A Very YEP Christmas

Left and Right - Are the toys that were brought to the Eastwood Manor earlier today for the 2013 Sharing and Caring party held by Councilman Andy King and the Bronx Youth Empowerment Program that he started several years ago. Yes that is Santa Claus on the right watching over all the toys to make sure that deserving youngsters received them.
  The Eastwood Manor and Councilman Andy King hosted a Christmas Party for deserving children in his district, and got a lot of help from some of the youngsters in his Bronx Youth Empowerment Program which was started several years ago by Mr. Andy King.
  Mr. Jemine Antonelli a youth pastor dressed up as Santa Claus, and he had more fun than the little children that sat on his lap. Mr. Antonelli also gave the invocation (in full Santa suit), and was only one of the many YEP volunteers who helped Councilman King make this Christmas Party a huge success. By the way Santa Antonelli said that he wants a new Booster Sleigh as his present for Christmas as the reindeer are getting old.
  Councilman King and his wife are sharing all year round, and he wants to remove barriers to move forward. It is one of the reasons he has done so well in his short stint as a replacement for former Councilman Seabrook (who was removed from office), and the reason that Councilman Andy King was re-elected with an overwhelmingly majority of the vote this past primary and general election.
  I was able to draw Councilman King away from the crowd long enough to ask him about the speakers race where on January 8th he and all of the 51 council members will vote in a new speaker of the council. Councilman King said that he has committed his vote to the Bronx Council delegation to vote with the delegation as a block. I told him of the night before where Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito was with Councilman Elect Ritchie Torres who is the only Bronx delegation member committed to her for speaker. I then asked Councilman King if he received any phone calls from the incoming mayor who he supported over the Bronx Democratic County organization's candidate, and he said yes he did but that he was still committed to vote with the Bronx Council delegation. 

Left - Councilman King introduces the members of YEP who were helping him.

Right - A photo of all of the volunteers with Councilman King.

  

Left - Sofia sits on Santa lap, and tells him what she wants for Christmas.

Right - Other youngsters were dancing.

Left - The Jamccar Ekklispe steel drum band were one of the performers at the party.

Right - Councilman King's parents Bernice and Andy King Sr. enjoy the party.

 The Bronx Youth Empowerment Program. What it is all about.

Chiara de Blasio Opens Up About Her Depression And Substance Abuse

 This comes from the Daily News Blog by Celeste Katz.

  The entire article can be found here, which includes a 5 minute video by Mayor de Blasio's 19 year old daughter has revealed that she has battled substance abuse, depression, drugs, and alcohol including how she won out over all of them. She begins the video by disclosing she’s battled depression nearly “her entire adolescence” and that her substance abuse flowed from that struggle.

  Chiara de Blasio attends college in California 3,000 miles away, and sought help here in New York City. In a surprise e-mail the incoming mayor and his wife "As parents, our instinct has been to protect our daughter and privately help her through a deeply personal struggle," they wrote. The video also was posted on YouTube, under the heading, "Chiara de Blasio tells her story."

  For her part, Chiara de Blasio simply encouraged people to watch the short video. “I hope that everybody watches the video," she said. "I think that it speaks for itself."

Yudelka Tapia Fined By COIB

  The Conflicts of Interest Board has fined Yudelka Tapia almost $5,000.00 for using her computer in her  office as a city employee for the City Comptrollers office to advance her failed city council campaign and successful campaign for Female District Leader in 2009,. The COIB fined Ms. Tapia $4,480 for using the city computer for sending out political e-mails and for other political campaign uses while on city time. 

  Ms. Yudelka Tapia also ran this past year in the 86th Assembly special election when the seat became vacant after 86th A.D. Assemblyman Nelson Castro resigned.  Castro wore a wire for federal prosecutors for five years in a sting operation to root out corrupt Bronx elected officials that netted only a freshman assemblyman after Castro was indicted for election fraud in 2008. It was not said if this fine was connected to this years campaign for the assembly by Ms. Tapia, only the 2009 City Council and District Leader positions.

New Speaker Comes to Bronx North Association of Resident Councils Inc.

  It was the meeting and installation celebration of the newly appointed Executive Board members of the Bronx North Association of Resident Councils Inc. Lilithe Lazano as the Chair, Walter McNeil as the Vice Chair, Mildred Mcelveen as the Treasurer, Sandra Gross as the Secretary, and Harvey Butler as the Sergeant of Arms. The swearing in of the new executive board was by Councilman Elect Ritchie Torres, and Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito who should be the next speaker of the City Council was also on hand as you will see in the photos below. State Senator Ruth Hassel-Thompson and many others were in attendance to see the installation of the new executive board. 

