in flipping over the ballot and voting yes on proposal one on November 5th,” says Ferrer, the 2005 Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. “It’s a win-win for our community. New Yorkers spend over $1.2 billion each year at casinos and hotels in neighboring states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Let’s bring that money back here to our city and state. Proposal one will create thousands of good paying jobs for our community and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding for our schools.” 

  It is also stated that the robocall was paid for by New York Jobs, the pro-casino coalition composed of gambling companies and labor unions that is backing the amendment. 

   You may want to go back and read the bold print again that has Ferrer as the former Borough President of Manhattan and not as Borough President of the Bronx. Maybe that was why he lost the election in 2005, no one knew where Freddy Ferrer came from. Or could it be that former Bronx BP Ferrer is looking for that  job that Robert De Niro had in the movie Casino. 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, 

 
Look Who’s Talking About Treason?

You should know that I am reading Fred Dicker’s column in today’s 11/4/13, New York Post about how New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is getting leaders of the Democratic Party together for fight against the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) Leader Jeff Klein and his fellow IDC Members: Senator Diane Savino, Senator David Valesky and Senator David Carlucci – calling them “traitors to the Democratic Party.”

As you know, IDC Leader Senator Jeff Klein formed an alliance with the Senate Republican Party Leader, Senator Dean Skelos, where they both serve as Co-Chairs to the State Senate. They share the authority to bring and stop legislation from coming to the Floor of the Senate. They both run the Senate.

According to Fred Dicker, Governor Andrew Cuomo has pressured Members of the IDC to support him on certain issues, and since they refuse, Dicker quotes a Cuomo administration source: “He said members of Klein’s IDC would be “prime targets’’ of the governor’s attacks. “The governor thinks the IDC members are most vulnerable in Democratic primaries as traitors to the Democratic Party,’’ the source continued.”

You should know this is laughable. It is pure hypocrisy – and the biggest farce any leader could bring to the Democratic Party.  If we really want to talk about treason and the Democratic Party, let’s talk about Governor Andrew Cuomo himself.

You should know that Governor Andrew Cuomo did everything possible from stopping the Democrats from taking control of the State Senate. We all know that it was Governor Andrew Cuomo who stopped Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins from becoming the Leader of the New York State Senate by working behind doors to create the IDC.

Today we have a coalition of Democrats in the State Senate – something called the Independent Democratic Conference – and we can all thank Governor Andrew Cuomo for it. It was formed behind the scenes with his full support. Governor Andrew Cuomo did not want the Democrats to be in control of the State Senate, so he pushed for the formation of this coalition hoping to manipulate it – and of course, he blessed it.

And while we’re on the subject who is the traitor to the Democratic Party, you should know that it was Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Budget that cut services to senior citizens, closed community service organizations, cut services to Medicare, and hurt the poor and needy New Yorkers. He even refused to include the Dream Act in his Budget.

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s opposition to helping and supporting the most vulnerable New Yorkers goes completely against the heart of the Democratic Party. He may want to take a look in the mirror if he really wants to see who is committing treason against basic Democratic issues.


You should also know that during the last election, Governor Andrew Cuomo, the standard bearer of New York State Democratic Party, publicly supported Republicans running for State Senate. He backed GOP Senators Roy McDonald and Stephen Saland. He even backed GOP Mark Grisanti over Democrat Mike Amodeo.

You should know that while Senator Jeff Klein has just announced that he will be the major advocate of Bill de Blasio's plan to use tax hikes on the wealthy to fund universal prekindergarten – Governor Andrew Cuomo remains opposed to taxing the rich.

My dear reader, when anyone tells me that Governor Andrew Cuomo is attacking Senator Jeff Klein and the IDC and calling them traitors, I have to say: Please, GIVE ME A BREAK!

Senator Jeff Klein looks like a hero compared to Governor Andrew Cuomo. Even though I oppose Senator Klein’s efforts to promote the Reproductive Health Act, I have to applaud him because at least he was able to grab and hold on to some of the power and protect some legislation that helps the poor and the needy – and he does not ignore the needs of minority New Yorkers.

So ladies and gentlemen, when we talk about treason and who is the real traitor, all eyes, all fingers, all arrow and all darts have to be pointed at our beloved Governor Andrew Cuomo.

This is Senator Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.

 

Senator Diaz and Assemblyman Sepulveda Introduce Legislation to Protect Shoppers

  Senator Ruben Diaz and Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda will Introduce Legislation to Protect Macy's Shoppers

New York State Senator Rev Ruben Diaz and Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda will introduce legislation to “amend the general obligations law, in relation to requiring mercantile establishments to cease collections upon a court order finding of not guilty of larceny in mercantile establishments.” This legislation is in response to the growing number of news stories about people who have shopped at Macy’s and other stores and have been erroneously charged with shoplifting.

Senator Rev Diaz stated: “This legislation is intended to protect consumers – especially Black and Hispanic men and women who shop at Macy’s or elsewhere – and who are not guilty of any criminal activity and do not deserve to be fined by the stores for crimes they did not commit.”

Assemblyman Sepulveda stated: “Our city is known for its rich diversity of persons of varying socio-economic backgrounds. Everyone has the right to purchase goods without fearing that they will be suspected of shoplifting. New York State Senator Ruben Diaz and I are proposing legislation that would require merchants to cease attempts to collect fines against a customer falsely accused of shoplifting. It is shameful that innocent people are blacklisted. We, as legislators, will continue to fight against these inherently unfair and unjust practices.”