Bankers Breakfast Bronx Week 2012

     On Friday May 11th The Business Initiative Corporation of New York in partnership with The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation held the 14th Annual Bronx Bankers Breakfast at Villa Barone Manor. This was a gathering of over 400 leaders of the banking, business, real estate, and technical assistance industries to hear Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg  discuss the accomplishments of both administrations along with future goals of both leaders in economic development. 

     BP Diaz spoke of the new development going on all over the Bronx from his helping to keep the Hunt's Point Market in the Bronx, getting "Fresh Direct" to expand and relocate to the Bronx, and the new development on two separate sites on the Broadway business area in Kingsbridge. Diaz also mentioned that this year "Bronx Week 2012" will feature over 120 different events all around the Bronx, ending on Sunday May 20th with the Bronx Day Parade, then the Music and Food festival both on Mosholu Parkway.

    BP Ruben Diaz Jr.Diaz then introduced Mayor Michael "Ruben" Bloomberg who said that he once was endorsed by Ruben Diaz in his three elections, but that was by Ruben Diaz senior and not the junior Diaz. Bloomberg went on to say how New York City and the Bronx were better of under his administration, and also spoke of the new development going on in the Bronx, such as the expansion of the Bay Plaza shopping center. Bloomberg praised Assemblyman (and Democratic County Leader) Carl Heastie for his help in passing the new "Taxi Bill" in Albany, and said that people in all five boroughs will now be able to hail a safe reliable cab. He added that he has little over one year left to his term in office, and still has a lot of work to do. I was able to ask the mayor about a City Planning initiative on global warming, and the mayor said that we must give very much concern to global warming and how it can effect the city..
  Here you can see a short video of BP Diaz and Mayor Bloomberg. from the breakfast

  Below are a few photos of the event, click on a photo to enlarge it. 

Right - Mayor Bloomberg is seated between Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. and his Chief of Staff Mr. Paul Del Duca. Ms. Marlene Cintron of BOEDC asks BP Diaz to address the audience.    Right - BP Diaz speaking during the breakfast.

Left - Deputy BP Greene and Assemblyman Carl Heastie are seated by the mayor as BP Diaz is speaking.      Right - Mayor Bloomberg addressing the audience.

Some Bronx elected officials on hand.Left - is Assemblyman Marcos Crespo with State Senator Gustavo Rivera.    Right is Assemblyman Crespo with Councilman Joel Rivera, and the owner of Metro Optics.

Left - is BP Diaz center with Assembly members Vanessa Gibson and Jeffrey Dinowitz to his left, and Councilman Rivera and State Senator Rivera on his right. Right - is the unity of Bronx elected officials as Assemblymen Crespo and Heastie join the group.

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Chippewa Democratic Club 
114th Annual Dinner Dance

  Thursday May 10th the Chippewa Democratic Club held their 114th Annual Dinner Dance at Villa Barone Manor. While some of the members have been around a long time, no one could remember the first few Dinner Dances. The Honorees were Mr. Bob Kappstater (with the Daily News for over 40 years, and now editor of the Bronx Times Reporter), Mr. Louis Mahoney (Owner of Jerome Florist in Throggs Neck), Ms. Rose Lobianco (a local resident and Department of Education supervisor), Mr. Patrick Welsh ( a union leader fro the CWA), and Mr. George Archambault (longtime Chippewa Democratic Club member and volunteer). 

  Over 250 people were in attendance including local elected officials Councilman Jimmy Vacca, State Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Michael Bennedetto, as well as Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Many union leaders and members were also in attendance, including United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew who dropped by during the dinner.Also in attendance were Bronx Chamber of Commerce President Lenny Caro, Bronx Democratic County Executive Director Ms. Iashia Bravo (who stood in for the County Leader Assemblyman Carl Heastie), many other local party leaders, and even 80th Assembly District candidate Mr. Mark Gjonaj. 

  Below are a few photos of  event, and you can click on the picture to enlarge it.

Left - is the band "Just Nuts" led by Mr. Victor Sabatini that provided the music for the night.         Right - is Councilman Jimmy Vacca.

Left - is UFT President Michael Mulgrew with Councilman Vacca.    Right - is Councilman Vacca explaining his latest position with honoree (and new editor of the Bronx Times Reporter) Bob Kappstater.

Left - is BP Diaz with Steamfitter Union rep and 80th A.D. State Committeeman Joe McManus.    Right - is Ms. Iashia Bravo with honoree Bob Kappstater.


