Adam Clayton Powell Kickoff Fundraiser for U.S. Congress

You are cordially invited

to the Kickoff Fundraiser

in support of

 

 

 

Adam Clayton Powell

Candidate for U.S. Congress

New York - 13th District

 

 

 

Wednesday, February 25th

6:00pm - 8:00pm

 

at

 

The Poet's Den Theater and Gallery

309 East 108th Street

New York, NY  10029

 

 

 

$100   $250   $500

$1,000 Chairs

 

Please make personal checks or money orders payable to:

Powell For Congress

420 East 117th Street

Suite 2

New York, NY  10035

 

or contribute online at

www.PowellForCongress.com

 

 

 

No need to RSVP but for further information please call 914.400.9993

 

 

 

 

 

Paid for by Powell for Congress

SENATOR JEFF KLEIN TO HONOR GRADUATES OF FIRST BRONX H.I.R.E. SECURITY GUARD TRAINING COURSESENATOR JEFF KLEIN TO HONOR GRADUATES OF FIRST BRONX H.I.R.E. SECURITY GUARD TRAINING COURSE

Three Day On-The-Job Training Offered at No Cost to Local Community, Graduates Are Now Certified & Job Ready

Interviews for Full-Time Employment with NYC-Based Company to Begin Immediately

Mr. Andy Munoz of Griffin Security was on hand to talk to the 20 graduates of the course seeking now qualified candidates to fill the up to 150 jobs his company has gotten with Con Edison. Griffin has been awarded a contract by Con Edison to secure the many construction sites Con Edison will be working on above 86th Street in Manhattan for the 'Oil to Gas' conversion in upper Manhattan.

If successful Mr. Munoz said that his company could be awarded contracts for Brooklyn and Queens in the near future, and he would need many more employees.

Senator Klein said 'it is all about giving people a chance'.

Senator Klein reads the name of one of the 20 graduates, as Michelle Donglow Executive Director of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce (a partner with Senator Klein in Project H.I.R.E.) holds the other certificates.

Mr. Andy Munoz of Griffin Security tells the graduates of this course the need his company has for trained people in the field.

The photo was not large enough to get everyone in, but you see most of the graduates with Senator Klein and Ms. Donglow.

Riverdale Avenue Eyesore

   The proposed 11 story then reduced down to 6 story building on Riverdale Avenue at West 238th Street that has been left in an eyesore condition ever since the demolition was halted  This was over six months ago. Local merchants were bullied at a recent Community Board 8 Economic Development Committee meeting by some local residents who want nothing from Monteforoe to be built on the site of the old DJ Drug store. 

  The proposed 11 story medical center with parking was introduced at the October 2013 Community Board 8 Land Use meeting. Montefiore came in with guns blazing that they had the 'as of right' to build an 11 story medical center complete with parking. Local elected officials State Senator Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz pushed through a bill in Albany forcing a community review process for Bronx Only medical centers higher than three stories or larger than 30,000 square feet in size. This along with strong local residents opposing the proposal had Montefiore come back in September 2014 with a new smaller 6 story proposed medical center. 

  Since the demolition ended in early 2014 there was an ugly scaffolding that was still up in front of the proposed site, even though no more work was being done on the site. The scaffolding was removed in December of 2014 and the demolition work and what was left now was visible to everyone. The owner of Salvatore's of Soho directly across the street from the Montefiore site has said that 'It now looks worse than before'. He is wondering if anything will be built on the site because he has a sidewalk cafe. Once the weather gets better in a few months people may not want to sit across from such an ugly view he said. 

Above - Is a photo from where the sidewalk cafe for Salvatore's of Soho would be if it was nice warm weather. Would you want a view like this?
Below- Another photo of what has been left, graffiti on the wall, braces holding up walls, and an ugly veiw in general.

Guess who Sheldon Silver is Sitting Next to?

Former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver took his seat in the back of the assembly chamber next to Bronx Assemblyman Jose Rivera. 

When asked what he thinks about the former disgraced speaker sitting next to him  Assemblyman Jose Rivera could only say, "What did I do to deserve this honor?"

