Melissa Mark-Viverito Elected Speaker Unanimously

  The new Speaker of the City Council is Melissa Mark-Viverito. I have been saying that would happen in my column "100 PERCENT" that appears in the Bronx News and Parkchester News for the past month. This unanimous victory was not an easy one for Speaker Mark-Viverito however, and winners and losers will come out of this council selection for their new speaker.

  It was a fight to the end almost with not only with the new speaker, but new Mayor Bill de Blasio calling in all the favors and making promises if council members voted for Mark-Viverito. It is not known yet if there was any deal between the two candidates for speaker, but Councilman Dan Garodnick was very humble when it came for him to speak after Councilwoman Mark-Viverito was nominated by Councilman Ritchie Torres (15th District, Bronx), and seconded by several other council members. 

  Garodnick said that he had started his campaign to be the new speaker a year ago, believing that he could offer the Progressive and Independent leadership in the council. He went on to say in the spirit of strengthening the council to bring it together that he would be withdrawing his candidacy for speaker, and then congratulated the new speaker Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito. A role call vote of the council was then taken where one could hear in the different tones of the council members how they cast their vote for the new speaker which side they had been on. After the last council member was polled the vote was unanimous 51 - 0 for Melissa Mark-Viverito as the new Speaker of the City Council. 

  As for the winners and losers both new Speaker Mark-Viverito and Mayor de Blasio have to head the list. From the Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres comes next. It could be that Bronx council members Andrew Cohen and Andy King have become winners since there was only one candidate to vote for, as both had loyalties to the Bronx Democratic County organization and to Mayor de Blasio. The losers have to start with both the Bronx and Queens Democratic County leaders who were against Melissa Mark-Viverito to the end. Bronx Councilwoman Carmen Maria Arroyo, and several other Dan Garodnick supporters have to be included. As for how the council moves forward, only time will tell.

  Below are just  some of the comments coming in about the new speaker.

STATEMENT FROM BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ

“I offer my congratulations today on this historic occasion to my colleague in government, City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, on her election to the position of City Council Speaker. Speaker Mark-Viverito has been a strong advocate for the people of the entire City, and has a well-deserved reputation as a tireless fighter for causes that are important to The Bronx.

 “I know that Speaker Mark-Viverito will make our City proud, and I look forward to working closely with her, and our borough’s City Council delegation, on moving forward our shared vision for the ‘New Bronx,’” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Statement From Councilman Ritchie Torres 
Ritchie Torres, the Bronx Council Member from District 15 who first nominated Melissa Mark-Viverito earlier today for Speaker and was an early and strong supporter of her Speaker candidacy as a leader in the progressive bloc, released the following statement this afternoon:

 “As a Puerto Rican, as a gay man, as a Bronx resident, and as a New Yorker who grew up poor and in public housing, I could not be more proud of the path-breaking step our City Council has taken by electing Melissa-Mark Viverito the first Latina Speaker in our city's history. What happened today in the City Council is simply overwhelming on every level and inspiring in every way.

 “I am humbled that I had the privilege of nominating Melissa for Speaker today, and I am thrilled to have been a vocal and visible supporter of her Speaker candidacy. Melissa has been an extraordinary mentor and friend to me.

 “We will move forward now as one City Council, united in the belief and in the conviction that equality and justice are not abstract ideals but the priorities and principles that will govern everything we do—every decision we make, and every piece of legislation we introduce and pass to make this city a better place to live, work, raise a family, and pursue the biggest dreams for the future.

 “In this new City Council, we will work together to improve our city and recreate it as a more equal and more just place. The most vulnerable in the five boroughs, all those who have been overlooked and forgotten in the past, will now have a voice, a champion, and a leader in Melissa and in the City Council.

 “At a time of rising poverty and inequality, we will stand up for the rights and needs of low-income New Yorkers who are struggling to survive. We will fight hard to create more living wage jobs, to expand paid sick leave, to build truly affordable housing, to fix NYCHA, and to ensure that our global city of immigrants never turns its back on our undocumented brothers and sisters.”