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Statement by State Senator Rubén Díaz

Re; President Obama's Statement on Gay Marriage

  “As a conservative Democrat, I am very disappointed with President Barack Obama regarding his announcement today in favor of gay marriage.  It is well known that in every state where the people have had the opportunity to vote, including in North Carolina this week, the people have rejected gay marriage.  Even though the polls indicate that the majority of Americans favor gay marriage, the reality is clearly very different when the people are given the right to vote on this issue."

 

  Thirty-one (31) states have already expressed that sentiment in the voting booth. I am afraid that with this pronouncement, the President has hurt the Democrats’ chances of regaining the Senate and will hurt many Democratic candidates throughout the nation.  I will not be surprised if in the next few days you  see in the polls that Mitt Romney has surpassed Barack Obama.

 

  “Gay marriage has been the Achilles Heel in New York State since it became law.  The Democratic party has lost every single election to Republicans, even in Democratic controlled areas.”

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COMPTROLLER LIU UNVEILS INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN TO CREATE 15,000 JOBS

City Can Spur Economic Growth and Realize Long-Term Savings by Accelerating Capital Projects Already in the Pipeline

  

Comptroller John C. Liu today unveiled details of an innovative plan to accelerate school construction and

other vital capital projects that have already been approved. The plan would create jobs now, improve infrastructure, and take advantage of today’s historically-low borrowing costs and relatively low construction costs. Comptroller Liu is advocating for adoption of this plan in the Fiscal Year 2013 budget.

“By accelerating projects already in the pipeline the City can jump-start 15,000 jobs – at a time when the construction industry is still struggling and unemployment is stubbornly high, especially among minorities.” Comptroller Liu said. “The plan addresses infrastructure challenges such as school overcrowding, deteriorating roads and bridges, and the need for new and better parks. It also offers an opportunity to save taxpayer money by taking advantage of today’s historically low interest rates and relatively low construction costs.”

The City plans to commit $28.8 billion in capital projects for Fiscal Years 2014-2021 to build schools and upgrade other infrastructure. The Comptroller's plan challenges the City to evaluate its long-term pipeline to identify projects that can start in the upcoming fiscal year. Accelerating $2 billion of capital spending over the next two fiscal years would not represent an increase to the City's long term capital plan, but rather an acceleration of scheduled capital budget commitments. The plan expands on the concept Comptroller Liu proposed in his State of the City address earlier this year which outlined ways to spur economic development.

The Comptroller’s office estimates that borrowing $2 billion now could save taxpayers up to $468 million in long-term borrowing costs. The short-term cost of debt service on the incremental borrowing could be mitigated by targeting savings from refinancing existing high coupon debt at current low rates – resulting in no new costs for taxpayers. Since taking office, Comptroller Liu, together with the Office of Management and Budget, has executed refinancings that have produced more than $700 million in total budget savings.

Accelerating capital projects has the potential to spur more than 15,000 jobs in FY 2013 and 2014. Conservative estimates by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce indicate that 7.7 new jobs are created for every $1 million invested in infrastructure; thus, a $2 billion investment over a two-year time span would create over 15,000 jobs. Further, construction costs, while rising, are still low compared to four years ago – presenting an additional cost-saving opportunity.

The City’s infrastructure needs are well-documented. New York City is currently No. 1 in competitiveness among 120 of the world’s major cities, according to a ranking earlier this year by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Yet, that same study ranked New York City 24th in terms of physical capital, raising questions about the City’s ability to maintain its competitive edge.

“When the construction industry is strong, New York City thrives,” said Richard T. Anderson, President of the New York Building Congress. “More government leaders need to focus on the city's capital budget – in fact, we would like to see the budget not just accelerated but also increased. The Comptroller is paying attention to the capital plan in a very important way, and this innovative plan would help ensure New York City maintains its competitive edge. The Building Congress supports this Capital Acceleration Plan. It would generate much-needed jobs, help kick-start our sluggish economy, and expedite important infrastructure improvements.”

“We are fully supportive of the Comptroller's initiative, which would assist in creating much- needed jobs today while also stimulating economic growth and new development,” said New York City Central Labor Council President Vincent Alvarez. “New York City’s unacceptably high unemployment rate – higher than the national rate – illustrates just how badly jobs are needed here, especially in the hard-hit construction industry.”

“This would save the City money and speed up much-needed school construction. It's a common-sense plan and a good idea for the City of New York,” said Michael Mulgrew, President of the United Federation of Teachers.

“Creating good jobs in New York City is priority number one for the unionized Building and Construction Trades,” said Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. “To the extent there are public works projects that can be accelerated to put people to work while at the same time cutting long-term borrowing costs to taxpayers by taking advantage of currently low interest rates, we ought to fully explore doing so.”

