Homeless Coming to Riverdale

   Just what was this 'Coalition for the Homeless' van doing in front of a 'rent stabilized' building in Riverdale? Pictured above is the van, and you can see the Whitehall in the background. The building is managed by Goodman Management, and calls to Goodman Management were answered with, 'Not in that building'. To a question of homeless or transition housing in any building managed by Goodman Management the answer was Mr. Goodman will have to call you back. 

   Calls to the Coalition for Homeless went to voicemail, and I am waiting for a response. It will be in the next version of "Is There Homeless or Transition Housing in Riverdale" Good work guys in getting Montefiore not to build on Riverdale/Oxford Avenues. Now it looks like housing will go up on the site, but what type?

Radio Shack Closes on Johnson Avenue

   You can see the signs in the windows of the former Radio Shack saying 'For Rent' on what was an anchor store of Johnson Avenue. On a street that housed many different long standing stores only a couple of the current stores on Johnson Avenue can say that they have been in business for more then 10 years. With rents increasing, and a landlord who would rather have empty stores than lower the rent Johnson Avenue is becoming a street no one can afford to do business on. 

It's That Time of the Year for Con Edison

  With the last of this year several feet of snow, which has all but melted by now Con Edison Is checking their underground transformers. As in the photo below the run off of water from the melting snow has carried snow melting salt which can damage the insulation. 

  The FDNY was called to this Con Edison underground transformer site which was belching up smoke from below ground. Firefighters roped off the area, and Con Edison came the next morning to repair the damage. The response to my question of how often this happens, was 'It happens every spring thaw when the snow melts'.

BCC Women of Distinction Luncheon

 

Join the Bronx Chamber of Commerce at our upcoming event: 

 Save the date for our following events: 

CDL Interview Job Fair - Thursday, March 19

Women of Distinction -Friday, March 27

Annual Golf Outing - Wednesday, May 6 

Business Expo -Tuesday, June 16

 Call 718-828-3900 or go onto our website www.bronxchamber.org for more

 information

ASSEMBLYMAN MICHAEL A. BLAKE AND BRONX ELECTED OFFICIALS CALL FOR HISTORIC CFE FUNDS TO BE GIVEN TO BRONX SCHOOLS

 
Legislative Proposals Call for $1 Billion in Campaign for Fiscal Equity Funding to Help the Neediest Schools

  With charts to his right and his left Assemblyman Michael Blake flanked by other Bronx elected officials have called for the Court ordered historic increase in education funding won in the landmark Campaign For Fiscal Equity lawsuit of 4.9 billion dollars owed statewide, and for its share New York City is owed 2.6 billion dollars. By Bronx assembly district the numbers are - 

AD 79 Michael Blake-$76,519,150.70

AD 81 Jeffrey Dinowitz-$61,875,114.76
AD 84 Carmen Arroyo-$56,959,988.88
AD 86 Victor Pichardo-$53,218,305.90
AD 85 Marcos Crespo-$45,721,604.43
AD 80 Mark Gjonaj-$44,924,197.60
AD 82 Michael Benedetto-$44,198,462.63
AD 77 Latoya Joyner-$37,278,149.85
AD 78 Jose Rivera-$36,502,077.29
AD 87 Luis Sepulveda-$31,938,984.26
AD 83 Speaker Heastie -$30,666,865.40

Below are the elected officials spoke on the issue, and with new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie of the Bronx just about guaranteed that the amount of one million dollars owed from the CFE settlement would be coming to New York City schools.  

Left - Assemblyman Jose Rivera 

Right - State Senator Gustavo Rivera.

Left - Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda.

Right - Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj.

  What Assemblyman Blake would use the money for.

  I said to Assemblyman Blake, 'As a former parent leader I applauded his effort to get the CFE monies owed, but told him this had been said to parents over and over year after year. I then told him as a newly elected state official to look to his fellow legislators, and ask why they had not done this in the many years they have been in office.

Bronx BP Ruben O'Diaz Celebrates Irish Heritage Month

     Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. hosted his annual Irish Heritage & Culture Celebration at the Rambling House in Woodlawn. This year’s honorees included Patricia Lynch, Government/Media Strategist, Joseph McDermott, Executive Director of the Consortium for Workers Education; and Aedin Moloney, Artistic Director of The Fallen Angel Theatre Company.

“Here in the Woodlawn section of The Bronx we have a large Irish American community, and Irish Americans have been one of  New York's most significant ethnic groups since the late 19^th century. It is with great pleasure that we are honoring some of the leading Irish Americans in our city during this wonderful celebration,” said Borough President O'Diaz.

News 12 Sports Director Pat O'Keefe was the Master of Ceremonies.

Left - Monsignor Edward Barry  gave the invocation.
Right - Shanna Mahoney and Laurence Broadrick sang both the American and Irish National Anthems.

Above - Some of the capacity crowd on hand.

Below - Some of the delicious food that was served by Rambling House for the occasion.

Veterans Invited to Attend 2015 Veterans Job & Resource Fair

State Senatir Gustavo Rivera Bites Back at Governor Cuomo on Failing Schools

  In a City Limits article Bronx State Senator Gustavo Rivera pens an article titled 'Schools need state help, not sensational headlines'.  This is in response to a New York Post article saying Governor Andrew Cuomo's links lawmakers to failing schools. 

  Senator Rivera does a poor job of trying to explain the excuse that children in public schools fail because... As a matter of fact Governor Cuomo is part of the problem, as well as the 12 years of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. 

  There were state standards set over 10 tears ago that schools would have to meet. However since New York City and a few other large cities in the state were so far behind they were given waivers. The Bloomberg administration knew just what the problem was as Senator Rivera touches on, but after a couple of attempts to fix it appeared to give up. 

  And Senator Rivera Governor Cuomo is partially  correct in saying that it is the fault of the elected officials. However Governor Cuomo forgets that he is one of those elected officials who is now failing the students he talks about.

   Mayoral Control expires in June of this year, and that gives the State Assembly and State Senate only a couple of months to fix it or the children will continue to be deprived of a rightful education they deserve. 

  The answer will be - Now that Democrat Bill deBlasio is Mayor we do not have to do anything. Lets hope that the Republican State Senate does not think that way and does not continue Mayoral Control.