ORLANDO Marín CONFIRMED AS BRONX

REP TO CITY PLANNING COMMISSION

“Orlando Marín has the right combination of experience and knowledge to represent the Bronx on the City Planning Commission, and I am thrilled that his appointment to that body is official. I look forward to working with Mr. Marín to ensure that the responsible redevelopment of the Bronx continues. I would also like to thank Kenneth Knuckles, our outgoing Bronx City Planning Commissioner, for his years of dedicated service to both my office and the people of the Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

“I am excited to have been appointed a member of the City Planning Commission, and I would like to thank Borough President Diaz for this opportunity.  The experiences that I have gained and the professional acumen that I have developed combined with the skill sets and development expertise that I have honed throughout the years have grounded me and are the basis for my continued desire to serve the City and which I believe will compliment that of those currently serving on the Commission.  I am proud to have been nominated to serve on the City Planning Commission and look forward to working with the currently appointed members,” said Orlando Marín.

A resident of the Longwood section of the Bronx, Orlando Marín has worked in the housing arena for the last 20 years where he has garnished a stellar reputation.  He is currently employed with the Bluestone Organization, a private developer of both affordable and market rate housing based in  Fresh Meadows, New York, and has also worked for such prestigious organizations as the Empire State Development Corporation, the New York City Housing Partnership, and served as the special assistant to the City Engineer of Phoenix, Arizona.

Active in his neighborhood since his teenage years, Mr. Marín has played an instrumental role in the redevelopment of his immediate community, where he currently serves as chairman of Bronx Community Board #2.  An architect with a background in Real Estate and Public Administration, Mr. Marín won the American Institute of Architect’s Creative Design award for the development of the “Prototypical School” while employed with the nationally acclaimed office of Perkins & Will.  While serving as a member of Bronx Community Board #3, he was instrumental in the creation of that board’s 197A Comprehensive Plan, entitled “Partnership for the Future,” which gained full support and accolades from the Bronx Borough President’s office.

As a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, a graduate of New York University’s Continuing Education Program earning a Diploma in Real Estate with a concentration in Investment analysis, Mr. Marín adds to his credential the participation and successful completion of the National Urban Rural Fellows Program administered in tandem with Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs, where he obtained his Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

 

 

New DEP Commissioner Named

  Mayor Michael Bloomberg has named Carter Strickland to be the new DEP commissioner. Mr. Strickland served as Deputy Commissioner for Sustainability at DEP and as the Senior Policy Advisor for Air and Water in the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability. The mayor writes in a letter that Strickland was key in the making of PlanNYC, and continues that the 6,000 person DEP has risen to new heights with the aid of new commissioner Strickland's leadership. 

  Strickland said that it is an honor to be selected to lead this talented and dedicated agency, and to be able to give back to the city. He added "the work the DEP does on a daily basis is remarkable". He went on to say what a pleasure it has been to serve in the Bloomberg administration.

  There are those of us here in the Northwest Bronx who want to know just how new Commissioner Strickland feels on public access to the Jerome Park Reservoir.

Mayor Bloomberg's Job Approval Rating Hits Lowest Point in Six Years

  According to a New York Times poll Mayor Michael Bloomberg's job approval rating has hit its lowest point in six years. Only 45 percent of New Yorkers approve of the job Bloomberg is doing as mayor, while 43 percent disapprove of the way he is handling the city. 

  Reasons given for Bloombergs low approval numbers are the length in office (the third term blues), and the fact that he is no longer the hot politico to cover now that Governor Andrew Cuomo is the toast of everyone. Other reasons still include last winters snowstorm and increasing fees on almost everything.

  

  You can read the entire Times article here.

Phone in Your Quarter For Parking

  The city is going to make it easier for you to park as a new pilot program of 300 selected muni-meters to allow you to phone in you fee to a preset number. You would have to register your credit card and car information fist as The Daily News Reports here. .

  This was introduced by Mayor Bloomberg in 2009, and as of now no vendor has been chosen. 

BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ ISSUES 

2011 “BACK TO SCHOOL” GUIDE

The office of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has issued a “Back to School” guide, containing helpful tips for parents regarding the upcoming school year.

The guide, which is available on the borough president’s website and will be issued to schools and community organizations across The Bronx, includes information on registering students for public school, determining a student’s zoned school and finding school transportation, as well as information on programs for special education students and English Language Learners (ELL). The guide is available in both English and Spanish.

“As a parent, I know how stressfull the first few days of school can be, both for the parent and for the student. For that very reasoon my office has put out a ‘Back to School’ guide to help parents navigate the public school system,”said Borough President Diaz.

Borough President Diaz will also be hosting the first ever Education Summit on October 15.  The goal of the summit it to create an agenda for increasing student educational achievement in the Bronx, from the most gifted to the those who need extra help.  This summit will also bring together the best minds on education from not only the Bronx, but also the city and the nation, to discuss the issues facing the education system in the Bronx and potential solutions to them.

For more information about the Education Summit please visit www.bronxeducationsummit.org

To view our “Back to School” guide please visit the sites below:

English: http://bit.ly/ngSdjK

Spanish: http://bit.ly/nvZ8R5

YDANIS CUTS THE RIBBON ON THE NEW HIGHBRIDGE BASEBALL PARK

After providing $1.5 million in funding, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez joined State Senator Adriano Espaillat, State Senator Bill Perkins, Assemblymember Guillermo Linares, the Department of Parks and Recreation and dozens of young baseball players to cut the ribbon on Highbridge Park's new baseball field.

Anyone who grew up playing baseball in Highbridge can remember the poor condition of the field, but after nine months of construction, the field will now have new seating, dugouts, drinking fountains and the field itself will now be completely level.

With a few weeks of summer left before school starts, make sure that you're able to see the beautiful new field for yourself!

Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz Disappointed by Public School Sex Ed Agenda

 

Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz Disappointed by Public School Sex Ed Agenda

New York State Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) released the following statement in response to the New York City public school system’s sex education mandate:

“I am troubled and dismayed that during his third term as Mayor, Michael Bloomberg intends to completely usurp the role of parents and implement a new sex education curriculum in the public schools.

In matters involving intimacy and human sexuality, parents have the right and the responsibility to be the primary educators.  Many parents teach their children that these are private topics not to be discussed casually or in group settings.

Twenty years ago, a similar mandate was defeated.  At the time, I was honored to stand beside Dr. Irene Impellizzeri when she served as Vice President of what was then the New York City Board of Education.  During that time, there was opportunity for parental input.  The parents were heard and they were respected.  So were the children.

Now there is no formal arena for formal parental input.  There is no opportunity for public hearings.  There are no requirements that these regulations be open to public review and comment.

No accountability to the public, to the parents, and certainly not the children.

How sad for us all.”

 

Should Bert and Ernie Get Married?

   A petition started by Lair Scott, exhorts the makers of Sesame Street to let the two old friends get hitched. Gay marriage became legal in New York this June, increasing the number of states in the country to do so to six. 

  This link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/10/bert-ernie-gay-marriage_n_923147.html goes into detail as to why over 900 people have signed the petition. Sesame Street since its start in 1969 have had Bert and Ernie living together, and many viewers questioned if the pair were indeed gay. That leads one person to say why stop at Bert and Ernie when Yogi and Boo Boo have lived together even longer.

   What is your opinion, should Bert and Ernie come out of the closet and get married?