“This plan represents much-needed thinking about how to seriously address the City’s high unemployment and unused capacity in the critical construction sector,” said James Parrott, Deputy Director and Chief Economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute.

“School construction must be accelerated, or else another generation of children will lose out on their right to an adequate education,” said Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters. “This is a far-thinking proposal and we hope that the Mayor, DOE and the City Council take heed.”

“The New York City Parents Union supports Comptroller John C. Liu's capital acceleration plan because it will create much needed jobs for New Yorkers and the construction of new school buildings will alleviate overcrowding in our schools,” said Mona Davids, President of the New York City Parents Union.

“This proposal is a no-brainer. It creates 15,000 much-needed jobs, costs very little in the short-term, and actually saves money in the long-term,” said John Petro, policy analyst at the Drum Major Institute. 

For more information, download “New York City Capital Acceleration Plan: Creating Jobs Today by Improving Tomorrow’s Infrastructure,” at: http://comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/opm/reports.shtm

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Croton FMC Meeting on May 17

 

The Croton Facility Monitoring Committee will next meet on May 17th at the DEP office located on Jerome Avenue by the Croton Water Filtration Plant at 7pm.

The agenda will follow soon.

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York 

 

  You should know that some Members of the New York State Legislature are pushing hard to prevent McDonald’s and certain restaurants from giving out toys to children when they receive their meals unless those meals meet certain standards.

  Senate Bill 6386, sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera, and Assembly Bill 7662, sponsored by Assembly Member Felix Ortiz, both Hispanic and Puerto Rican, are calling for a law to dictate which restaurants may or may not distribute toys or as they call them, “incentives,” to children, especially poor children in our communities, when their parents take them to McDonald’s or any other restaurant to purchase a meal.

  It does not make sense! It is disturbing to see these same elected officials fight tooth and nail to give a woman the right to kill an unborn baby, because according to them, it is a woman’s choice to do what they want with their bodies. Gustavo and Felix have no problem in being part of the “American Holocaust” and by being pro-choice by giving a woman a right to murder an unborn baby, but they have problems and are willing to take away the right of the mother and father or child to eat whatever they want.

  Don’t get me wrong, I believe that obesity is a problem and that people should be more careful with what they eat, but if people want to be fat and eat hamburgers or anything they want, it is their right to allow them to eat whatever they want. I think that it is a lot better to be fat than to terminate the life of an unborn, innocent baby. Does anyone believe that people are elected into office to regulate what food and drinks moms and dads can serve their children?

  Do these same elected officials who fight for any woman to have a supposed right to choose to kill her unborn baby realize that they are way out of line to try to assume authority over moms by taking away their right to choose what to give their children to eat or drink?

  When pro-lifers like me state the obvious that abortion affects two lives and that the fetus is a life, and that to crush their skulls with forceps or to use saline water to be disintegrated, the proc-choice, pro-abortion politicians argue back with that old cliché “my body, my choice”. I’m pretty sure that Assembly Member Ortiz and Senator Rivera would stand by their side.  

  How can these same two officials think they have the right to tell moms how they should feed their children or what to what restaurant they should take them?

  Parents struggle to do what’s best for their children, and at least so far, in this country parents are not dictated to by local elected officials about how to feed their children.  If they want to cook at home, they can. If they want to go out and eat, they can.

  You should know that there are important issues before us in the Legislature, and we sure don’t need Senator Rivera and Assembly Member Ortiz to divert our attention by creating a Nanny State in New York and much less deny McDonald’s or any other restaurant to give a free toy as an incentive. It is their right! It is their choice! And it is their money!

  I am Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.
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Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Senator Klein’s Bill to Increase Penalties for Religious Vandals

Following a rash of break-ins and burglaries targeting houses of worship in the Northern Bronx earlier this year, State Senator Jeffrey D. Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) today announced the passage of legislation to stiffen criminal penalties for those who steal or damage property in churches, synagogues or any other religious institution. The measure passed by a vote of 60-1. Corresponding legislation is being carried by Assemblyman Rory Lancman in the New York State Assembly.   

“An assault on a house of worship is an assault on our entire community,” Senator Klein said. “It’s time that these assailants learn that we mean business. I believe that this legislation will send that message and will better protect our communities’ sacred houses of worship. I'm pleased that an overwhelming number of my senate colleagues agree.”

Senator Klein’s legislation would:

·         Increase the penalty for theft, or the intentional damage to a scroll, religious vestment, vessel, any other item used in connection with religious worship in any building of worship to a Class D Felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. These crimes would be classified as third-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal mischief. Currently, these charges would only apply in cases where items worth more than $3,000 have been stolen, or where items have sustained more than $1,500 in damages.

