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Tuesday, July 30, 2019
The Bronx Democratic Party - August Events
CITY FINANCES RECORD NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR NEW YORK CITY’S MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
City pushes forward on its goal to create 300,000 affordable homes and produces a record number of affordable units for homeless, seniors, and those in need of supportive services
Mayor de Blasio today announced that the City financed 25,299 affordable homes in Fiscal Year 2019, and a total of 135,437 affordable homes since 2014, significant strides toward the Mayor’s goal to create 300,000 affordable homes by 2026 through the Housing New York (HNY) plan. FY 2019 saw the highest production of units for homeless, seniors, and supportive housing of any year on record.
“We are making tremendous progress in our goal to expand affordable housing in our city, and this year we’ve produced a record number of homes for our most vulnerable friends and neighbors,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Each affordable home secured is a family served, and we’re going to continue to push forward on our goal to make New York a fairer city for all.”
“All New Yorkers deserve safe and stable housing opportunities that are not only within their means, but meet their needs. Creating homes for seniors, the homeless, and those in need of supportive services has always been a priority, and this year we’ve reached a milestone that makes our commitment to the most vulnerable among us crystal clear,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll. “I want to thank our many partners on all levels of government, as well as our deep bench of committed development partners who have worked with us to deliver on our goal to create 300,000 affordable homes for New Yorkers.”
“HDC is proud to have contributed $1.8 billion in bond financing towards affordable housing this fiscal year,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin. “With a deep commitment to meeting the diverse needs of our communities, we are delivering more housing to our lowest income individuals and families, formerly homeless households, aging seniors, and those in need of supportive services. The ongoing success of the Housing New York plan is made possible thanks to the steadfast leadership of the administration, as well as the countless contributions of our many dedicated partners. As we celebrate this latest milestone, I’d like to congratulate everyone who continues to work tirelessly to make New York City a more affordable place to live.”
Since its inception, Housing New York has prioritized stabilizing the lives of New Yorkers in need by increasing access to affordable housing opportunities. In the past Fiscal Year, the City financed the construction and preservation of more permanent housing for formerly homeless New Yorkers than any other Fiscal Year on record.
Commitment to New York City Seniors
The City financed nearly 2,000 affordable homes for seniors in this fiscal year alone, for a cumulative total of 8,476 senior restricted units financed since the beginning of the de Blasio administration. HPD also recently launched its Affordable Independent Residents for Seniors (AIRS) program which will leverage the zoning code to accelerate the creation of affordable, rent-stabilized homes for seniors throughout the five boroughs.
Affordable Housing with Supportive Services
Supportive housing combines affordable housing with specialized programmatic supportive services for chronically homeless individuals and families. This fiscal year also marked the highest number of supportive housing units financed in this Administration, with the creation and preservation of over 1,330 homes that offer critical supportive services for New Yorkers in need.
Delivering on Deeply Affordable Housing
Of the 25,299 homes financed this past Fiscal Year, which ended June 30th, 54 percent will serve very low-income families earning less than $48,000 per year, including more than 5,300 homes for families of three earning less than $28,800 per year. Over 4,000 of the 25,299 affordable homes financed this year, and over 36,000 of the total 135,437 HNY units financed to date will remain affordable permanently. All other units are subject to binding regulatory agreements that ensure affordability for at least a generation.
A snapshot of HNY production to date:
Construction Type
|
FY 2019 Starts
|
%
|
HNY Totals
|
%
|
New Construction
|
9,029
|
36
|
43,930
|
32
|
Preservation
|
16,270
|
64
|
91,507
|
68
|
Total
|
25,299
|
Borough
|
HNY New Construction Total
|
HNY Preservation Total
|
HNY Total
|
Manhattan
|
7,437
|
32,953
|
40,390
|
Bronx
|
15,562
|
24,925
|
40,487
|
Brooklyn
|
14,378
|
25,444
|
39,822
|
Queens
|
6,032
|
6,498
|
12,530
|
Staten Island
|
521
|
1,687
|
2,208
|
Total
|
43,930
|
91,507
|
135,437
|
The full numbers for FY 19 are available here.
Monday, July 29, 2019
BP DIAZ PROVIDES $650K FOR REGIONAL FOOD HUB
‘The Hub’ in Hunts Point will expand healthy food options, provide opportunities for local farmers and create new jobs, in partnership with GrowNYC
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced today that he will provide $650,000 in capital funding to expand healthy eating options and create new jobs in the food industry.
As part of his FY2020 capital budget, Borough President Diaz will provide the funding toward the creation of the New York State Greenmarket Regional Food Hub (The Hub), a 75,000 square foot distribution facility that will be located in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the South Bronx. Operated by the nonprofit GrowNYC, this new facility will build upon current efforts to connect local farmers and underserved New York communities, and exponentially benefit these groups left behind by our current food system.
The Hub will expand GrowNYC’s wholesale distribution infrastructure that makes high-quality, local foods accessible to underserved New Yorkers via wholesale buyers like institutions and restaurants, and through innovative partnerships with nonprofit organizations. The Hub will also create additional living-wage jobs in the very neighborhoods where GrowNYC and our partners operate – all while strengthening rural communities by paying farmers a fair price for the food they produce.
“The food industry is one of the most significant economic engines in our borough, and this project will only help that sector expand and grow stronger,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “By providing smaller farmers with the ability to connect with restaurants, supermarkets and other food sellers in a more direct manner, we can create living wage jobs while also expanding healthy eating options across the region. The Bronx feeds the region, and this project will only expand on that distinction. I am thrilled to partner with GrowNYC on this innovative project.”
