High Bridge and the Harlem River Water Front - next steps with city, state and federal agencies
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HARLEM RIVER WORKING GROUP MEETING
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Upcoming Harlem River Meetings
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UPCOMING HARLEM RIVER WORKING GROUP MEETINGS
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Tuesday, January 7, 2014
January 16th Meeting: Planning the HIGH BRIDGE's Reopening and the Harlem River Waterfront
Upcoming Bronx Chamber of Commerce Events
Please mark your calendars for our upcoming events!
Workshop with the Better Business Bureau
When: Wednesday, January 15th
12:30 - 2:00 pm
Where: Hutch Metro Center Conference Center
1200 Waters Place, Bronx, NY 10461
* Complimentary Admission - Lunch will be Provided *
RSVP to Michelle@BronxChamber.org
Inauguration of the
Executive Board and Board of Directors
When: Thursday, January 23rd
Cocktail Reception Begins at 6PM
Where: The Schiff Family Great Hall at the Bronx Zoo
*Complimentary Admission to All Current Members*
**MUST RSVP AS SPACE IS LIMITED**
RSVP to Alexandra@BronxChamber.org
at your earliest convenience !
We look forward to having you attend!
Mayor de Blasio Meets Wtih Bronx Council Delegation
In an interview with Capitol New York Bronx Council delegation leader Councilwoman Annabel Palma talks about this latest meeting with Mayor Bill de Blasio to try to sway their votes from Dan Garodnick to Melissa Mark-Viverito for city council speaker. As of now only Councilman Ritchie Torres has committed to voting for Mark-Viverito with the rest of the Bronx delegation committing to Dan Garodnick for speaker when the selection takes place on Thursday January 8th.
In the interview Councilwoman Palma says "This whole process has been handled through manipulation and threats. People have been called and told they would not get help in their districts when it came to budget time." She added that those who vote against Councilwoman Mark-Viverito for speaker were threatened with primary challenges in future races. In the next council election in the Bronx, the 8th (Mark-Viverito), 13th (Vacca), 17th (Arroyo) and 18th (Palma) will be open seats due to term limits. The 11th (Cohen) and 12th (King) were supported by Mayor Bill de Blasio, while the 15th (Torres) is the lone supporter of Mark-Viverito. That would leave only the 14th (Cabrera) and 16th (Gibson) to worry about having a primary in 2017. Having spoken to several Bronx council delegation members about how they will vote, all who are supporting Garodnick have said they will vote as a block for him. I wonder however if Councilman Fernando Cabrera or Councilman Fernando Hyde from the 14th council district will show up for the vote.
Councilwoman Palma did not give any specifics as to just who or whom was threatening any Bronx council member, but said "This whole process of the Working Families Party involvement and the
unions having such a heavy hand on who gets a speaker is totally
disrespectful to the entire Council,"
Mayor de Blasio declined to comment on the meeting, saying only that it was a "very productive and respectful meeting." You can find the entire article from Capitol New York here.
Mayor de Blasio declined to comment on the meeting, saying only that it was a "very productive and respectful meeting." You can find the entire article from Capitol New York here.
BP DIAZ TO HOST INAUGURATION & BRONX CENTENNIAL KICKOFF
On Thursday, January 9,
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will be joined by local elected
officials as well as business and community leaders for his inauguration
ceremony and the official kick off to Bronx County’s year-round
centennial celebration.
The
ceremony will also feature the swearing-in of the Borough President and
the entire Bronx City Council delegation, a historical nod to the first
swearing in that took place when Bronx County was created in 1914.
During the ceremony, Borough President Diaz and the Bronx Chamber of
Commerce will also unveil a commemorative plaque celebrating the
centennial.
In addition, the Empire State Building will light up in the colors of the Bronx flag Thursday night to honor the 100th anniversary celebration of the creation of Bronx County.
When: Thursday, January 9, 2014
Where: Bronx County Building
Veterans’ Memorial Hall
851 Grand Concourse
Bronx NY 10451
Time: 6 p.m.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Councilman Andrew Cohen Inauguration
If one photo says a thousand words, the above photo sums it up as a
family swearing in. As you see Andrew Cohen is being sworn in by Judge
Edgar Walker. On his right is his wife Heather, and proudly standing next
to her father also taking the oath of office is 5 year old Sarah Cohen.
