How the Two Special Elections Went

 

BOARD OF ELECTIONS IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
2021 SPECIAL ELECTION
UNOFFICIAL ELECTION NIGHT RESULTS
Member of the City Council 11th Council District (Unofficial Results from Round 1+)     Name Party Votes Percentage   1   Eric Dinowitz  Your Bronx Voice   2940  42.04 % 2   Jessica Haller  New Leadership   1049  15.00 % 3   Mino Lora  Justice for All   1776  25.39 % 4   Carlton Berkley  The People's    135  1.93 % 5   Kevin Pazmino  Patriot    172  2.46 % 6   Daniel Padernacht  Community First   899  12.85 % 7   WRITE-IN     23  0.33 %   6994     Percentage of Scanners Reported: 97.59 %   Information As Of: 2021-03-24 00:11:10 EST This is not counting the absentee ballots that are still coming in to the Board of Elections which when opened should push candidate Eric Dinowitz over 50% to be declared the winner without going into Rank Choice Voting. Member of the City Council 15th Council District (Unofficial Results from Round 1+)     Name Party Votes Percentage   1   John E. Sanchez  Community First   693  20.20 % 2   Oswald Feliz  People United   973  28.36 % 3   Elisa Crespo  Jobs & Justice   525  15.30 % 4   Kenny G. Agosto  Empower People   87  2.54 % 5   Ischia J. Bravo  We Matter   738  21.51 % 6   Ariel Rivera-Diaz  Second Choice   41  1.19 % 7   Bernadette Ferrara  Fifteen Forward   74  2.16 % 8   Latchmi Devi Gopal  Go For The Bronx   138  4.02 % 9   Jose A. Padilla Jr.  Safe & Stable   57  1.66 % 10   Altagracia Soldevilla  People First   95  2.77 % 11   WRITE-IN     10  0.29 %   3431     Percentage of Scanners Reported: 96.55 %   Information As Of: 2021-03-24 00:11:10 EST This is not counting the absentee ballots that are still coming in to the Board of Elections which when they are opened should not push any candidate over the 50% margin. Thus Rank Choice Voting will begin until one candidate has more than 50% of the remaining vote in that round.

283 Days and Counting

 

Congratulations Eric Dinowitz on your victory in the 11th City Council Special Election. In the 15th City Council District right now a candidate with only 28% is in the lead followed by two candidate with 21.5% and 20%. We will use Rank Choice Voting to make sure one of these candidates will win with what looks like over 50% of the vote.

Predictions for the 11th and 15th City Council Special Elections

 

The explanation of Rank Choice Voting by the NYC Board of Elections.

Everyone is waiting for my predictions in the 11th and 15th special elections where there are six candidates running in the 11th City Council District, and ten official and one write in candidate in the 15th City Council District.

This will be the first time for many to vote in a Rank Choice Election. The last time Rank Choice Voting was used in New York City was in 1999 (twenty-two years ago) in the last School Board Election. Rank Choice voting was disbanded when School Boards were abolished by the state legislature in 2002 when Mayoral Control of the public schools was given to then Mayor Michael Bloomberg. 

The school board Rank Choice Voting was for nine seats on a school board, and not just one seat as this Special Election is for. Previous special elections were not Rank Choice Voting so position on the ballot didn't matter, because people were just making one choice, and there were only a few candidates running. It was found out in School Board Rank Choice Voting that the candidate who was on the top of the ballot had an advantage because voters sometimes were voting 1 - 9 from the top down. This was amplified because in school board elections the listing of candidates was rotated so all candidates would have an equal number of election districts they were on the top of the ballot. 

Since it was found out in School Board Rank Choice Voting elections the candidate on top would get votes just for being on the top of the ballot, thus in the 2021 Rank Choice Voting there will be voters who rank their choices 1 - 5 from the top down. Since the candidates in both districts will be on the top of the ballot in every election district they have a distinct advantage and will get votes for being on the top of the ballot.