I can't wait to see the comments on this one.

WHAT ABOUT THE THREE MEN IN A ROOM?

What You Should Know 
By State Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District 

You should know that we human beings have mastered the ability to create our own psychological defense mechanisms to point out other people's problems in order to cover up our own. This is the case of our beloved Governor Andrew Cuomo, who just released a 5-point reform plan for New York State's Legislators.

Some call it tough talk and others call it bragging, when the Governor says either we take his plan or we get no Budget - but if you look carefully, my dear reader, the Governor's reform plan only involves other people's power and benefits. He has completely excluded himself from this deal, distancing himself from being scrutinized.

Governor Andrew Cuomo's 5-Point Plan includes:

1. Total disclosure of lawmaker outside income.

This means every other area of income, including the family's income from other sources. I am not sure if this only applies to the lawmakers of the New York State Legislature, or if it also includes the Governor and his family members, his girlfriend, and the State Attorney General, the State Comptroller, and their spouses and significant others and family members.

2. A constitutional amendment requiring convicted public officials to forfeit their pensions

This reform sounds like a big deal, but in reality, it will only deal with the future, and won't fix much or make a big difference at all. 

3. Reforming the legislative travel expense system

This measure only focuses on the travel expenses for legislators. It does not include the travel expenses for Governor Andrew Cuomo's use of helicopters, planes, motorcades, motorcycles, and the security details that join him. Nor does it include his national and international travel costs and all of those expenses.

4. Campaign funds be spent only for campaign purposes

This means that it would not be proper for the Governor to use $100+ thousand dollars from his $35 million dollars in campaign funds to pay for the prominent white collar criminal defense lawyer he hired when federal investigators widened their investigation about possible obstruction of justice or witness tampering with Governor Andrew Cuomo's Moreland Commission.

5. Campaign finance reform

This measure should include a piece of legislation that I introduced in the State Senate in 2010 to increase transparency. Banning outside income isn't enough; who is giving you money is the other part - as in Quid pro Quo. My Senate bill requires cash and in-kind contributions valued over $250 to be placed on an elected official’s web site within thirty days of receipt of the contribution. The specific dollar amount, type of contribution, and the identity of the donor, will also be required.

The biggest measure that is needed to end corruption in Albany - which was not included in Governor Andrew Cuomo's 5 Points of Reform - is to put an end to Three-Men-in-a-Room.  It is nice, great, and even magnificent for Governor Andrew Cuomo to fill his lungs and boldly announce his call for reform.  But, how come our dear Governor (while bragging about reform) does not even touch the issue of Three-Men-in-a-Room?

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara blasted the concentration of power that goes along with New York's Three-Men-in-a-Room" by saying: "Power in New York State, as far as anyone can tell, is concentrated in the hands of just a few men—some would say, just three men.”

He also added: "Why three men? Can there be a woman? Do they always have to be white? How small is the room that they can only fit three men? Is it three men in a closet? Are there cigars? Can they have Cuban cigars now? After a while, doesn't it get a little gamy in that room?"

My dear reader, Governor Andrew Cuomo took member items away from the legislators - and took them for himself and his office. Now he talks about reforming others - but not himself.

If Governor Andrew Cuomo really wants to talk about reform, then he needs to do away with the Three-Men-in-a-Room style of government that rules New York State.

Ladies and gentlemen, Governor Andrew Cuomo publicly stated that he will not sign the Budget unless his 5 points are approved. We legislators should tell Governor Cuomo that we will not vote for his budget unless he includes reform for the Three-Men-in-a-Room.

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

Shootings, Homicides on the Rise in First Month of New Year

That was the headline in today's New York Post. 

The Post reports that the statistic for murder was up 18.2 percent this month when compared to the same month of January in 2014. The numbers were 39 this year to only 33 last year. This is also a 30 percent increase from the same reporting time two years ago. 

The Post also reports that the number of shooting victims was up by 30 percent from 90 last year to 117 this year for the same period. Shootings also were up 22.5 percent from 80 last year to 98 this year.

