Pedestrian Bridge over the Major Deegan Connecting Both Sides of Van Cortlandt Park to Become a Reality

Above - Elected Officials Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., State Senator Jeff Klein, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Congressman Eliot Engel, Councilman Andrew Cohen, stand with DEP Commissioner Emily LLoyd, Parks Commissioner Mitchel Silver, and DDC Commissioner Dr. Feniosky Pena-Mora around the drawing of a new $12 million dollar pedestrian bridge to span the Major Deegan Highway to connect both sides of the Croton Aqueduct Trail that has been divided by the highway ever since it was built.

Below - A close up of the proposed $12 million dollar pedestrian bridge being paid by the DEP ($4 million dollars), Parks Department ($4 million dollars), and $4 million dollars in New York State funds secured by State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, and State Senator Jeff Klein. The pedestrian bridge is projected to be completed sometime in 2019.  

Left - DEP Commissioner Lloyd speaks of the DEP's role in the process of getting the funding.

Right - Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. is happy that he now can allocate any monies that he might of had to put into this project for other similarly important projects. Diaz gave a shot out to the two activists on hand (and both media people) that have been involved with the Croton Water Filtration Plant from the beginning, Mr. Gary Axelbank of Bronxnet T.V., and yours truly of the newspaper the Bronx News. 

Left - Assembly Speaker Heastie tells how as Speaker he was able to help on this project wanted by all.

Right - State Senator Jeff Klein (the only elected official who came to the hot area in just shirt sleeves) thanks all who were involved, including the DEP and Parks Department.  

Left - Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz who has been on the project all along gets to say a few words about connecting two parts of his district that were divided by the highway.

Right - Congressman Eliot Engel states the importance of what this pedestrian bridge means.

Left - Councilman Cohen who was a member of the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park stated that this was one of the first orders of business he delved into when he took office less than 18 months ago. 

Right - Is the signpost for the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail South which just happens to be next to where this announcement was made. 

Ben Franklin Democratic Club 55th Annual Dinner

  Last night there was a packed room of over 200 people, with many others dropping in to the 55th Annual Ben Franklin Democratic Club Dinner and then hopping to another event that was going on at the same time. There was no shortage of elected officials with both local 81st Assembly district Congressmen Eliot Engel and Charlie Rangel in attendance. Also on hand was new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, New Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Marcos Crespo. Of course local 81st A.D. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, State Senator Jeff Klein, and Councilman Andrew Cohen were on hand, as well as several other elected officials. It was nice to see former Bronx Democratic County leader Assemblyman Jose Rivera, State Senator Adriano Espiallat, and of course Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. There was almost a quorum of Community Board 8 members led by CB 8's Chair Dan Padernacht. The photos below will tell the rest of the story.

 Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is telling the packed audience that the only races this year are for Bronx DA, Judges, and Judicial Delegates and Alternates.

Assemblyman Dinowitz gives his new Speaker a gavel for use in the assembly chamber, before allowing Speaker Heastie to speak to the packed house.

 

New Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Marcos Crespo gets to see the support that the Ben Franklin Club has as he says a few words to the audience.

Above - Bronx Chamber of Commerce President Lenny Caro (and BFRDC honoree) sits with the BCC Executive Director Michelle Dolgow Cristofaro as they wait for him to be called up.

Below - BCC President and Bronx Goodwill Ambassador Caro receives the BFRDC Timothy Sullivan Award from State Senator Jeff Klein. 

Above - Mr. Mario Cilento President N.Y.State AFL-CIO receives the BFRDC Jonathan B. Bingham Award from Congressman Eliot Engel.

Below Mr. Mario Curanaj Owner of Salvatore's of Soho and Yo Burger Restaurants receives the Lee Heimlich Community Service Award from Councilman Andrew Cohen.

Above - A group photo of elected officials BFRDC Club Officers, and Honorees to numerous to list. 

Below 81st Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz stands with the 81st A.D. Male District Leader Eric Dinowitz, and yes the two are related, as Eric Dinowitz is the son of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. 

Bronx Week 2015 Business Day Breakfast

Please Note --
This is by Invitation only -- 
Please call Angie Teran -- 718-590-5623
or e-mail ateran@boedc.org 
to register for this event.

DISTRICT 12’S ‘OPERATION CLEANER STREETS’ TAKES PLACE TUESDAY, MAY 12, AT LEARNING TREE CULTURAL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

 Youngsters and residents of the Northeast Bronx will join NYC Council  Member Andy King on Tuesday,  May 12th, for Operation Cleaner Streets, a program headed up by Council Member King, which strives to encourage community residents in the 12th District to pick up trash in front of their homes, bus stops and subway stations and heavily trafficked streets.

Council Member King and students from the Learning Tree Cultural Preparatory School will be cleaning in the area of Magenta Street and Capuchin Way, Bronx, from 10a.m. to Noon.

In the past, Operation Cleaner Street has tackled business corridors along Gun Hill Road, White Plains Road, Boston Road, East 233rd Street and Dyre Avenue.