With the 11th district having 124 election districts, and the 15th having 108 election districts the candidates on the top of the ballot can expect one to two hundred or more number one votes just for being on the top of the ballot. 

Therefore since the two candidates are in the top tier of voter support with the additional votes for being on the top of the ballot the candidates I think will win the special election are, in the 11th council district Eric Dinowitz, and in the 15th council district John Sanchez. as for who comes in second, third, fourth or even tenth in the 15th council district, it does not matter because there is only one seat and only one winner. It is quite possible that one or both may win outright.

 

284 Days and Counting

 

I may not run for Governor since the state legislature is in even worse shape than the city council, where I have to deal with only one person.

SENATORS BIAGGI & RIVERA ENDORSE MINO LORA FOR CITY COUNCI AT PRESS CONFERENCE AGAINST OUTSIDE MONEY IN COUNCIL RACES

 

In front of the famous Norwood mural (L-R) State Senators Biaggi and Rivera, with City Council candidate Mino Lora. 

 What was billed as a press conference for two state senators to endorse a candidate for city council, and bash outside money going to her opponents was held in the senate district of Bronx Democratic Party Leader Jamaal Bailey who is endorsing one of the candidates who is receiving said so called outside money. State Senate candidate Gustavo Rivera was the beneficiary of over $250,000.00 of outside money in his 2010 State Senate bid against Incumbent Pedro Espada and Dan Padernacht, who coincidentally in this city council race. Senator Rivera would tell me after the press conference that he did not receive the money directly, it went into a PAC, which is the same here with the council candidates

Senator Gustavo Rivera was the first elected official to speak, and he began by bashing Bronx Borough President candidate Fernando Cabrera for running against him in 2014 and again in 2016. He then said how outside money influences a race. 

Senator Biaggi was next saying that her opponent in 2018 was the recipient  of outside money, but she failed to mention that she was also the recipient of outside money from several groups who were against her opponents Independent Democratic Conference. She then introduced candidate Mino Lora as a person of truth, integrity, and honesty.

Candidate Lora said this is our Bronx, we are tired of being treated like second class citizens, they are scared of us, and other comments out of the playbook of the Working Families Party who organized this event.  

When candidate Lora finished I said I had a question for her, I repeated it twice that I had a question for her, but a voice said no questions, and members of the Working Families Party then stood in front of me, I once again said I had a question and received the same answer no questions. I then said how can you have a press conference and say no questions. I was the only member of the media who had their recently renewed NYPD press card showing, while there was only one other member of the media, and a photographer for the local paper. 

As for the truth, integrity and honesty, Mino Lora says she founded the People's Theatre Project (PTP), when in fact on its website it lists Bob Braswell as a co-founder who is listed as living at the same address as Mino Lora. Mr. Braswell donated $275.00 to Ms. Lora's campaign. In Ms. Lora's speaking about the People's Theatre Project one would think it is in the council district or at least the Bronx, but the PTP is in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. S o M. Lora is taking care of upper Manhattan children, not District 11 children who are very different.

Why was Mino Lora so interested in the Buunni Coffee shop on Riverdale Avenue, on the PTP webpage it lists the owner of Buunni Coffee Ms. Sarina Prabasi as the President of the PTP's Board of Directors. Ms. Prabasi also donated $175.00 to Ms. Lora's campaign on 9/18/2020 while her occupation is listed as unemployed. The Riverdale Buunni Coffee Shop closed on January 31, 2021. On 2/5/2021 after the Riverdale Buunni Coffee Shop Closed Ms. Prabasi donated $40.00 to the Lora campaign, again being listed as unemployed. There are three Buunni Coffee Shops that are open, one is located at 4961 Broadway, one is located at 4211 Broadway, and there is a Cafe Buunni located at 213 Pinehurst Avenue.          

