COMPTROLLER SCOTT M. STRINGER AUDIT FINDS THAT IMPROPER CLASSIFICATION OF VACANT LOTS RESULTED IN AT LEAST $1.7 MILLION IN LOST

   A COMPTROLLER SCOTT M. STRINGER audit finds that the New York City Department of Finance (DOF) improperly classified the tax and building classes of 308 vacant properties throughout New York City, resulting in an annual real estate tax loss conservatively estimated at $1.7 million, according to an audit released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer.

“New York City loses out on millions of dollars annually in lost tax revenue when the Department of Finance doesn’t make fair, accurate and up to date property assessments”, Stringer said. “There’s a real need for a change in the way DOF does business when over 300 vacant lots are improperly classified. Moving forward, DOF needs to enhance its procedures to ensure that all vacant lots are correctly evaluated and that their owners are paying the taxes they owe the City."

The Department of Finance is responsible for annually appraising the value of more than one million properties citywide.  DOF applies previously established tax rates to the properties’ assessed value to calculate property taxes and then bills and collects taxes from their owners.

According to the Department of City Planning, approximately six percent of land in New York City is categorized as vacant. The audit found that 281 of the 308 misclassified properties, most of which were used as storage yards or as licensed and unlicensed parking lots, had both an incorrect tax and building classification. Had DOF properly categorized these properties, the comptroller’s office conservatively estimated the City could collect as much as $1.7 million in additional tax revenue. 

The remaining 27 lots examined in the audit had the correct tax classification but an incorrect building classification, which could affect the market value of each property. However, it is not possible to calculate the amount of additional taxes due until DOF determines the correct market values of these lots.

The audit urged DOF to:

1.      Inspect and make necessary adjustments to the assessment rolls for the misclassified properties;

2.      Conduct periodic reviews of the properties with the vacant lot classification;

3.     Consider modifying the annual Notice of Property Value sent to property owners requesting they notify DOF if any permanent improvements or changes were made or determine another way to proactively solicit the correct information; and

4.      Coordinate with the Department of Buildings (DOB) to ensure that any necessary permits are issued for the remaining 27 lots identified in the audit as having the incorrect building classification.

DOF agreed with most of the audit recommendations and stated that of the 308 vacant lots identified, 253 would be reclassified, 37 would remain classified as residential property vacant land and that they would make a determination about the remaining 18 properties after they had been inspected.

To read a copy of the full audit, please click here: http://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/audit/?r=03-13-14_FM13-120A

Councilmember Torres Responds on Plans to Reopen Maternity Services at North Central Bronx Hospital

  Bronx Council Member Ritchie Torres, whose district was served by the HHC North Central Bronx Hospital before services were suspended in August 2013 due to senior physician vacancies and concerns about appropriate staffing, responds to the hospital’s announcement of plans to reopen labor and delivery services.

  “I am committed to ensuring that we bring back the highest quality services for North Central Bronx women and families. The appropriate time for a press conference will come when the center is both open and staffed with senior attending obstetricians.  Declaring 'mission accomplished,’ before the mission is accomplished, is premature.”

Creating a Bridge to Re-Unite Neighbors 3.29.14

 

Creating A Pedestrian Bridge to Re-Unite Neighbors:
A Broken Promise that We Will Make Right
Saturday, March 29th, 2014
Van Cortlandt Park

  The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park and Bronx Community Board 8 are hosting a Rally to highlight a broken link and a broken promise in Van Cortlandt Park: the Pedestrian Bridge over the Major Deegan Expressway that connects its eastern and western halves and connects the broken Old Croton Aqueduct Trail.
In 1999, the New York City Council determined that NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) should build a Pedestrian Bridge if it was “feasible”. A feasibility study was conducted and determined that it was feasible but DEP has refused to pay for it. We are asking our community, our elected officials, and all those who love Van Cortlandt Park to join together and demand that DEP keep its promise to the Bronx. The Pedestrian Bridge is now a part of Van Cortlandt Park’s Master Plan. The time for action is now!