WHAT: OPERATIONS CLEANER STREETS

WHEN: TUESDAY May 12, 10 a.m. to Noon

WHO: COUNCIL MEMBER ANDY KING, STUDENTS AND STAFF AT LEARNING TREE CULTURAL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

WHERE: MAGENTA STREET & CAPUCHIN WAY WAY

Centenarian Celebration By Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

   Today Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was joined by over 40 Bronx Centenarians came together for a party to celebrate their golden years. They included Bronxites as old as 107, and 105 year old Joe Binder the Centenarian Comic who told a few of his favorite jokes. 

   The master of Ceremony was Dr. Bob Lee of WBLS Radio fame. BP Diaz was introduced by his lovely Youthful Deputy BP Aurela Greene, who admitted that she had just celebrated her 80th birthday. BP Diaz (the baby in the room) admitted that he had recently celebrated his 42nd birthday. The rest of the story will be told by the photos below.

  

Before the event began Master of Ceremony Dr. Bob Lee, BP Diaz, and Deputy BP Greene go over the final details

Left - BP Diaz does his David Letterman impression as he fixes his jacket.
Right - The BP's favorite Joke teller 105 year old Joe Binder told a few jokes.

Above and Below - The P.S. 72 Ballroom Dancers provided some entertainment as the event continued.

Left and Right - The children inspired the adults to dance, and BP Diaz dances with a few audience members.

 Diaz also led the conga line.

Above - 107 year old Charlotte Lockartt poses with B Diaz and Councilman Andy King as her grand daughter stands beside her.

Below - Councilman King reads from a city council proclamation to Ms. Lockartt. 

Above - Active Community Board 8 member 99 year old Irving Ladimer is joined by CB 8 Aging Committee Chair Karen Pesche, CB 8 Vice Chair Rose Mary Ginty, and standing behind the ladies is CB 8 Library Committee Chair Marvin Goodman.
Below - BP Diaz congratulates Mr. Ladimer, and says that next year will be the big 100 for Irving.

A couple more of the 40 other honorees.

It must be noted that there was a moment of silence for Deceased Bronx Centenarians Miriam Henson, Claude Jeffreys, and Rose Goggin who passed away since last years Centenarian Celebration. 

To A Man Who Stands for Principle

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

You should know that this past Wednesday, April 29, 2015, I was invited by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to join other Senate colleagues for a breakfast at the Governor’s Mansion in Albany, New York.  Along with Governor Andrew Cuomo, his Chief of Staff, Joe Percoco, his Counsel Alfonso Davis, and his Budget Director Mary Beth Labate, there were Senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Liz Krueger, Marcos Serrano, Gustavo Rivera, Adriano Espaillat, Brad Holyman, and Daniel Squadron. 

It is important for you to know that I took the opportunity to have Governor Cuomo sign for me a copy of his book titled “All Things Possible” which he gladly agreed by inscribing the following: “To a man who stands for principle.” 

You should also know that this book "All Things Possible" is important to me personally because in it Governor Cuomo made reference to my name several times. 

Chapter 10 of his book, titled "33" is devoted to the fight and the struggle that took place in order to get 33 Senators to vote in favor of same-sex marriage.  In Chapter 10, the Governor gave me the honor of mentioning me by name on pages 382, 389, 400 and 402. 

On page 382 the Governor mentioned me by name by stating: "We needed thirty-two votes. We knew that one Democrat, Ruben Diaz, a senator from the Bronx, was a no-go. A Pentecostal minister, he could not be moved to change his mind. That meant we had to lock in the remaining twenty-nine Democrats and sway three Republicans. Difficult? Yes." 

On page 389, recounting his wheeling and dealing with Republican Leader Senator Dean Skelos, the Governor wrote:  "In June, Majority Leader Skelos made a clever move that transferred all of the pressure from his team to ours. A skillful tactician, he announced that he wouldn't let the bill go to the floor unless we had all the Democrats with us except Ruben Diaz, the Pentecostal minister who we both knew was unshakable." 

You should know that as the chapter continues, the Governor explains all of the roadblocks and troubles he had to bypass, and the negotiations he went through to get the same-sex marriage bill approved. He wrote about the chaos that ensued on the night of the vote, and how they prevented me and stopped me from speaking on the bill.  On pages 399-400, he mentioned an important negotiation he had with Senator John Sampson: 

"Republicans had asked for one concession.  "We don't want long speeches," Skelos told us. They didn't want political rhetoric to inflame the already nervous senators. The Senate Minority Leader, a Democrat, John Sampson, who represented parts of Brooklyn including Crown Heights and East Flatbush, assured us he will keep the Democrats' comments to a minimum. The plan was: Get the legislation on the floor.  Do a rolling voice vote. Go home. 

... Sampson had previewed with both Skelos and Steve that the only speech from one of their members will be from Senator Diaz, the sole opponent on the Democrats’ side, who would speak for two minutes. Diaz, used to speeches from the pulpit, led with, "God, not Albany, has settled the definition of marriage a long time ago." And he kept going. When Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy cut him off he said, "Senator, Senator, I know you want to go on but we have twenty-three people who want to speak on the bill." 