STATEMENT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER KING
“Congratulations to Melissa Mark-Viverito for being elected our City Council Speaker.
I'm looking forward to working with our new Speaker and our new Mayor in moving
New York City forward,” said Council Member Andy King, 12th District, Bronx.

Statement From Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez

"We have made history today. We elected the first Latina speaker in the history of the City Council, but we also elected someone who has strong progressive values, cares for social justice and is unafraid to fight on behalf of all New Yorkers. Melissa Mark-Viverito has demonstrated exemplary character, leadership and drive during her time as an elected official and will use these traits to take the council to new heights in developing a more inclusive city for our most vulnerable citizens. I am overjoyed at her election to this position and am confident NYC will see expansions in our middle class, strong oversight of city agencies and balanced and on time budgets that put the neediest first."

 STATE SENATOR GUSTAVO RIVERA

 "I am immensely pleased to congratulate Melissa Mark-Viverito on being elected Speaker of the New York City Council.  Her election as the first Latina to hold a city-wide office is historic and inspiring for all New Yorkers," said  State Senator Gustavo Rivera. "I am confident that her intelligence, strong personality, ability to lead and her passion to make our City a better place for all New Yorkers will drive her to do a great job as Speaker of the City Council." 

January 16th Meeting: Planning the HIGH BRIDGE's Reopening and the Harlem River Waterfront

High Bridge and the Harlem River Water Front - next steps with city, state and federal agencies

HARLEM RIVER WORKING GROUP MEETING Date:  Thursday, January 16th, 2014 Time:  6:00 pm   Location: Public School 11 The Highbridge School Address: 1257 Ogden Avenue Transportation:  via car, best parking on Sedgwick Ave. via bus: BX11 or BX13 to 169th Street/Ogden Avenue, walk west on 168th. We will have a tour of the High Bridge construction site and the Sedgwick Steps prior to the meetings beginning at 5pm. Updates from meetings with the Parks Department and Department of Transportation Planning for the High Bridge Celebration for Summer/Fall 2014. Next steps for Greenway Projects as a result of these presentations.

Upcoming Harlem River Meetings

UPCOMING HARLEM RIVER WORKING GROUP MEETINGS Date:  Saturday, February 22nd Time:  11:00 am to 5:00 pm   Location:  Lehman College, as Part of 20th Annual Bronx Parks Speak Up, details to follow Date:  Thursday, March 13th, 2014  Time:  6:00 pm   Location: Highbridge Recreation Center - Tentative Date:  Wednesday, April 9th, 2014  Time:  4:00 pm   Location: TBA   Date:  Thursday, May 15th, 2014  Time:  6:00 pm   Location: TBA Date:  Thursday, June 19th, 2014  Time:  6:00 pm   Location: TBA

RSVP or for Questions: call Chauncy, 646-719-0034 

     

Email:  HarlemRiver@bceq.org

 

Facebook:  facebook.com/harlemriver

 

Upcoming Bronx Chamber of Commerce Events

  

  

  

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming events!

Workshop with the Better Business Bureau 

When: Wednesday, January 15th

12:30 - 2:00 pm

Where: Hutch Metro Center Conference Center

1200 Waters Place, Bronx, NY 10461

* Complimentary Admission - Lunch will be Provided *

RSVP to Michelle@BronxChamber.org

Inauguration of the

Executive Board and Board of Directors

When: Thursday, January 23rd

Cocktail Reception Begins at 6PM

Where: The Schiff Family Great Hall at the Bronx Zoo

*Complimentary Admission to All Current Members*

**MUST RSVP AS SPACE IS LIMITED** 

RSVP to Alexandra@BronxChamber.org

at your earliest convenience !

We look forward to having you attend! 