Day of Rally Schedule: Saturday March 29th
10AM- Meet inside the Park at last stop of the #1 train (Broadway and West 242nd St.) or #4 train (Jerome and Bainbridge Ave). FVCP staff will lead a walk to rally locations on west and east side of the Major Deegan where the proposed bridge should be built. Help us create a Virtual Bridge through social media and photos to bring us all together.
12PM- Press Conference/ Rally at Shandler Recreation Area Parking Lot (enter the Park at Jerome Avenue between Bainbridge Avenue and East 233rd Street). Join us as we show Elected Officials and the Press that the community supports the Pedestrian Bridge.

Scheduled Speakers: Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Congressman Eliot Engel, State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, State Senator Jeffrey Klein, State Senator Jose M. Serrano, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Councilman Andrew Cohen, Councilwoman Annabel Palma, Robert Fannuzi (CB8), Bob Bender (CB8), Christina Taylor (FVCP) and several community members.

Pedestrian Bridge Supporters: Above speakers plus Councilman Fernando Cabrera, Amalgamated & Park Reservoir Houses, Bronx Community Boards 7, 8 and 12, Bronx Council for Environmental Quality, Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, Harlem River Working Group, New York- New Jersey Trail Conference and Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy.

Email: christina@vancortlandt.org for more information. 

This comes to us from one of Mayor Bill de Blasio's people. All the links have been left in, and I do agree with the mayor on this one item at least.

Mayor de Blasio and Education: Fact-Checking Eva Moskowitz's Claims

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-ravitch/mayor-de-blasio-eva-moskowitz_b_4948262.html

By Diane Ravitch and Avi Blaustein

The battle between NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and Eva Moskowitz, CEO of the Success Academy charter chain, has blown up into a national controversy, covered on national television, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.

Mayor de Blasio had the nerve to award the Moskowitz chain only five of the eight charters that it wanted, and Moskowitz has been on the warpath to get all eight, even if it means pushing kids with disabilities out of their public school classrooms.

What is missing from the controversy so far is any interest on the part of the journalists in basic facts. Instead, what is happening is a public relations battle. Moskowitz has attacked Mayor de Blasio in multiple media appearances, and no one in the media has bothered to check any of her claims.

Let's fill that gap.

On MSNBC's Morning Joe, Ms. Moskowitz claimed that Success Academy 4 in Harlem is the "highest performing school in New York State in math in in fifth grade." This is obviously an odd metric to use in judging a school. Picking out one subject in a single grade should raise suspicion among the media, but it hasn't.

It is also not true. On the fifth grade state math test, the students at Success Academy 4 are, in fact, #8 in New York City (tied with another school) and presumably even lower when compared to schools across the state. The fourth grade math test scoresare #54 in New York City (tied with six other schools). The third grade math scores rank #63 in New York City (tied with 6 other schools). The school's rankings are even worse in English. The fifth grade English test scores rank #59 in New York City (tied with seven other schools), the fourth grade English test scores rank #81 in New York City (tied with five other schools), and the third grade English test scores rank #65 in New York City (tied with eight other schools).

The school is not the "highest performing school in the state" in any grade.

Moskowitz's interviewers have said that the students at Success Academy 4 are the "most disadvantaged kids in New York City," to which she assented. She has said "it's a random lottery school. We don't know who they are."

We do, in fact, know who the students at Success Academy are. They are not the most disadvantaged kids in New York City. Harlem Success Academy schools have half the number of English Language Learners as the neighboring public schools in Harlem. The students in Success Academy 4 include 15 percent fewer free lunch students and an economic need index (a measure of students in temporary housing and/or who receive public assistance) that is 35 percent lower than nearby public schools.