Twenty-three people?  The proceedings ground to a halt as Diaz and his allies complained that he had been cut off, and the Republicans approached Steve and Myland warning them that is exactly what was not supposed to happen." 

The Governor continues explaining on page 402 how he managed to get things under control - and after the vote was taken and the gay marriage legislation was approved - how he decided to come to the Senate Floor to thank the senators.  He stated that when he got to the Senate Floor:  "Almost all of the Republicans and Ruben Diaz, who'd voted against marriage equality were all gone." 

On my behalf, I am honored that the Governor not only mentioned me by name in his book  to let the whole world know about my principled stand against his gay marriage legislation, now I am even more honored that he signed my copy by stating “To A Man Who Stands for Principle.” 

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

Statement from State Senator Gustavo Rivera on the Motion to Remove Senator Skelos

"It is disgraceful that Senate Republicans have chosen to put politics in front of the responsibility they have to New Yokers by blatantly disregarding the rules and procedures of the Senate to maintain Dean Skelos in power. The motion put forth today by the Senate Democratic Conference was intended to remove Mr. Skelos from his position in an effort to avoid delaying or obstructing the business of governing any further.

Earlier this year, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver did the right thing and relinquished his leadership position after being indicted. In June 2008, then Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno also did the right thing and stepped down after being indicted. Their examples should be a lesson to Senator Skelos: while everyone is innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law, our great legislative body cannot function properly under these clouds of suspicion. For the good of the New York State Senate and the people we all represent, Senator Skelos should follow the lead of his predecessor and Speaker Silver and relinquish his seat as Senate Majority leader immediately. If not, the Senate Republican Conference has an obligation to replace him.

We simply cannot continue to allow our government to be disrupted by scandals"

Editors Note:

We must remind State Senator Rivera about the charges that were levied against Assemblyman Victor Pichardo, State Senator Gustavo Rivera, and then Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Carl Heastie of Election fraud in the 2013 Special Election for the 86th Assembly District that somehow disappeared. 

We are reminded of former 86th Assemblyman Nelson Castro who also had election fraud charges levied him by an opponent, and who was allowed to win the primary and then go on to win two more primaries and general elections as he was a cooperating witness for the U.S. Attorney's Office. Bronx DA Johnson admitted to me that maybe the Castro event was the wrong thing to do.

Can you hear me State Senator Gustavo Rivera.

One never knows in politics, does one?

Bill de Blasio will propose sweeping changes to rent laws to protect tenants

Shades of Jimmy McMillan -
Mayor de Blasio is after some rent that’s too damn high.

De Blasio will propose Tuesday the most sweeping expansion of tenant protections in decades for the city’s 1 million rent-regulated apartments.

“Rent is the No. 1 expense for New Yorkers,” de Blasio said as he unveiled exclusively to the Daily News key reforms he wants the state Legislature to enact before existing rent regulations expire June 15.

Look for a fierce battle over the next six weeks between housing advocates and the real estate industry over the mayor’s proposal.

“Unless we change the status quo, tens of thousands of hardworking families will be pushed out of their homes,” de Blasio said.

Among the key changes he wants:

* An end to a law that allows landlords to charge a tenant market rates once a rent-regulated unit passes a monthly threshold — currently set at $2,500. De Blasio is urging no threshold, in an effort to assure the city’s stock of affordable apartments remains permanently regulated.

* No more vacancy bonus. That’s a separate rule that allows landlords to automatically hike a unit’s rent by 20% each time a tenant moves out.

* Tough new restrictions on rent surcharges by landlords. Under current law, an owner can tack on monthly charges to recoup from tenants costs of major improvements to a building or individual apartment. But those surcharges become a permanent part of the base rent. De Blasio wants them temporary — spread out over 10 years — with rents resetting to original levels after that.

The real estate industry is bound to see it as a declaration of war.

“The current rent regulations have worked well in terms of injecting needed capital for landlords to improve buildings,” said Frank Ricci, director of government relations for the Rent Stabilization Association.

De Blasio points, however, to the huge number of units — 257,000 — that were released from rent control over the past 20 years, including 35,000 lost just since 2011. Many of those were in largely minority neighborhoods that have become increasingly gentrified.

One activist describes the toll in two fast-changing neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens.

“Five years ago, people would have laughed at a $2,500 rent in Bushwick,” said Javier Valdes of the immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New York. “But they aren’t laughing any more. The displacement of old residents in Bushwick and Jackson Heights is astronomical.”

Up in Albany, Senate Republicans managed for years to block stronger rent laws. But the ground could be shifting, now that Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos has joined the Democrats’ former Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, in the lineup of political leaders busted by the feds on charges of extorting a major landlord for money in exchange for pro-landlord legislation.

Now we’re learning why Albany couldn’t hear the cries of the tenants.