The Post goes on to say that most of the increase has been in Manhattan South and South Queens. You can read the entire Post story here.

STATEMENT FROM BP DIAZ RE: Mayor de Blasio’s ‘State of Our City’ Address

“We welcome Mayor de Blasio’s announcement of committing $200 million to the Lower Grand Concourse for the creation of 4,000 affordable housing units, site remediation, social programs and the redevelopment of our transit structure and infrastructure. My office, the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, SoBRO and others have long advocated for the transformative redevelopment of the Lower Grand Concourse and our Harlem River waterfront, and we look forward to working with the de Blasio administration on this transformative proposal.

“I am also looking forward to working with the mayor to bring more affordable housing to The Bronx, including veterans’ and senior housing. My administration has helped to create nearly 16,000 new units of housing since 2009, and we know that increased affordable housing development can help narrow the gap of inequality. The administration’s commitment to examine the future of the Cromwell/Jerome corridor, to open this neighborhood up to greater housing development, is a welcome one.

“My office has long supported expanding ferry service to Soundview. We have to attract manufactures and new commerce to our borough while also easing commutes, and we believe that with the upgrading of our local infrastructure and the development of a ferry system that connects The Bronx with not just Manhattan but the other boroughs over our waterways as well, we can open up our borough to new economic development and recreation opportunities.

“In The Bronx, we are maximizing our assets, and improving the quality of life of our residents. We have created thousands of new jobs and helped improve existing businesses as well as created new ones. Our efforts are significant, but there is more to be done. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Mayor de Blasio and his administration as we develop an agenda that makes The Bronx and even better place to live, work and raise a family,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Upcoming Events From the Van Cortlandt Senior Center

  :JASA Hosts Art Salon Presentation for Older Adults

WHAT:   JASA Van Cortlandt Senior Center will host artist France Hilbert as part of our JASA Art Salon series.  A meal of turkey meatballs or vegetarian burger will be served at 12:15 PM.

We would like to invite you to join us for Ms. Hilbert's power point retrospective. Recommended senior voluntary contribution for lunch is $2.00 and $1.00 for the event. Non-seniors are welcome to attend for a fee of $6.15 for the meal and $2.00 for the event. 

WHO:   France Hilbert is a contemporary artist and art educator. Hilbert’s major work consists of sculpture for public space. As a classically trained artist, she also has created many commissioned paintings and drawings. This event will be hosted by JASA, a New York-based nonprofit serving 43,000+ older adults each year by providing social work, recreational, health, home care, housing, cultural, and educational services to help sustain them in their homes and communities and offer opportunities for a better quality of life. 

WHEN: Monday, Feb. 23rd, 2015 

 12:15 pm – 2:15 pm 

WHERE: JASA Van Cortlandt Senior Center

3880 Sedgwick Ave, 1st Floor

Bronx, NY 10463

718.549-4700

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 JASA Hosts Film History Presentation for Older Adults

WHAT: JASA Van Cortlandt Senior Center will host a slide presentation about the life accomplishments of actress Hedy Lamarr. A meal of stuffed cabbage or tuna salad will be served at 12:15 PM.

We would like to invite you to join us for this presentation. Hedy Lamarr was a famous actress as well as an inventor.
Recommended senior voluntary contribution for lunch is $2.00 and $1.00 for the event. Non-seniors are welcome to attend for a fee of $6.15 for the meal and $2.00 for the event.

WHO: Pierre Montiel graduated City College with a degree in Cinema and Speech.
He has been presenting slide lectures on Hollywood's legendary stars from the golden age since 1998. This event will be hosted by JASA, a New York-based nonprofit serving 43,000+ older adults each year by providing social work, recreational, health, home care, housing, cultural, and educational services to help sustain them in their homes and communities and offer opportunities for a better quality of life.

WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 25th, 2015

 12:15 pm – 2:15 pm

WHERE: JASA Van Cortlandt Senior Center

3880 Sedgwick Ave, 1st Floor

Bronx, NY 10463

718.549-4700