Moskowitz's Success Academy 4 has almost none of the highest special needs students as compared to nearby Harlem public schools. In a school with nearly 500 students, Success Academy 4 has zero, or one, such students, while the average Harlem public school includes 14.1 percent such students. With little sense of irony or embarrassment, Moskowitz has attacked Bill de Blasio for preventing the school's expansion inside PS 149. Her school's expansion would have come at the cost of space for students with disabilities. The school has already lost "a fully equipped music room ... A state-mandated SAVE room ... A computer lab... Individual rooms for occupational and physical therapy ... and the English Language Learners (ELL) classroom," due to earlier Success Academy expansions in the same building.

Moskowitz said, referring to the students in her schools, "we've had these children since kindergarten." But she forgot to mention all the students who have left the school since kindergarten. Or the fact that Harlem Success Academy 4 suspends students at a rate 300 percent higher than the average in the district. Last year's seventh grade class at Harlem Success Academy 1 had a 52.1 percent attrition rate since 2006-07. That's more than half of the kindergarten students gone before they even graduate from middle school. Last year's sixth grade class had a 45.2 percent attrition rate since 2006-07. That's almost half of the kindergarten class gone and two more years left in middle school. In just four years Harlem Success Academy 4 has lost over 21 percent of its students. The pattern of students leaving is not random. Students with low test scores, English Language Learners, and special education students are most likely to disappear from the school's roster. Large numbers of students disappear beginning in 3rd grade, but not in the earlier grades. No natural pattern of student mobility can explain the sudden disappearance of students at the grade when state testing just happens to begin.

Moskowitz made a number of other claims during her Morning Joe appearance. She said "we are self-sustaining on the public dollar alone." In fact, Success Academyspends $2,072 more per student than schools serving similar populations. This additional funding comes from donations by the very same hedge fund moguls who have donated over $400,000 to Governor Cuomo's re-election campaign (charter supporters in the financial and real estate sector have contributed some $800,000 to Governor Cuomo's campaign).

Moskowitz has said "in terms of cracking the code that's what we've set out to do." But we don't need charter schools to crack the code if the cryptographic key is to keep out the neediest students and kick out students with low test scores. Public schools could do that too. Then they too would have higher test scores and a high attrition rate. They don't do it because it would probably be illegal. And besides, it is the wrong thing to do. Public schools are expected to educate everyone, not just those who are likeliest to succeed.

 

State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. ABRAZO GARIFUNA 2014

  As he has done the past several years State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. has held an Abrazo Garifuna in honor of Garifuna-Americn Heritage Month. Over 500 people attended this years event that was held Friday night at Maestro's Caterers. The elected officials on hand with Senator Diaz were Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Congressman Charlie Rangel, State Senator Fernando Cabrera, Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, Councilwoman Maria Del Carmen Arroyo, Civil Cort Judge candidate Brenda Rivera, and others who stopped in. 

  After there was an award reorganization of the four honorees there was a fabulous dance performance in which several audience members joined in with the Budari Dance Company. Below are some photos of the event.

The new Team Diaz? City Councilwoman Maria Del Carmen Arroyo and Congressman Charlie Rangel join Assemblymen Marcos Crespo & Luis Sepulveda and State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr.

 

 Left - As Assemblyman Marcos Crespo is speaking Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda tries on Senator Diaz's hat.

Right - Assemblymen Luis Sepilveda and Marcos Crespo point to Senator Diaz's favorite assemblyman.

Left - State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. reads from Community & Civic Leadership Award presented to Aquina Valentin.

Right - Assemblyman Luis Sepilveda reads from the Culture & Arts Award presented to Felix Gamboa.

 

Left - State Senator Fernando Cabrera reads from the Faith Leadership Award presented to Pastor Andrew Nunez.

Right - State Senator Marcos Serrano reads from the Youth Leadership Award presented to Perla Gonzales.

 Senator Diaz, Assemblyman Crespo, and Jose Avila join the Budari Dance Company for this photo.