Mayor de Blasio Meets Wtih Bronx Council Delegation

  In an interview with Capitol New York Bronx Council delegation leader Councilwoman Annabel Palma talks about this latest meeting with Mayor Bill de Blasio to try to sway their votes from Dan Garodnick to Melissa Mark-Viverito for city council speaker. As of now only Councilman Ritchie Torres has committed to voting for Mark-Viverito with the rest of the Bronx delegation committing to Dan Garodnick for speaker when the selection takes place on Thursday January 8th.

  In the interview Councilwoman Palma says "This whole process has been handled through manipulation and threats. People have been called and told they would not get help in their districts when it came to budget time." She added that those who vote against Councilwoman Mark-Viverito for speaker were threatened with primary challenges in future races. In the next council election in the Bronx, the 8th (Mark-Viverito), 13th (Vacca), 17th (Arroyo) and 18th (Palma) will be open seats due to term limits. The 11th (Cohen) and 12th (King) were supported by Mayor Bill de Blasio, while the 15th (Torres) is the lone supporter of Mark-Viverito. That would leave only the 14th (Cabrera) and 16th (Gibson) to worry about having a primary in 2017. Having spoken to several Bronx council delegation members about how they will vote, all who are supporting Garodnick have said they will vote as a block for him. I wonder however if Councilman Fernando Cabrera or Councilman Fernando Hyde from the 14th council district will show up for the vote.

  Councilwoman Palma did not give any specifics as to just who or whom was threatening any Bronx council member, but said "This whole process of the Working Families Party involvement and the unions having such a heavy hand on who gets a speaker is totally disrespectful to the entire Council,"
  Mayor de Blasio declined to comment on the meeting, saying only that it was a "very productive and respectful meeting." You can find the entire article from Capitol New York here.

  

BP DIAZ TO HOST INAUGURATION & BRONX CENTENNIAL KICKOFF

 

On Thursday, January 9, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will be joined by local elected officials as well as business and community leaders for his inauguration ceremony and the official kick off to Bronx County’s year-round centennial celebration.

The ceremony will also feature the swearing-in of the Borough President and the entire Bronx City Council delegation, a historical nod to the first swearing in that took place when Bronx County was created in 1914. During the ceremony, Borough President Diaz and the Bronx Chamber of Commerce will also unveil a commemorative plaque celebrating the centennial.

In addition, the Empire State Building will light up in the colors of the Bronx flag Thursday night to honor the 100^th anniversary celebration of the creation of Bronx County.

When:                         Thursday, January 9, 2014

Where:                       Bronx County Building

Veterans’ Memorial Hall

                                    851 Grand Concourse

Bronx NY 10451

Time:                          6 p.m.

Councilman Andrew Cohen Inauguration

     If one photo says a thousand words, the above photo sums it up as a family swearing in. As you see Andrew Cohen is being sworn in by Judge Edgar Walker. On his right is his wife Heather, and proudly standing next to her father also taking the oath of office is 5 year old Sarah Cohen.

    The weather may have been cold with freezing rain out side, inside the Lovinger Theater at Lehman College was another story however. Hundreds of people gathered to see Mr. Andrew Cohen become Councilman Andrew Cohen. There were dozens of elected officials which included U.S.Senator Chuck Schumer, Congressmen Eliot Engel and Charles Rangel, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Letitia James, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., State Senators Jeff Klein, Gustavo Rivera, and Adriano Espilliat, Bronx State Assembly members Jeff Dinowitz, Mark Gjonaj, Victor Pichardo and the Bronx Democratic County Leader Carl Heastie, Bronx council members Carmen Maria Arroyo, Fernando Cabrera, Vanessa Gibson, Andy King, and Ritchie Torres. Other City Council members in attendance included both candidates for speaker of the council Mellissa Msrk Viverito and Dan Gardoneck, Queens Councilman Mark Werprin, and Manhattan Councilmen Ydanis Rodriguez and Mark Levine. Also many members of Community Board 8 which Councilman Cohen was a member of, and others from Community boards 7 and 12.