A RECOVERY FOR ALL OF US: MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE 2021 SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

 

Nation’s largest summer youth employment initiative returns with paid work experiences and project-based learning opportunities for 70,000 young people; Applications now available at nyc.gov/syep

 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that New York City young people between the ages of 14 and 21 can apply through April 23 for the 2021 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). The initiative, which was launched in 1963, returns this year after the all-virtual SYEP Summer Bridge 2020 was created to adapt to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic last summer. Beginning on July 6, the six-week program will offer SYEP participants the opportunity to explore their interests and career pathways, build workplace skills, and engage in learning experiences that help develop their social, civic and leadership skills. By participating in structured project- and work-based opportunities, NYC youth are better prepared for careers of the future and to help the City recover in the months and years to come.

 

 “Young New Yorkers have been through so much this year, and our recovery cannot leave them behind,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I am thrilled the Summer Youth Employment Program will connect 70,000 young people to paid opportunities, and I encourage everyone interested to apply!”  

 

"Many of New York City’s successful leaders started their careers with a summer job or a mentor who helped build their skills and self-confidence,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. "After a challenging year of social distancing and remote learning, the return of the Summer Youth Employment Program will restore a sense of normalcy for thousands of young people, provide income and give them the tools they need to launch successful careers."

 

"SYEP is a vital and resilient New York City institution that, like the city itself, has grown and evolved over the years," said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Phil Thompson. "This year's program builds upon the traditional SYEP model to further incorporate connections between education and the world of work, while supporting participants in exploring potential careers and building their skills as community leaders."

“The Summer Youth Employment Program has been a rite of passage for young New Yorkers for nearly 60 years. This summer, SYEP takes on the added role of bringing back a semblance of normalcy to the lives of tens of thousands of youth whose lives were upended by COVID-19. The opportunities offered by SYEP will go a long way toward helping teens and young adults learn critical skills and map out their futures—and become important contributors to New York City’s recovery from the pandemic,” said DYCD Commissioner Bill Chong.

 

“SYEP is a critical component in our plan to work with community-based organizations to provide students with a holistic summer experience that includes opportunities to heal, grow and dream of their futures,” said Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter. “Now more than ever, we must meet New York City’s young people where they are and open doors for our most vulnerable students who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. I’m confident that this year’s participants will have meaningful work experiences while they learn work skills and earn a salary, restoring a sense of normalcy to their lives and putting them on the path to success in their future careers.”

 

“The full return of SYEP this summer will serve as a powerful affirmation that New York City is on the road to recovery from the public health and economic crises we have faced since last spring,” said David Fischer, executive director of the NYC Center for Youth Employment (CYE). “CYE is proud to support DYCD, DOE and other partnering City agencies, and thousands of employers hosting SYEP participants in creating valuable experiences that will help propel young New Yorkers into a brighter future.”

 

“The Summer Youth Employment Program and Ladders for Leaders have for years been an emblematic example of the power of partnership,” said Daniele Baierlein and JL Paniagua Valle, Co-executive Directors of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “Thank you to employers throughout the City for providing tens of thousands of young people with critical professional development this summer and bringing New York City closer to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

 

This summer, young people will be connected to diverse opportunities through robust partnerships between community-based organizations, employers and their schools. Older youth aged 16-21 who participate in the program will be placed in jobs, work-based experiences and technical and professional training that will expose them to promising career pathways, meet their unique needs and interests, and develop new skills. SYEP’s youngest participants, aged 14-15, can take part in structured project-based learning experiences that will provide a work-readiness foundation along with enriching career exploration and opportunities to develop social and emotional skills. Specialized programming is also available for New Yorkers who are 21 to 24 years old. 

 

Opportunities are available through the following initiatives:

 

SYEP Community-Based: Provides NYC youth between the ages of 14 and 21 with career exploration opportunities and paid work experience. There are opportunities with employers in all five boroughs, including health care, retail, information technology, construction, industrial/manufacturing, food service, media, and business/professional services.

 

CareerReady SYEP: Designed for students between the ages of 14 and 21 from select DOE schools to provide career exploration opportunities and paid work experience.