 

Left - That's 80th Assembly State Committeeman Joe Mcmanus on the left, Newly Elected 15th Councilman Ritchie Torres in the center, and soon to be new Chair Lilithe Lozano on the left before the ceremony.

Right - State Senator Ruth Hassel-Thompson chats with on of the Captains from the 49th Precinct.

 

Left - Ms. Lazano speaking to the audience on the tasks of being the Chair of the Bronx North Association of Resident Councils Inc., and her dedication to the task.

Right - 15th Councilman Elect Ritchie Torres introduces his choice for the next speaker of the City Council Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito.

Left - Councilman Elect Torres swears in the new Executive Board as his future speaker looks on.

Right - The five new board members pose with Councilman Torres and future City Council Speaker Mark-Viverito.

In what may be the best photo of things to come in the City Council, here Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito almost 100 percent sure of being the new speaker poses with her favorite (and only) announced Bronx council supporter Councilman Elect Ritchie Torres of the 15th council district.

After talking with the future speaker she hopes that other members of the Bronx delegation will vote for her as Councilman Torres will. As to what lulus the Bronx delegation members will get, right now look for only Councilman Torres to share in the spoils of the victory leaving the rest of the Bronx delegation out in the cold. 

A Great City Council Speaker for New York

This comes to us from Councilman Elect Mark Levine, and we wonder what committee Councilman Levine will be chairing for this letter of support.

After the mayor, the most powerful position in New York City government is the speaker of the City Council.  A strong majority of the new Council has now made their selection for this critical leadership post: Melissa Mark-Viverito.  

I have come to know Councilmember Mark-Viverito well, and I am confident she will be an outstanding leader for the Council and the city.  She is a movement progressive who has long been a powerful voice for social and economic justice.  She is a smart, hard-working, and inclusive leader who will be able to skillfully marshal critical policies through the new Council--in support of affordable housing, public education, low-wage workers, and more.

Melissa arrived to New York City from her native Puerto Rico at the age of 18. Over the years she has risen from labor organizer to community board member to being elected the first Latino to represent East Harlem. In the Council she serves as chair of the Parks Committee and founding co-chair the Progressive Caucus. Throughout her career she has shown an exceptional ability to bring diverse people together towards a common purpose. (If you haven’t read it already, don’t miss this week’s profile of Melissa in the New York Times.)

And as speaker, Melissa will make history as the first person of color in that critical post, and the first Latino to hold any city-wide elected position.

I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the diverse coalition, with members from all five boroughs and across the political spectrum, which has come together to elect Melissa Mark-Viverito as the next Speaker.

I hope you will join me in welcoming Melissa into her critical new role.   

Sincerely,

Mark Levine

Councilmember-elect, 7th District  

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
District 32 Bronx County, New York

Governor Andrew Cuomo Just Did it Again to Get Even with Me and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo  

  You should know that on Monday, December 16, 2013, the leaders of the New York State Republican Party, Chairman Ed Cox, New York State Senate Republican Conference Leader Dean Skelos, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and others, at the request of myself and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, came to the South Bronx to distribute 2,000 toys to our needy and poor children for my annual event “Christmas In The Bronx.” You should have seen the excitement that radiated from the faces of all these children!

Two days later on December 18, 2013, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed and vetoed over 60 bills. One of his vetoes, Veto #249 to be exact, was the Immigrant Service Enforcement Act (A.158A-S.786A). I am the Senate sponsor of this bill, and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, who is also the Assembly Chair of the Task Force on New Americans, is the sponsor in that house.

You should also know that on the very next day, December 19, 2013, not one, but two articles were published in the New York Times: Immigration Remakes and Sustains New York, Report Finds and Life Expectancy of New Yorkers Rises With Influx of Immigrants, Study Finds. 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, when the venerable New York Times published not only one, but two articles on the positive impact immigrants bring to New York City, we have a Governor vetoed a bill that would strengthen protections against the rampant fraud to which immigrants are frequently subjected. How could the Governor veto a bill that requires immigrant service providers to register with the State? How could the Governor veto a bill that increases fines against immigrant service providers who seek to cheat the very people they are supposed to serve out of their hard earned money? How could the Governor veto a bill that is essentially a comprehensive consumer protection bill?

 

This bill is not only about protecting immigrants who speak Spanish. This bill is about protecting immigrants who speak Chinese, Russian, Creole, and even English speaking immigrants from Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Consequently, the Governor’s veto is not only about his failure to protect immigrants who speak Spanish. His veto fails to protect the millions of immigrants who call New York City home.

