Bloomberg Responsible for Poverty Spike

 

 

**Statement On The New NYC Poverty Stats**

One in five New York City residents are living in poverty, according to new data out today from the Census Bureau. The Living Wage NYC coalition, organized and led by the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), responded with the following statement:

"The new poverty data on New York City released today by the Census Bureau is deeply unsettling but it should not come as a surprise. The Bloomberg administration’s economic policy has prioritized the interests of corporations and developers, and neglected the needs of most New Yorkers. Poverty has increased in so many communities and households because this administration is not investing in living wage jobs. It has given corporations and developers billions of taxpayer dollars and allowed them to create poverty-wage jobs with impunity. That needs to stop. This aristocratic agenda of protecting the rich and ignoring the most vulnerable has clearly failed countless New Yorkers across the city.

 

The same failed policy cannot continue. Morally and economically, the statistics released today are unacceptable. It’s time to focus on real solutions that will address this poverty epidemic. Now is the time to pass the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, City Council legislation that would create more living wage jobs, reduce inequality, and rebuild the middle class. The Living Wage NYC coalition calls on the administration to support this legislation and help the City Council move it forward quickly.

 

With nearly 2 million New Yorkers living in poverty, city government has an obligation to do everything it can to create living wage jobs and ensure that taxpayer money is no longer wasted on the wealthy."

About the Living Wage NYC coalition

Living Wage NYC is a diverse coalition representing thousands of New Yorkers including members of the faith community, anti-hunger groups, the LGBTQ organizations, large grassroots groups, and labor organizations. We are calling on the city to ensure that developers and companies receiving taxpayer subsidies create living wage jobs that strengthen communities, neighborhoods, and households. For more information, visit www.livingwagenyc.org.

 

 

Borough President Diaz Announces First-Ever
‘Well Being’ Survey for Bronx Residents

(We put this up before< but the survey is now available in Spanish language).

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz announced that his office will conduct the borough’s first-ever “well being” survey, which will measure the opinions of Bronx residents and those who work in the Bronx on a variety of issues that impact their communities.

The survey, which will be conducted online, asks respondents to rate their communities in a number of areas, from crime and education to fresh food availability and civic activity. The survey will remain open until October 31, 2011. Following the completion of the survey, one individual will be chosen at random to have brunch with Borough President Diaz.

“It is important that Bronxites participate in this survey and let my office hear from them on the specific issues that face our neighborhoods. We are ‘One Bronx,’ and this survey will help us discover what problems are shared by different neighborhoods, so that we may develop common solutions to them. The goal of this survey is to build upon newly-released Census data to perform a comprehensive, inclusive, and thorough assessment of where we are as a borough and where we want to go. I hope that as many Bronxites as possible will take a few minutes to fill out this survey and join us in that effort,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

The results of this survey will be compiled by the borough president’s office, and a report based on its outcome will be issued by the office at a later date.

Click here to take the survey.

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To download a printable copy of the survey and fill it out manually, click here.

The link to the survey in Spanish is:
http://svy.mk/r1RB9B.

STATEMENT FROM BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ RE: Comptroller Liu's Audit of NYCEDC

 

  “My office is currently examining Comptroller Liu’s audit. We look forward to working with the New York City Economic Development Corporation to ensure that these available funds are used as part of a viable project that will provide positive economic development in the Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

EDC KEEPS MILLIONS IDLE

City Comptroller John C. Liu today announced that an audit of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) determined it has left millions of dollars untouched that were intended for public benefit projects.  The audit identified $9.3 million in so-called Public Purpose Funds, managed by the EDC, in accounts that have seen no activity for years.  The EDC received the money from private developers in exchange for tax breaks or other benefits.

The EDC received $8.9 million as part of a 1992 agreement in exchange for financial breaks for the Riverside South residential development led by Donald Trump.  This Public Purpose Fund, earmarked from the beginning to benefit the Harlem River Rail Yard in the Bronx, was fully funded by 2005.  Despite having 19 years to come up with a plan to use the money, the EDC has not disbursed any of it.  The audit recommends the EDC find a way to use the money to benefit the Bronx and not wait another 19 years to do so.

“It makes little sense that millions intended for economic development remain unused for so long, especially in the Bronx where jobs are greatly needed,” Comptroller Liu said.  “If the EDC can’t figure out how to put the capital to work then at least return the money to the City treasury.”

The EDC has rejected the audit’s recommendation, arguing that Public Purpose Funds cannot be redirected to a new local benefit without violating the agreements that they are based upon.  The EDC, however, also concedes that these agreements can be amended and the money reassigned if it obtains approval from the City Council and City Planning Commission. The audit recommends that the EDC do just that.

The audit also discovered that EDC failed to collect $725,720 from energy company Keyspan, which was supposed to benefit the community near the company’s Long Island City power plant that went online in May 2004.  The company was to hand over the money within five years. Despite disagreeing with this particular finding, the EDC collected $250,000 of this money in July after it was brought to their attention by auditors. A balance of $475,720 remains uncollected by EDC.

“This is not the first time the EDC has denied an audit finding only to recover the money once it has been pointed out to them,” said Deputy Comptroller for Audit Tina Kim.

In addition to the Harlem River Rail Yard, the audit identified three additional aging Public Purpose Funds that have remained unused since 2005:

       $344,659 from a fund created in 1982 to improve Astoria Studios or public areas around the studios
       $64,834 from Bear Stearns set aside in 1991 to fund job training, particularly for low income youth
       $55,081 set aside in 2000 with no restricted purpose during the redevelopment of 75/85 East Broadway in Manhattan

BACKGROUND:

An April 2010 audit of EDC operations identified $125 million it owed the City.  Although it denied the findings, the EDC eventually agreed to return $120 million to the City, including $10.6 million left in a dormant Public Purpose Fund.  Similarly, in November 2010, an audit found the EDC failed to collect more than $300,000 from the Staten Island Yankees owed to the City treasury.  Despite initially disagreeing with the audit findings, the EDC has since sought to recoup the entire amount the team owed to the City.