“In many ways, local farmers and underserved communities are both suffering from a lack of access,” said GrowNYC President and CEO Marcel Van Ooyen. “Farmers lack access to business opportunities within the New York City marketplace, and underserved communities lack access to fresh, local foods and the resources and jobs that make them available. With the Hub, we are addressing all of these needs, and we are deeply grateful to Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., the New York City Council, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and the Federal Economic Development Administration for the support and generous funding allowing us to do so.”
The result of a more than $25 million capital campaign, The Hub will usher in a new era of local food distribution in New York City, increasing access to affordable, healthy foods in underserved communities at a scale not yet seen in the City’s history.
This year, Borough President Diaz’s office has provided $31,477,000 in total capital dollars to 101 different projects. Since coming to office in 2009, Borough President Diaz has provided $303,374,000 in total capital funding to 905 projects.
Information Technology Consultant Convicted Of Multimillion-Dollar Kickback Scheme
Former Information Technology Director Who Received Kickbacks Pleaded Guilty Prior to Trial
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that a federal jury found SHIVANAND MAHARAJ guilty of honest services wire fraud, paying kickbacks in connection with an employee benefit plan, and conspiracy, following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl. MAHARAJ’s co-conspirator, ENRICO RUBANO, a/k/a “Rick Rubano,” who was a director of information technology at a large union pension and health benefit fund (the “Funds”), pled guilty in connection with the same crimes shortly before trial.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “For years, Shivanand Maharaj bribed an insider at a pension and health fund to approve hundreds of invoices for information technology work that was never done at all. He now stands rightly convicted for depriving hardworking individuals out of millions of dollars of health and retirement benefits.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and evidence presented during the trial in Manhattan federal court:
From 2009 through 2015, RUBANO was the co-head of information technology for the Funds and had the authority to approve the payment of invoices from third-party vendors. Beginning in at least 2009, and continuing through 2015, MAHARAJ and RUBANO devised a scheme in which three different companies MAHARAJ owned or controlled submitted to the Funds invoices for millions of dollars in information technology services that were never performed or that had, in fact, been performed by employees of the Funds or other vendors. RUBANO, in his position as co-head of information technology, approved these fraudulent invoices and received kickbacks from MAHARAJ. MAHARAJ, by submitting hundreds of invoices and recruiting another co-conspirator to receive additional criminal proceeds, fraudulently received in excess of $2 million through this scheme.
MAHARAJ, 39, of Cresskill, New Jersey, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years; one count of giving kickbacks to influence the operation of an employee benefit plan, which carries a maximum sentence of three years; and conspiracy to give kickbacks to influence the operation of an employee benefit plan, which carries a maximum sentence of five years.
MAHARAJ will be sentenced by Judge Koeltl on December 6, 2019.
RUBANO, 50, of Tappan, New York, who engaged in additional kickback and fraud schemes with other co-conspirators, pled guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
RUBANO will be sentenced by Judge Koeltl on November 8, 2019.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman thanked the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their outstanding work in this matter.
AG James: T-Mobile/Sprint Megamerger Remains a Bad Deal for Consumers, Innovation, and Workers
Proposed Deal with DISH is Based on Speculative Promises,
Throwing Risk of Failure on Backs of Consumers
Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 14 Attorneys General from across the nation expressing concern about a newly announced deal — approved, in principle, by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) — supporting the proposed megamerger between telecommunications giants T-Mobile US Inc. and Sprint Corporation.
“The promises made by DISH and T-Mobile in this deal are the kinds of promises only robust competition can guarantee,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “We have serious concerns that cobbling together this new fourth mobile player, with the government picking winners and losers, will not address the merger’s harm to consumers, workers, and innovation."
The states' lawsuit — originally filed on June 11 in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York — to block the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, alleges that the merger of two of the four national mobile network operators would harm mobile subscribers nationwide by reducing access to affordable, reliable wireless service, hitting lower-income and minority communities particularly hard. The coalition today reaffirmed its commitment to opposing this merger, which would reduce competition and increase prices for consumers.
Earlier, the DOJ indicated it would approve the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint based on promises made by the two companies, including an agreement to divest Sprint’s prepaid subscription service and potentially a slice of its wireless spectrum to satellite TV operator DISH. Though DISH has never owned any kind of mobile wireless business and has no experience building or operating a nationwide mobile wireless network, both T-Mobile and Sprint claim that this deal will create a fourth national network operator that will step into Sprint’s shoes and preserve a competitive market for consumers.
Based on the information available to date, the states continue to have serious concerns with the merger and whether the deal with DISH will create a fourth independent competitor that addresses the loss to competition otherwise caused by this megamerger. Among those concerns:
1. DISH has never shown any inclination or ability to build a nationwide mobile network on its own and has repeatedly broken assurances to the Federal Communications Commission about deployment of its spectrum;
2. DISH does not have the network to operate as an independent competitor, like Sprint does today, and will, instead, remain reliant on the T-Mobile network for the foreseeable future; and
3. T-Mobile and Sprint are asking Americans to trust that this new mega corporation will act directly against its own economic interests by helping transform DISH into an independent competitor that rivals this new company.
The states remain committed to protecting competition in the marketplace and lowering prices for consumers.
In addition to New York, the plaintiffs currently include California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
T-Mobile currently has more than 79 million subscribers, and is a majority-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG. Sprint Corp. currently has more than 54 million subscribers, and is a majority-owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp.