Monday, January 7, 2013

BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ URGES BRONX RESIDENTS TO APPLY TO THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY BOARD



    Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. today invited Bronx residents to make a difference in their community by joining their local Community Board. The Office of the Bronx Borough President will be accepting applications for all 12 Community Boards from city residents who reside, work or have professional or other significant interests in the Bronx.

     “Participation on local Community Boards can provide Bronx residents with a forum to share with their community their expertise and talents,” said Borough President Diaz. “It is important that community residents participate in the decision making process in their communities on important budget, land use and service delivery issues.” 

  
    Applications are available at the Community Board office Room 207 of the Bronx Borough President located at 851 Grand Concourse (E.161st.), your local community board office, or on-line at http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/communityboards/cb2012application.pdf . The deadline for submission of applications for the next round of appointments is February 8, 2013. Visit bronxboropres.nyc.gov for more information about Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.



What You Should Know

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York


It is Better to Give than to Receive

   You should know that not only is my Christmas Party the biggest Christmas Party and the “one” to attend every year in the City of New York where elected officials and dignitaries join close to 1000 people to celebrate our Christmas tradition, but also, my Three Kings Day Celebration has become the biggest Three Kings Day Celebration in the City of New York, where close to 1000 children receive free toys and backpacks filled with school supplies.

I was very proud and honored this weekend during the Three Kings Day Celebration to have in attendance three of the candidates for Mayor of the City of New York who not only came to the South Bronx to say hello to the children and their parents, but also to bring some gifts for the children.  Of these three Mayoral Candidates who were in attendance, Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio, Former Comptroller Billy Thompson, and Reverend Erick Salgado, it was Bill DeBlasio who stole the show by bringing the most expensive toys.

The contribution made by Mr. John Catsimatidis, who did not attend because he was with his family in California, was also well appreciated by the organizers.

This year, along with Mayoral Candidates, I had the special honor of being joined by Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins, the first woman elected to Chair the New York’s Democratic Senate Conference; Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz, Jr.; Assemblymen Marcos Crespo and Luis Sepulveda; and Council Members Letitia James and Melissa Mark-Viverito.

You should know about how the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York continues to participate yearly at this Three Kings Day Celebration.  Even though there are very few Chinese people who live in the South Bronx, for the past five years not only has Taiwan's Ambassador Andrew Kao (and former Taiwan Ambassador Kenneth Liao) and the Taiwanese delegation come to the South Bronx for our Three Kings Day event, but they have also been providing backpacks filled with school supplies to the poor and needy children of the South Bronx. Their generosity is greatly appreciated, especially during these times of economic stress in our community.

I want to make special mention of the generosity and participation of Mr. Pat Lynch, President of the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association and Mr. Joseph Alejandro, the PBA Treasurer, who has attended this event for the past few years.  I also want to publicly recognize and thank the Hispanic Federation, who for the past few years has contributed toys and has helped to coordinate this event, and to the Principal, Ms. Mary Padilla and administration of PS 5 who has welcome our cultural event there.

Finally, you should know that for the past 10 years, this tremendous humanitarian event – filled with good will and the joy of giving to the poor and the needy – has been sponsored by the Christian Community Benevolent Association, Affinity Health Plan, and the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization.

I am deeply honored and very proud to have the help and participation of all these leaders and organizations because they have a clear understanding of the Biblical mandate that it is better to give than to receive.

This is Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.

 

 

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Three Kings Celebration


  The "Annual Three Kings Celebration", by the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, State Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr., Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda,and other elected officials was held this past Saturday in the packed auditorium of PS 5. There were however so many children and parents in attendance that the gym was packed with even more children and parents. 

   
The story of the Three Kings was told in Spanish by Senator Diaz, and the English translation was done by Assemblyman Crespo. after telling of the story children were invited up to see if they couldd answer a question about the story, and would receive 20 dollars from the senator if they knew the answer. While the curtain was closed, behind it were hundreds of toys that were donated by various organizations that included the Taiwanese Business Association whose members received awards from Sen. Diaz.

  On hand were the Three Kings, Santa Claus and many elected officials or candidates for office. Some of which you will see in the photos below this is the biggest Three Kings event in the city, and possibly the state.

Left - Senator Diaz shaking  hands of many of those in the audience.
Right - You can see the packed auditorium, but there were as many people waiting in the gym also. 


Left & Right - are some of the children who won twenty dollars for knowing the answer to their question about the story of the Three Kings.


Left - Members of the Taiwanese Business Association receive awards for their help in the event.
Right - Mr. Anthony Robestello hands a check from mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis for the event to Sen. Diaz. 