 

Since Assemblyman Crespo and I represent communities in the Bronx, our concern is naturally for our constituents who are immigrants and who make their home here. According to the New York Times: “From 2000 to 2011, the Bronx’s foreign-born population increased by about 85,300, the largest growth of any borough.” This growth, however, is not only evident in the Bronx. Again, according to the New York Times, in Staten Island the “immigrant population grew 36 percent, the largest percentage increase of any borough.” 

 

Ladies and Gentleman, a bill of this magnitude and scope does not get introduced, negotiated, amended and passed, unanimously in the Assembly and one vote shy of unanimous in the Senate, overnight. For three long years, Assemblyman Crespo has been working tirelessly with the legislative leaders in both houses, with the Governor’s office and with New York City’s leading immigrant service providers and advocacy groups, including the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the Queens Chapter for League of United Latin American Citizens, the New York Immigration Coalition, Casa Puebla and New Immigrant Community Empowerment, to craft a bill that everyone could support. Clearly, this bill had wide-spread community and legislative support.

Even as final negotiations were taking place with the Governor’s office prior to the Governor’s veto, Assemblyman Crespo was willing to amend the bill further to address the Governor’s concerns. Instead of a good faith effort on the part of the Governor, the immigrants who contribute so much to the vitality, health and well being of New York City were given a slap in the face.

You should know that when the Governor vetoes a bill, he is required by state law to issue what is referred to as a “veto message.” The Governor’s veto message in part states:“Unfortunately, this bill fails to achieve its stated purposes, because, among other things, some of its key provisions are preempted by federal law, so they are unenforceable as State law.”

Since when did the Governor of New York State become the lawyer for the Federal Government? Our Governor is not the United States Attorney General. Why is the Governor hiding behind Federal law as an excuse to veto this bill? There is no Federal gay marriage law, yet the Governor pushed that bill through, going so far as to force the Senate leaders to dispense with Senate Rules that govern floor debate. There is no Federal law that allows for the use of medical marijuana or is there a Federal law that decriminalizes marijuana, yet Governor Cuomo seems more determined than ever to make marijuana more readily available in our minority communities. There is no effort on the Federal level to expand abortion the way Governor Cuomo wants to expand abortion here in New York State.

 

You should also know that this is not the first time that the Democratic Governor who is the head of the State Democratic Party, the Party that is supposed to be the champion of the immigrant, has treated New York City and its residents with such disrespect. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s refusal to include funding for the Dream Act in the State budget and his effort a few years ago to slash funding for senior centers which serve many immigrants, are among two of the horrible examples of how our Governor has treated the immigrant community.

 

You should know my dear reader, that Governor Andrew Cuomo just did it again and I am afraid that he did it to get even with Assemblyman Marcos Crespo and me for allowing Ed Cox, Dean Skelos, and Rob Astorino to come to the South Bronx to give 2,000 toys to our needy and poor children.

I am State Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.

Senator Ruben Diaz Christmas Party

  Last night the biggest and best Christmas party of the season in the Bronx was held at Maestros by State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. It was wall to wall happy party goers who most wanted their picture taken with Team Diaz. State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo are the three members of Team Diaz 2014. Others on hand included Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., State Senator Michael Gianaris (Chair of the Democratic State Senate Campaign Committee), newly elected Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, and many district leaders and state committee members. 

 

Left & Right - It was wall to wall people at Maestros for the Diaz Christmas party.

Left - Team Diaz member Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda with wife Elizabeth and son Enrique.
Right - Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. wants to know if the Bronx is in the house.

Left - State Senator Michael Gianaris of Queens came to the Bronx to help Team Diaz 2014 celebrate.

Right - New Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson was also in attendance with Team Diaz 2014..

Pelham Parkway Tree Lighting

  Standing not to far from the famous Christmas House on Pelham Parkway Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj was joined by students from nearby New York Institute of Special Education, and about 100 people on the median of Pelham Parkway North at Westervelt Avenue to light a Christmas tree and greet Santa Claus. Students from the New York Institute led by music teacher Mr. Schulman sang out carols as they waited for Santa to arrive. When Santa did arrive he greeted everyone then went over to help light the tree.

 

Left - Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj with some of the students from the New York Institute of Special Education.

Right - Assemblyman Michael Benedetto was on hand to greet Santa and join in the caroling.

 

Left - Santa showed up to help light the tree on the right.

 

Left & Right - Santa sits with Hennessy Cruz and Messiah Mercad just two of the many children.

Left - A group photo with Santa in front of the tree.

Right - The famous Christmas House on Pelham Parkway North.