The dance company at the start of the performance.

 The dancing was so inviting that even several audience members joined in.

TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION LOCAL 100 ENDORSES ADRIANO ESPAILLAT FOR CONGRESS

 

  John Samuelsen, President of TWU Local 100 said, “We are proud to endorse Senator Adriano Espaillat’s bid for Congress today.” “We are a diverse union of hard working New Yorkers who deliver a vital service to millions of fellow New Yorkers every day. Adriano has pledged to work with us to ensure our members are treated fairly on the job; that they work in a safe environment, and that they receive a fair and just contract from the MTA.  I am excited to work with him on initiatives to improve and expand transit service to the City’s traditionally underserved communities.  We view Adriano as a powerful force for social justice and we are proud to be part of his coalition of support. We are confident that he is the best person to fight for us in Congress and we are ready to get to work to make him our next Representative in the 13th District.”

   The Transport Workers Union Local 100 (TWU), which represents more than 64,000 active and retired members in New York, announced their support for Adriano Espaillat in his bid to represent the 13^th Congressional District. This is the first major union endorsement for Espaillat since his announcement at the United Palace Theatre two weeks ago. Espaillat has received several key endorsements, including New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Senator Gustavo Rivera, Assemblymembers Karim Camara and Gabriela Rosa, Council Members Mark Levine and Ydanis Rodriguez, the Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan, and the Democratic Club of El Barrio & East Harlem.

  

Bronx Chamber of Commerce Irish Heritage Luncheon

BCC President Lenny Caro, BCC Chief of Staff Michelle Dolgow Cristofaro, Honorree Bill Long, Honoree Taryn Duffy, Honoree Noreen O'Donoghue, Honoree Carolyn Murphy, and BCC Chairman Joe Kelleher line the back row (L - R). Seated are Former Assemblyman John Dearie, Justice Douglas McKeon, Robert "BOB" Nolan, and Community Board 10 District Manager Kenneth Kearns. 

     The Bronx Chamber of Commerce is stronger than ever, and the proof was this sold out Irish Heritage Luncheon. BCC President and "Bronx Good Will Ambasador" was all smiles after this thrill pached luncheon. As you will see in the photos below those in attendance were told several very funny Irish stories and jokes, heard the singing of the duo of Laurence Broderick & Shanna Mahoney, had some delicious Irish food, and green beer was also available.. 

Left - There was water, soda and green beer to drink.
Right - Laurence Broderick & Shanna Mahoney pose for this photo.

Left - the pair sing the national anthem, as BCC President Lenny Caro shows his enjoyment in the background.
Right - Laurence Broderick came back out to sing "Danny Boy".

Left - BCC Chief of Staff Michelle Dolgow Cristofaro asks everyone to find their seats so the luncheon can start, as BCC Chairman Joe Kelleher looks on.
Right - Father Richard Gorman gives the invocation.

Left - A photo of the packed room. Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj is on the right.
Right - BCC staffer Alexandra poses for this photo.

Borough President Diaz Hosts Annual Irish Heritage Celebration

 

On Thursday, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. hosted his annual Irish Heritage celebration at the Rambling House in Woodlawn. This year, Borough President Diaz presented a proclamation to Noel Kilkenny, Consul General of Ireland, and honored Caroline Duggan, teacher at PS 59 and founder of the Keltic Dream Dance Group; Father Richard Gorman, chairman of Community Board #12; and John Samuelsen, president of TWU Local 100.

 

Left - Reverend Brendan Gormely of St. Brendans Church gives the invocation.

Right - Laurence Brodrick and Shanna Mahoney sing the National Anthem. 

Left - Master of Ceremonies Bob Nolan introduces Bronx Borough President Ruben O'Diaz.

Right - BP O'Diaz holds the certificate he presented to Father Richard Gorman Chair of Community Board 12, Bronx DA Robert O'Johnson looks on.