 

SYEP Emerging Leaders: Provides certain eligible NYC youth between the ages of 14 and 24 with career exploration opportunities and paid work experience. Additional eligibility requirements:

• Homeless & Runaway (residing in shelters)
• Justice/Court-Involved
• Foster Care
• Receiving Preventive Services through Administration for Children’s Services (ACS)
• Human Resources Administration (HRA) participants receiving Cash Assistance via Business Link
• Students from Access and Alternative Schools
• Gender-Based Violence

 

SYEP Map to $uccess and SYEP CareerFirst: Offers NYC youth between the ages of 14 and 24 from select NYCHA developments identified by the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety (MAP) with career exploration opportunities and paid work experience.

 

Outstanding high school and college students can also take part in Ladders for Leaders, a competitive professional summer internship component of SYEP that connects youth with leading corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies in New York City. Past employer partners have included A+E Networks, Amalgamated Bank, AppNexus, Bank of America, Deloitte, Emmis Communications, KPMG, Maimonides Hospital, Medidata, the MET, NASDAQ, NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC), NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), Tishman Speyer, Rudin Management, Vox Media, Seven Squared Media, Sotheby’s, and Y&R.

 

To ensure participant safety and meet the changing needs of employers during the COVID-19 recovery, all project-based learning and work-based opportunities may take place online, in-person or in a hybrid environment. SYEP participants in work-based experiences are paid in hourly wages at the prevailing minimum wage; younger youth participating in project-based experiences receive a stipend.

 

SYEP applications can be completed online or at participating community-based organizations, depending on the program option. Online applications are available at nyc.gov/syep. For more information, call 311 or DYCD Community Connect (1-800-246-4646).

Governor Cuomo Announces New Yorkers 50 Years of Age and Older Will Be Eligible to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

 

New Yorkers 50 Years of Age and Older Can Make Appointments Tomorrow at 8 a.m. 

More Than 1.65 Million Doses Administered Through New York Mass Vaccination Sites and FEMA Sites to Date 

103,425 Doses Administered Across New York State in the Last 24 Hours            

More than 1 Million Doses Administered Over Past Seven Days           

Vaccine Dashboard Will Update Daily to Provide Updates on the State's Vaccine Program; Go to ny.gov/vaccinetracker

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that starting tomorrow at 8 a.m., New Yorkers 50 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine. 103,425 doses have been administered across New York's vast distribution network in the last 24 hours, and more than 1 million doses have been administered over the past seven days. More than 1.65 million doses have been administered through New York mass vaccination sites and FEMA sites to date. Delivery of the week 15 allocation begins mid-week.  

"We continue to kick vaccinations into overdrive throughout the state by expanding eligibility, establishing new vaccination sites and allowing providers to reach new populations. More New Yorkers are getting vaccinated every single day, but we still have a long way to go before defeating the COVID beast and reaching safety," Governor Cuomo said. "New York's distribution network is at the ready to handle an expected increase in supply, and we're excited to expand eligibility even further to New Yorkers over the age of 50 as we move to get through the COVID-19 pandemic." 

New York's vast distribution network and large population of eligible individuals still far exceed the supply coming from the federal government. Due to limited supply, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.

The 'Am I Eligible' screening tool has been updated for individuals with comorbidities and underlying conditions with new appointments released on a rolling basis over the next weeks. New Yorkers can use the following to show they are eligible:

• Doctor's letter, or
• Medical information evidencing comorbidity, or
• Signed certification    

Vaccination program numbers below are for doses distributed and delivered to New York for the state's vaccination program, and do not include those reserved for the federal government's Long Term Care Facility program. A breakdown of the data based on numbers reported to New York State as of 11 AM today is as follows.   