·         Expand the definition of second-degree grand larceny to include the theft of any scroll, religious vestment, vessel, any other item used in connection with religious worship in any building of worship that are worth more than $250. This would be a Class C felony punishable by up to five to 15 years in prison.   

·         Strengthen the penalty for any intentional damage to house of worship-owned property a Class E felony punishable by up to four years in prison. Currently, this applies to damage worth more than $250. 

In recent months there has been a disturbing pattern in the area, which includes:

·         In the Waterbury-LaSalle Community, Our Lady of Assumption Roman Catholic Church parishioners noticed a laptop and approximately $400 were stolen from their school. Additionally, a door leading to the chapel was broken.

·         In Pelham Bay, Zoodohos Peghe Greek Orthodox Church was victim to about $50 being taken from donation box and the destruction of an intricate wood carving in the Church.  Additionally, two months prior at St. Theresa Catholic Church their gift shop was broken into and cash was stolen from the register.

·         On City Island, Police found windows and doors smashed and broken at Temple Beth El Synagogue and silver Torah crowns and Kiddush cups missing. They estimate $5,000 to $10,000 worth of items were stolen.

If enacted into law, this legislation would build upon Senator Klein’s past legislative accomplishment of increased criminal penalties for those who desecrate and vandalize church property.  That bill was signed into law by Governor Paterson in 2010 and was strongly championed by a wide range of religious leaders including Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan.

 “A crime against a religious institution is a crime against a community at large” said Monsignor. Anthony Marchitelli of Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church.

“It is urgent that all people of good will stand together against violence that target our houses of worship. We thank Senator Klein and his colleagues for their leadership in helping lift us up so that all of our brothers and sisters of faith can congregate and worship in safety and piece.” said Rabbi Shohama Wiener of Temple Beth El Synagogue.“ said Rabbi Shohama Wiener of Temple Beth El Synagogue.

Those who have any information on these recent burglaries against religious institutions are urged to contact the 45^th Precinct Detective Squad at (718) 822-5414 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-8447.

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SAVE THE DATE FOR THE 4^TH ANNUAL “FAIR @ THE SQUARE”- May 12, 2012, 11 AM – 6 PM

 

The Association of the Merchants & Business Professionals of Westchester Square, Inc., the new Westchester Square BID, the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, and the Bronx Council on the Arts announce the 4^th Annual “Fair @ The Square” taking place on Saturday, May 12^th from 11 AM to 6 PM along the streets of Westchester Square between St. Raymond Avenue and Westchester Avenue.             

                                         

“The Westchester Square merchants have made great strides over the past few years, with commercial revitalization efforts, to improve our area’s commerce and quality of life.  Now, with newly formed Westchester Square Business Improvement District (BID) in place, we can bring even more to the re-emergence of Westchester Square and we invite all the residents of New York City to come see what the buzz is all about. This annual fair allows us to showcase the diversity of our commerce, our culture, and our community, and the progress we have made in our neighborhood.” says Mr. Joe Regina, of AMBPWS, “We welcome this opportunity to have thousands of people, who we expect throughout the day, to come and join us as we celebrate the rebuilding of a great area for a great future.”

This multi-cultural event will feature an all day concert series showcasing New York City’s most popular groups performing every genre of music from oldies through today’s great music.  The show will be hosted by TV personality Molly Rokasy (Anchor, News12 the Bronx) and radio personality Dennis “Dion” Nardone (WVOX 1460 AM Radio).  From Doo-Wop to Hip-Hop, and everything in between, you will catch it all on the main stage at St. Raymond Avenue.  The artist line-up includes such performers as the tri-state area’s favorites SugaRush, the Just Nuts Dance Band, Italian Hip-Hop Movement artists SALESE, G-Fella and the Shark, Latin sensation Anayka, the Bronx Underground’s popular rock band A Moments Worth, the Truman High School TruSoul Ensemble, plus many other performers and dancers.

Kids will enjoy the day in the Kid’s Activity Area featuring all sorts of games, exhibits, and other fun activities including the FDNY Smoke House Exhibit & antique engine, the American Museum of Natural History Dinosaur Exhibit, while fair-goers enjoy the scores of merchants and vendors displaying their wares, and services, as well as great restaurants offering up great food. Other highlights include the Bronx Council on the Arts artists & artisans displaying their works throughout the Square.

 

Date:                     Saturday, May 12, 2012

Time:                    11am-6pm

Location:              Westchester Square from St. Raymond Avenue to Westchester Avenue 

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