Fernando Cabrera No-Show to Bronxtalk 33rd State Senate Debate

      What was billed as a political debate for the 33rd State Senate Seat by Bronxtalk host Gary Axelbank wound up an interview of incumbent State Senator Gustavo Rivera  as you see the empty chair to the right of Senator Rivera. Councilman Fernando Cabrera who was declared on the ballot by the Board of Elections on July 30th was a no show.  

    Bronxtalk host Gary Axelbank is telling the T.V. audience that 33rd State Senate candidate Fernando Cabrera was invited to debate incumbent State Senator Gustavo Rivera, but that Cabrera has declined. Axelbank went on to say that when candidates decline or refuse to debate they are disrespecting the voters who do not get to know their positions on issues. The show went on with an empty chair for candidate Cabrera.

     As the show went on Axelbank asked about the challenge to candidate Fernando Cabrera's petition by Senator Rivera. The response by Senator Rivera was that his people had found that 5 people who had died had signed the Cabrera petition. Rivera added that 5 other people testified that they had never signed the Cabrera petition even though their names and signatures were on the Cabrera petition. Senator Rivera said that there were many other problems with his opponents petition, and that by Thursday Judge John Carter would have a final decision on the matter. 

    

    Senator Rivera answered some questions from Gary Axelbank on the Kinsbridge Armory, businesses by the armory, how the state senate might look with full Democratic control, and how he (Senator Rivera) would be the chair of the Senate Health Committee, of which he is the ranking member, Senator Rivera touched on other topics such as education, ethics, housing, and immigration. When Axelbank mentioned the district as a whole Rivera came back with the high unemployment with low medium income of the district, plus the fact that Senate Republicans set up the districts in the recent redistricting and that he is limited in what he can do. When it came to questions about the Independent Democratic Conference and State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. Rivera sidestepped those questions answering one that there are Democrats that he does not totally agree with, and the other on how wonderful it would be to have a unified Democratic majority. To a question if he is still supporting IDC leader Senator Jeff Klein's opponent after the Senate Democratic Conference withdrew it support of Klein's opponent, Rivera said "I am a friend of Oliver Koppell who helped me in my first election, and I still support him even now."

  

      Bronxtalk host Gary Axelbank said that next Monday night will be the 78th A.D. debate between incumbent Assemblyman Jose Rivera and challenger Fernando Tirado. In two weeks will be the 34th State Senate debate between incumbent State Senator Jeff klein and challenger Oliver Koppell.

      After the show Axelbank said that Assemblyman Jose Rivera has not showed up to one of his debates, and he doubts if Jose will show up next week.  

KLEIN BILL TO LOWER CITY SPEED LIMIT SIGNED BY GOVERNOR CUOMO

Authorizes New York City to lower its speed limit from 30 to 25 mph

State Senator Jeff Klein announced Monday that Governor Andrew Cuomo signed his bill authorizing New York City to lower its speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour.

“With this new law we say to reckless drivers - enough is enough. By lowering the speed limit we remind speeders that our roads are not raceways and that in a city such as ours, streets are public, not private roads, and they must be respected,” said State Senator Jeff Klein.

The Klein sponsored bill (S7892), which passed the State Senate in June, seeks to reduce the high number of vehicle and pedestrian accidents that occur every year throughout New York City by allowing New York City to lower its default speed limit in areas where the speed limit is not already posted from 30 to 25 mph. It also gives community boards input, a measure which community boards throughout the Bronx praised.

Bronx Community Board 8 Chairman Dan Padernacht said: "As former chair of Community Board 8's transportation committee, and now as Chairman, I know the weight that traffic and pedestrian safety issues carry in our community. I thank Senator Klein for his leadership on this issue and for the urgency he had in getting this bill through the Senate this year. I have no doubt that this legislation will make our streets safer and protect Bronx families from traffic related injury or harm."

Bronx Community Board 9 Chairman William Rivera said, “As a longtime resident and now chairman of Community Board 9, I know the streets in our community inside and out and know the blocks and thoroughfares that experience the highest levels of speeding. With Senator Klein's legislation, the community board will be empowered to take action on lowering speed limits in areas where other tools have been ineffective. I believe this measure will not only make our streets safer, but also save lives.”

Bronx Community Board 10 Chairman John Marano said, “As Chairman of Bronx Community Board 10, I both applaud and support this legislation, and extend my appreciation for the Senator's efforts in working with his colleagues at the State and local levels of government to bring innovative change to our traffic laws.  The speed limit reduction will have a positive effect upon Bronx Community Board 10 and will make our streets safer.”

The new law, which is aligned with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero plan, is aimed at reducing the thousands of pedestrian injuries and hundreds of traffic related fatalities that occur in New York City every year. Statistics show that lowering the speed limit to 25 miles per hour dramatically reduces the chance of a pedestrian car-related fatality to 1 in 10.

The law builds on Senator Klein’s continued efforts to protect pedestrians and save lives, most notably when it comes to children in school zones. Earlier this year Klein helped secure an additional 120 speed cameras to be placed in well-known problem areas where drivers are known to speed.