STATEWIDE BREAKDOWN

Total doses administered - 7,737,230

Total doses administered over past 24 hours - 103,425

Total doses administered over past 7 days - 1,037,382

Percent of New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 26.1%

Percent of New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 13.4%

Honduran National Convicted On Drug Trafficking And Weapons Charges

 

Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez Conspired with High-Ranking Honduran Politicians and Members of the Honduran Military and National Police to Operate a Cocaine Lab in Honduras and Distribute Cocaine Using Air and Maritime Routes

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that a jury returned a guilty verdict against GEOVANNY FUENTES RAMIREZ (“FUENTES RAMIREZ”) on all three counts in the Indictment, which included cocaine-importation and weapons charges.  FUENTES RAMIREZ is scheduled to be sentenced by the Honorable P. Kevin Castel on June 22, 2021.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez was, up until his arrest by the DEA just over a year ago, a ruthless, powerful, and murderous cocaine trafficker in Honduras.  He facilitated the shipment of large loads of cocaine by bribing Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado, then president of the Honduran National Congress and now the Honduran president.  Hernández Alvarado instructed Fuentes Ramirez to report directly to convicted co-conspirator and former Honduran congressman Tony Hernandez, the president’s brother.  Now Geovanny Fuentes Ramirez, one of the criminal conduits between Honduran officials and drug traffickers, faces a possible life behind bars.”

As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial:

Beginning in or about 2009, FUENTES RAMIREZ and others established and operated a cocaine laboratory in the Cortés Department of Honduras, where they produced hundreds of kilograms of cocaine each month.  FUENTES RAMIREZ worked with others to receive cocaine shipments sent to Honduras over air and maritime routes, and to transport cocaine that he produced at the laboratory.  FUENTES RAMIREZ provided security for the facility, and for the transportation of cocaine, using heavily armed workers and Honduran police and military personnel.

On several occasions between approximately 2010 and 2013, FUENTES RAMIREZ helped arrange or directly participated in drug-related violence.  In or about 2012, for example, after FUENTES RAMIREZ’s cocaine laboratory was raided by law enforcement, FUENTES RAMIREZ beat and tortured a law enforcement official who FUENTES RAMIREZ believed to have been involved in the investigation of the laboratory.  FUENTES RAMIREZ murdered the officer by shooting him in the head with what FUENTES RAMIREZ described as “mercy shots.”

In or about 2013, FUENTES RAMIREZ paid a bribe of at least approximately $25,000 to Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado (“JOH”), who was at the time the president of the Honduran National Congress, and allowed JOH to access millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine from FUENTES RAMIREZ’s laboratory.  In connection with negotiations relating to the laboratory, JOH told FUENTES RAMIREZ that he was interested in access to the laboratory because of its proximity to Puerto Cortés, a key shipping port on the northern coast of Honduras.  JOH also told FUENTES RAMIREZ that the Honduran armed forces would provide security, and that Óscar Fernando Chinchilla Banegas, the Attorney General of Honduras, would help protect FUENTES RAMIREZ’s drug trafficking activities.  JOH instructed FUENTES RAMIREZ to report directly to JOH’s brother, Juan Antonio Hernández Alvarado (“Tony Hernández”), for purposes of their drug trafficking partnership.  Finally, JOH told FUENTES RAMIREZ that he wanted to make the DEA think that Honduras was fighting drug trafficking, but that instead he was going to eliminate extradition and “stuff drugs up the gringos’ noses,” referring to flooding the United States with cocaine. 

In October 2019, Tony Hernández was convicted of the same offenses as FUENTES RAMIREZ, as well as an additional count of making false statements to the DEA.  FUENTES RAMIREZ met with JOH following two key filings in the prosecution of Tony Hernández, as demonstrated by, among other things, data from FUENTES RAMIREZ’s phone reflecting that he twice searched for directions to JOH’s Casa Presidencial in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, after the filings.  Tony Hernández is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Castel on March 30, 2021.  

FUENTES RAMIREZ, 51, was convicted on three counts:  (1) conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, which carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum prison term of life; (2) using and carrying machine guns during, and possessing machine guns in furtherance of, the cocaine-importation conspiracy, which carries a mandatory consecutive prison term of 30 years; and (3) conspiring to use and carry machine guns during, and to possess machine guns in furtherance of, the cocaine-importation conspiracy, which carries a maximum prison term of life.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit, New York Strike Force, and Tegucigalpa Country Office, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.