The weather may have been cold with freezing rain out side, inside the Lovinger Theater at Lehman College was another story however. Hundreds of people gathered to see Mr. Andrew Cohen become Councilman Andrew Cohen. There were dozens of elected officials which included U.S.Senator Chuck Schumer, Congressmen Eliot Engel and Charles Rangel, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Letitia James, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., State Senators Jeff Klein, Gustavo Rivera, and Adriano Espilliat, Bronx State Assembly members Jeff Dinowitz, Mark Gjonaj, Victor Pichardo and the Bronx Democratic County Leader Carl Heastie, Bronx council members Carmen Maria Arroyo, Fernando Cabrera, Vanessa Gibson, Andy King, and Ritchie Torres. Other City Council members in attendance included both candidates for speaker of the council Mellissa Msrk Viverito and Dan Gardoneck, Queens Councilman Mark Werprin, and Manhattan Councilmen Ydanis Rodriguez and Mark Levine. Also many members of Community Board 8 which Councilman Cohen was a member of, and others from Community boards 7 and 12.
As for the speeches by the elected officials they started off saying we thank former Councilman Oliver Koppell for his 12 years in office, changing to the welcoming of a new Councilman Andrew Cohen, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz summed it up best by saying "now we will have a councilman that I can work with.
New City Comptroller Scott Stringer was the first elected official to speak, and he said that he has deep roots to the 11th council district. Stringer went on to say that his mother lives in the district, and he has given her Councilman Cohen's cell phone number. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer Mentioned that he was the congressman for the area that Andrew Cohen went to high school. Senator Jeff Klein mentioned that 18 years ago it was in the same Lovinger Theater that he was sworn in. Congressman Charles Rangel however said it was great to be back in Dewitt Clinton (the nearby high school he had attended). Then there were the others such as Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Carl Heastie who said county leaders are looked at like dictators of foreign countries. Senator Gustavo Rivera tried to joke about the bad weather outside by saying that he had to put on his shoe condoms (better known as rubbers). Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj said that he was looking forward to working with Councilman Cohen.
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said that he has been in office for 20 year now, and Andrew Cohen once worked for him in his office. Dinowitz added that Andrew Cohen was supported by almost every Union and elected official not only in the Bronx but from other boroughs. Dinowitz then called up Judge Edgar Walker and Andrew Cohen for the oath of office. There was a standing ovation from the audience when Mr. Andrew Cohen became Councilman Andrew Cohen. Councilman Cohen then went on to give the longest speech that he has given so far thanking all the people in the audience for coming out in such bad weather. He then mentioned that he was a product of NYC public schools, and that he will be on the forefront of improving the public school system. Cohen went on to mention other areas he will concentrate on such as parks, homelessness and the over saturation of shelters, non-profits and adequate funding for them. Cohen went on to thank individual elected official such as Congressman Engel and Councilman Koppell, former Councilwoman June Eisland, and last but not least his family who supported him all the way through the gruelling campaign for the council seat. Below are some photos of the inauguration.
Left - Bronx Democratic County Leader talks with Councilman Andy King before the ceremony.
Right - Rabbi Avi Weiss gave the Invocation. After the ceremony Father Richard Gorman gave the Benediction
Left - The Celia Cruz High School Chorus sing the Pledge of Allegiance.
Right - Sarah Cohen also says the Pledge of Allegiance.
Left - U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.
Right - Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Left - Some of the elected officials that filled the first three rows.
Right That's Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viveritoin the second row on the left, and Councilman Dan Gardonick in the first row. Both are seeking to be the new speaker of the council on Jan. 8th.
Honoring the Legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in The Bronx
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Carmen Farina to Receive Over $400,000.00 to Run NYC Public Schools
In an agreement dated January 1st new schools Chancellor Carmen Farina will receive the same pay that her predecessor Dennis Walcott, that being $212,612.00. In addition however Chancellor Farina will continue to receive her pension from the Board of Education of about $200,00.00 which will make her pay top out at over $400,000.00 a year. Joel Klein as schools chancellor received the standard salary of $250,000.00. In addition Farina is eligible to all the perks as chancellor which include a $1,000.00 opt out payment not to choose the health and welfare benefits offered that would duplicate the benefits she already receives as a Board of Education retiree.
In a statement from Mayor Bill de Blasio's office it was said that Chancellor Farina's base salary was less than the heads of smaller school systems around the country. There is also a car and driver at the disposal of Chancellor Farina.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Small Plane Lands On Major Deegan Highway
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| photo credit to Daniel Miller Via the Daily News. |
A Piper PA28 airplane originating from Danbury Connecticut to tour New York City and the Statue of Liberty experienced an emergency on board en route back to Danbury, and landed safely on the Major Deegan Highway northbound just south of the East 233rd Street exit.
Since there is to be major reconstruction on the Major Deegan Highway at this point (starting very soon) Department of Transportation workers had a lane of the highway closed. The DOT workers then stopped northbound traffic so the plane could glide to a safe landing with none of the three passengers seriously hurt.
Within a few hours the plane was loaded onto a flat bed truck and taken away. The owner of the plane is reported to be Mr. Michael Schwartz of South Salem in Westchester County. Mr. Schwartz and his two passengers were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital with only minor injuries.