Left - Santa came in to say hello to the crowd.
Right - Santa joined the Three Kings on stage. 


  Left - Democratic Conference Leader Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins was addressing the crowd about her good friend Sen. Diaz, but must have asked Santa Claus why she was not the Senate Majority Leader. 
Right you can see the hundreds of toys that were given out to the children who were in attendance. 

 
 
   

MTA Track Work on Broadway # 1 Line


    The MTA has scheduled the replacement of elevated track on the # 1 subway line along the stretch of Broadway from the terminus at West 242nd Street down the line to at least West 231st Street. This track work started recently with very little (if any) notice to the community or merchants. It has been hell to residents, drivers, and merchants on or near Broadway from West 238th Street to West 234th Street for now as the MTA has done basically whatever it wants to do according to Ms. Katherine Broiher the Executive Director of the Kingsbridge Business Improvement District (BID). She also told me that the MTA was going to move down to the West 231st Street area next, even while they still work between W.236th and W.234th Streets. As you will see in the photos below, I visited the work site, took a few photos, and spoke to who I was told was the person in charge.
 Here you can see that at West 236th Street that MTA has blocked half of Broadway taking away any and all parking spaces on Broadway. There is no one guiding traffic just metal barricades and yellow "Do Not Cross" tape all over. The Broadway entrance to the Stop and Shop parking lot is completely off limits to southbound drivers, and exiting traffic must go north only. The manager of Stop and Shop said no notice was given, and that this was hurting sales at the supermarket.
In this photo you can see how the MTA just taped up a new "No Parking" sign over the old sign that has dates before work started in this area. I was told by MTA workers in BLUE hats that the worker with the WHITE hat was in charge. When I asked questions if the community or DOT have been notified, I was told by the WHITE hatted MTA worker "We don't have to tell the DOT", and that the no parking signs went up the day before. 
 Here you can see how just how bad traffic gets during the track work above Broadway, as the fire engine sits waiting to move.
Here you can see just how the MTA works, as sections of track are placed on top of each other in the street while they sit sometimes for days until the track sections are needed.

    Final comments are that the MTA needs to communicate better with the community, needs to be more respectful of the merchants who are losing much needed business, and where are the local elected officials on this issue. 


LDA Meeting New Date & Time.



 
LIBERTY  DEMOCRATIC  ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING &
ELECTION OF OFFICERS -2013-2015 TERM
NEW DATE
SUNDAY JANUARY 20, 2013 @1PM
JANEL TOWERS-801 NEILL AVENUE
COMMUNITY ROOM

NEW YEARS CELEBRATION @3PM
HOT FOOD & REFRESHMENTS SERVED

RSVP-----MIRIAM SCHWARTZ--------: 718-829-3041
FREE FOR MEMBERS, INSPECTORE,& COORDINATORS
ALL OTHERS $10
 
 



Saturday, January 5, 2013

Carrion Has Daughter on Payroll for Mayoral Bid


 

    In an article from Crain's New York Insider former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. in his bid for the Republican nomination for mayor has hired his daughter to work on the campaign. Crains says that an expenditure for $1,000.00 stands out for Carrion's daughter Raquel on his mayoral financial report for consulting on Dec. 11, 2012. Crains adds that it is not uncommon to have relatives working on a candidates campaign such as in the case listed where former House Majority Leader Tom Delay's wife and daughter were paid $500,000 over several years. Crains however says that the NYC Campaign Finance Board while allowing relatives to be hired for campaigns, says that they must be paid out of privately raised funds not public matching funds and said payments must be designated as such. They add that Ms. Carrion had worked as a paid communications intern on the 2009 Bloomberg mayoral campaign, and is now Vice-President of Metrofutures LLC her fathers company which Crains credits to a social media page.

   Carrions campaign finance report can be found here in which he has already spent $117,589.58 since November of 2012. 

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Friday, January 4, 2013

LIU: TIME TO BRING CLOSURE TO TRAGIC AND COSTLY ‘CENTRAL PARK FIVE’ CASE


    Citing the decade-long litigation that has resulted in escalating legal fees and tied up valuable City resources, City Comptroller John C. Liu today called for the New York City Law Department and the lawyers representing the “Central Park Five” in their $250 million civil-rights lawsuit to break their stalemate and conclude a settlement as soon as possible.

At a press conference in Harlem, Liu offered the legal expertise of his office and the around-the-clock use of his boardroom to help the parties to come together and work out a settlement for the five young men, who were wrongfully sent to prison for an April 1989 crime.

Following are Comptroller Liu’s remarks, as prepared for delivery:

“Nineteen Eighty-Nine was a painful period in New York City’s history. That year, the City recorded nearly 2,000 murders, countless other violent crimes, and was suffering the devastating effects of a national crack epidemic.