     As for the speeches by the elected officials they started off saying we thank former Councilman Oliver Koppell for his 12 years in office, changing to the welcoming of a new Councilman Andrew Cohen, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz summed it up best by saying "now we will have a councilman that I can work with.

      New City Comptroller Scott Stringer was the first elected official to speak, and he said that he has deep roots to the 11th council district. Stringer went on to say that his mother lives in the district, and he has given her Councilman Cohen's cell phone number. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer Mentioned that he was the congressman for the area that Andrew Cohen went to high school. Senator Jeff Klein mentioned that 18 years ago it was in the same Lovinger Theater that he was sworn in. Congressman Charles Rangel however said it was great to be back in Dewitt Clinton (the nearby high school he had attended). Then there were the others such as Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Carl Heastie who said county leaders are looked at like dictators of foreign countries. Senator Gustavo Rivera tried to joke about the bad weather outside by saying that he had to put on his shoe condoms (better known as rubbers). Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj said that he was looking forward to working with Councilman Cohen. 

     Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said that he has been in office for 20 year now, and Andrew Cohen once worked for him in his office. Dinowitz added that Andrew Cohen was supported by almost every Union and elected official not only in the Bronx but from other boroughs. Dinowitz then called up Judge Edgar Walker and Andrew Cohen for the oath of office. There was a standing ovation from the audience when Mr. Andrew Cohen became Councilman Andrew Cohen. Councilman Cohen then went on to give the longest speech that he has given so far thanking all the people in the audience for coming out in such bad weather. He then mentioned that he was a product of NYC public schools, and that he will be on the forefront of improving the public school system. Cohen went on to mention other areas he will concentrate on such as parks, homelessness and the over saturation of shelters, non-profits and adequate funding for them. Cohen went on to thank individual elected official such as Congressman Engel and Councilman Koppell, former Councilwoman June Eisland, and last but not least his family who supported him all the way through the gruelling campaign for the council seat. Below are some photos of the inauguration. 

Left - Bronx Democratic County Leader talks with Councilman Andy King before the ceremony.

Right - Rabbi Avi Weiss gave the Invocation. After the ceremony Father Richard Gorman gave the Benediction

 

Left - The Celia Cruz High School Chorus sing the Pledge of Allegiance.

Right - Sarah Cohen also says the Pledge of Allegiance.

Left - U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.

Right - Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

 

Left - Some of the elected officials that filled the first three rows.

Right That's Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viveritoin the second row on the left, and Councilman Dan Gardonick in the first row. Both are seeking to be the new speaker of the council on Jan. 8th.

Honoring the Legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in The Bronx

Trinity Baptist Church In Conjunction With Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Invites You to Remembering the Legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A Community Interfaith Service  10A.M, Monday                  January 20, 2014   Trinity Baptist Church 808 East 224th St (Between Barnes &  Bronxwood  Avenues)                        Please RSVP to 718.590.3989 or                  smalave@bronxbp.nyc.gov

Carmen Farina to Receive Over $400,000.00 to Run NYC Public Schools

  In an agreement dated January 1st new schools Chancellor Carmen Farina will receive the same pay that her predecessor Dennis Walcott, that being $212,612.00. In addition however Chancellor Farina will continue to receive her pension from the Board of Education of about $200,00.00 which will make her pay top out at over $400,000.00 a year. Joel Klein as schools chancellor received the standard salary of $250,000.00. In addition Farina is eligible to all the perks as chancellor which include a $1,000.00 opt out payment not to choose the health and welfare benefits offered that would duplicate the benefits she already receives as a Board of Education retiree.
  In a statement from Mayor Bill de Blasio's office it was said that Chancellor Farina's base salary was less than the heads of smaller school systems around the country. There is also a car and driver at the disposal of Chancellor Farina.