The audit focused on transactions in Fiscal Year 2009 and Fiscal Year 2010.

Comptroller Liu credited Deputy Comptroller for Audit Tina Kim and the Audit Bureau for presenting the findings.  The full report is available at http://comptroller.nyc.gov/audits.

Bronx's Soundview Park Hosts Fall Festival

 

Partnerships for Parks and Friends of Soundview Park Presents

Fall Festival 2011

Soundview Park, Bronx, NY

Saturday, September 24, 2011

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

A Day of FREE Fitness Events, Arts, Tours and Fun Workshops for the Entire Family

September 20, 2011 -- Partnerships for Parks and Friends of Soundview Park are proud to announce the second annual Fall Festival at Soundview Park, an all-day multi-faceted, all-ages festival taking place in Soundview Park – a gorgeous 200-acre waterfront park located in the Bronx. Organized by Partnerships for Park’s Catalyst program -- whose focus is on reclaiming and promoting the vitality of waterfront parks -- this day of free activities is sure to offer families a day of unique programming that promotes the beauty of Soundview Park.

The event includes a lineup of healthy, fun and eco-friendly activities for the entire family including: puppet shows, walking tours, park beautification projects, and free giveaways.  Fall Festival 2011 will acquaint Bronx residents with Soundview Park and encourage adults and children to take part in a range of fun and healthy sports and games.

Note: In event of inclement weather, the event will be moved to October 1, 2011.

Date and Scheduling of Events:           Saturday, September 24, 2011, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

·           9:00 AM – 11:00 AM – International Coastal Cleanup – Join the Bronx River Alliance in Volunteering to clean up this beautiful waterfront park as part of International Coastal Cleanup Day and National Estuaries Day.

(Meet at the corner of Leland & O’Brien Avenues)

·           11:00 AM – 4:00 PM – Health and fitness programming

·           12:00 PM – 3:00 PM – “So Near and Yet So Far”
Watch artists Christina Kelly and Gena Wirth launch a flotilla of small “islands” along the intertidal zone in Soundview Park.  The public is invited to take a close look at the shoreline through an old-fashioned
explorer’s spy glass and catch a glimpse of the “islands,” which are similar to floating remnants of Soundview's former saltwater marsh

·           1:30 PM – 2:30 PM – Puppet-making Workshop with puppeteers from City Parks Foundation’s PuppetMobile

·           2:30 PM – 2:30 PM – “Bessie’s Big Shot” – A puppet show by City Parks Foundation’s PuppetMobile

Location:

Soundview Park

For International Coastal Cleanup – The Bronx River Alliance will meet volunteers at the corner of Leland and O'Brien Avenues at 9:00 AM

All other activities will take place at: Park entrance at Morrison and Lafayette Avenues, Bronx, NY 10472

Signs, tables and tents will line the shaded path where visitors can pick up a map and schedule of activities and register for certain activities on a first come first served basis.

For more information on Fall Festival 2011, please visit NYC’s Soundview Park page at: http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/soundviewpark  and the Friends of Soundview Park’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/soundviewpark

About Partnership for Parks

Partnerships for Parks is an innovative joint program of City Parks Foundation and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Partnerships for Parks helps New Yorkers work together to make neighborhood parks thrive. We strengthen our diverse, growing network of dedicated park volunteers and groups by creating opportunities for them to celebrate their parks and accomplishments, access resources, become more effective leaders in their communities, and work with government to affect decisions about their parks.

About Friends of Soundview Park

Friends of Soundview Park is a volunteer group of residents and organizations dedicated to improve and promote Soundview Park through community events and beautifications projects. To learn more, visit: www.facebook.com/soundviewpark

Catalyst: Reclaiming the Waterfront in Soundview Park is made possible with support from:

The Altman Foundation; The New York Community Trust; The Scherman Foundation; The TD Charitable Foundation; New York State Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund; City of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor; NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, Adrian Benepe, Commissioner; NYC Council under the leadership of Christine C. Quinn; NYC Council Member Annabel Palma.   

Mayor Bloomberg Predicts Riots in The Streets Soon...

  The reason that Mayor Bloomberg has predicted that there may be rioting in the streets soon, is because if the poor job market does not improve Bloomberg says that we may see what happened in Madrid, Cairo, and other cities happen here. Civil disorder about spending money on items other than job creation in high unemployment sparked the rioting abroad, and similar circumstances here could become the catalyst for local civil disobedience. According to Bloomberg more college graduates are finding less jobs in the current job market, and that was why he praised the latest job plan by President Obama. 

  The Republican House Speaker Congressman John Boehner of Ohio has drawn a line in the sand however to Obama as to the raising of taxes on the rich to pay for the jobs plan that benefits the middle class. The Republicans hope to stymie President Obama in this period of lower approval ratings for the president right before the 2012 presidential election.

Borough President Diaz Brings 'Peace in our Streets' to Soundview

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. brought his "Peace in our Streets" initiative to the James Monroe Houses in the Soundview section of the Bronx. Borough President Diaz, along with Assembly Member Marcos Crespo, City Council Member Fernando Cabrera and dozens of volunteers went door to door in each building of the complex, handing out information on the NYPD's 866-GUN-STOP program. The program offers cash rewards to individuals who anonymously report illegal gun activity.

BP Diaz with volunteers handing out flyer's, and talking to community members about gun violence.