Editor Note: Let the comments begin.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of The Bronx

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of The Bronx

2014 Walk Day

Sunday, October 19th, 2014

8am Registration – 10am Walk Begins

Orchard Beach

Start Your Team Today At 

MakingStridesWalk.Org/Bronx

For more information on how to get involved, contact Lizzette Dorado at 718.547.5064 ext 65238 or by email at BronxNYStrides@cancer.org – 

To sign up your team online, visit 

www.makingstrideswalk.org/Bronx

Council Members Cohen, King, and Torres Ask fCommissioner Bratton to Implement ShotSpotter in the 47th and 52nd Police Precincts

  After an increase in violence, these local Council Members request the new technology be brought to The Bronx

  

  In light of the recent increase in violence in the 47th and 52nd precincts, Council Member Andrew Cohen, Council Member Andy King and Council Member Ritchie Torres have sent a letter to Commissioner of the New York Police Department, William Bratton requesting that ShotSpotter be instated in those areas.

ShotSpotter is a new technology being implemented by the New York Police Department that will help determine specifically where gun shots are fired from. Its first-in-kind technology detects the fullest range of gunfire, covers exponentially more geographic area, and collects data that helps communities define the scope of illegal gunfire. ShotSpotter has the ability to detect attacks from any direction and weapons fire in 360 degrees relative to that sensor. Based on the information received, this technology then creates a database of incidents and trends.

This proven technology will help police officers track shootings that occur in those neighborhoods and help deter the violent crimes that have sadly become commonplace in the north Bronx. It is the belief of the Council Members that ShotSpotter will help to enhance the quality of life in the neighborhoods affected by this increase in violent activity and are committed to working together to ensure that our communities continue to be a safe place to live, work and raise a family.

“The safety of our community is my number one priority. I firmly believe that by instating the new ShotSpotter technology in the 47th and 52nd precincts we will be able to tackle this recent escalation of violence. I hope Commissioner Bratton takes our request into consideration so that together we can take a new and improved approach to tracking shootings in our neighborhoods,” said Council Member Andrew Cohen

“Public safety is the core function of government.  The installation of ShotSpotter technology in the 47th and 52nd precincts would represent a 21st century approach to tracking and preventing shootings in some of the Bronx neighborhoods most plagued by gun violence,” said Council Member Ritchie Torres

“ShotSpotter technology has been proven to help law enforcement in other cities to collect bullet casings and identify when and where shots were fired in a neighborhood. I’m hoping Commissioner Bratton will bring this technology to the 47th and 52nd precincts, which is leading the city in gun shootings. This technology is desperately needed to help our police force combat the rise in shootings,” explained Council Member Andy King, 12th District representative and co-Chair of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus.

Assemblyman Dinowitz and the Crumbling HHP Retaining Wall

  Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz has alerted the NYS DOT to a dangerous road condition on Henry Hudson Parkway between West 231^st and West 235^th Streets and has asked that they make immediate repairs. The retaining walls that divide the service roads and the parkway leading up to the West 232^nd Street overpass on both the north- and south-bound sides have deteriorated to an extreme degree, posing a danger to all commuters that use the parkway. During a recent site visit, Assemblyman Dinowitz observed lengthy stretches of exposed, rusted rebar, large holes in the walls, and debris littering both the service road and the parkway. Stones could be easily picked off the retaining walls at several locations.

“I was shocked at the poor condition of the retaining walls leading up to the West 232^nd Street overpass when I visited the site last week,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz. “This extreme deterioration poses a serious risk to the thousands of commuters who drive along the Henry Hudson Parkway every day, as a loose stone or partially-obstructed lane could easily lead to a major accident. I urge the New York State Department of Transportation to inspect and repair this site as quickly as possible.”

  Editor Note: 

It was conditions such as this that lead to the HHP retaining wall collapse on the Upper West Side a few years ago. 

Morrison Avenue Festival August 16th

PSC Report on Time Warner - Comcast Merger

  In case you were wondering what happened to the proposed Time-Warner and Comcast cable merger you are going to have to wait until the Public Service Commission makes its final decision some time in October. The PSC had their staff do a report on the proposed merger which found no net positive benefit. The 49 page report was which was released Friday evening while saying there is no positive benefit does not as far as to recommend that the proposal be scraped.  

  The entire 49 page PSC report can be found here.

COUNCIL MEMBER KING and WIFE GIVE FROM THEIR POCKETS TO 7 LOCAL GROUPS

   Seven local Bronx groups received monetary donations from Council Member King and his wife, Neva Shillingford-King, an executive vice president at 1199 SEIU, as a part of District 12 Community Award Day.

Said Council Member King, who does not receive an annual taxpayer-funded bonus, known as “lulu” from the City Council, “Every year, people come to my office to ask for donations for events in the way of journal ads, dinners, tickets and block parties. My wife and I decided to give a portion of our own personal income to seven charitable groups – once a year.”

The organizations that were randomly selected to receive a personal check from the Kings are:

•             Beulah Church of God

•             Mickle Avenue Block Association

•             47th Precinct Community Council

•             New Testament Church of God

•             C-BALL - Community Board Athletic Leadership League

•             Wake-Eden Community Baptist Church

•             Arnow-Barnes Block Association

The checks were given to the groups at Council Member King’s district office on East Gun Hill Road, Bronx.