“On April 19th of that year, a 28-year-old female jogger was brutally attacked and raped in Central Park. Almost immediately after this heinous crime, police investigations began to focus on a group of five African American and Latino youths, aged 14 to 16, who came to be known as the ‘Central Park Five.’

“Following lengthy interrogations, the five teenagers – Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise – confessed to the crime. The following year, the five were convicted
and sentenced to terms ranging from 5 to 15 years.

“In early 2002, Matias Reyes, a convicted murderer and rapist, confessed that he alone was responsible for the attack on the Central Park jogger. On December 19, 2002, on the recommendation of Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, the five convictions were vacated by Justice Charles Tejada.

“Since 2003, the ‘Central Park Five’ and the New York City Law Department have been engaged in complex and costly litigation that has yet to be settled. As of now, multiple causes of actions are pending in this federal case, including malicious prosecution, racial discrimination, and lack of due process.

“Both as a New Yorker and as the Comptroller, I am deeply troubled by the fact that this civil-rights case remains unresolved more than a decade after these convictions were vacated and nearly a quarter of a century after the occurrence of the crime that another individual has confessed to committing. These five kids may not have been angels, but that does not change the fact that they were imprisoned for a crime perpetrated by another person. Collectively, they spent more than 30 years in prison. While no monetary award could fully repay them for this imprisonment, the City must make an effort to correct this tremendous injustice, which robbed them of their youth.

“Their imprisonment also wreaked havoc on their families. Parents not only lost their sons to prison, but also had to live through the indignity of having their children compared to vicious animals, as the press labeled them with such racially charged expressions as ‘wilding’ and ‘wolf pack.’  They endured multiple trials: first by the tabloid media, which jumped to judgment, and then by prosecutors, who screened what later proved to be false confessions in the courtroom.

“The Comptroller’s Office has the authority and extensive experience settling claims before litigation and approving settlements proposed by the Law Department post-litigation. Last fiscal year, the City paid out $550.4 million for the settlement of claims and payments of judgments; $185.6 million of which were against the NYPD and an additional $84 million of which involved a variety of civil-rights violations.

“As the financial steward of the City, my goal is to ensure that we strike a delicate balance between making those with meritorious claims whole while minimizing taxpayer costs. In the case of the ‘Central Park Five,’ I am extremely concerned that the longer we wait, the more the legal bills mount, and more valuable City resources are claimed. When the City loses a case, it is often required to cover all of the plaintiff’s legal expenses. While each case is different, based on our best estimates, a decade or more of legal fees for five plaintiffs could easily be in the seven or eight digits and this amount increases with every day that passes.

“Moreover, in many instances, the inability to arrive at a negotiated settlement, before a judge or jury renders a verdict, means higher costs for taxpayers. So I am urging the Law Department and the plaintiffs to sit down and negotiate immediately. Those involved need to contain the strong emotions engendered by this case and engage in meaningful discussions. All parties must come to the table – now. I will even provide the table; the Law Department and plaintiffs’ attorneys are welcome to use our boardroom around the clock until they reach a settlement.

“Again, my office stands ready to facilitate this process in any way. Enough is enough. The time has come for the City and these men and their families to put this behind them and heal.

“This troubling case has spanned the administrations of four Mayors – Edward Koch, David Dinkins, Rudolph Giuliani, and now Michael Bloomberg. In the last year of his third term, Mayor Bloomberg has an
historic opportunity to provide closure to all those involved.

“Let’s hope that 2013 is the year when all parties help close this terrible chapter in our City’s history, so that New Yorkers can finally put an end to the tragic ‘Central Park Five’ saga.”

Visit www.comptroller.nyc.gov for the latest news, events, and initiatives.
Follow Comptroller Liu on Twitter, YouTube.


Tenth Annual Awards & Scholarship Banquet!! New Postponed Date!! February 28, 2013!! MUST RSVP!!

      
Join us for our
Tenth
Annual Awards
& Scholarship Banquet

Celebrating over a century of service to the Bronx
Recognizing our Accomplishments of the Past Ten Years And
Honoring our Distinguished Award Recipients

*Portion of Proceeds will benefit the Hurricane Sandy Reform*

Thursday, February 28, 2013
Marina del Rey
One Marina Drive
Bronx, NY 10465

Cocktails from 5:30 to 7:00 pm
Dinner Immediately Following

Tickets - $175 per person (Non-Profit)
$250 per person (all other guests)

Entertainment by Alive n' Kickin' / Business Attire

For more information or to RSVP, call 718-828-3900
or click here to go to our website.