Assembly Speaker Heastie's New Car

 

  It may not be this color, but new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is driving a new 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited according to a Daily News article . The new Jeep cost $39,448 according to the Daily News, and fits the new speaker as does his new larger office and higher pay he receives as Speaker. The Daily News also points out that Heastie's predecessor drove a 2011 Ford Taurus which had 40,000 miles. 

Bronx Chamber of Commerce Upcoming Events

 

Join the Bronx Chamber of Commerce at our upcoming events: 

 Save the date for our following events: 

 Irish Heritage - Wednesday, March 18

CDL Interview Job Fair - Thursday, March 19

Women of Distinction -Friday, March 27

Annual Golf Outing - Wednesday, May 6 

Business Expo -Tuesday, June 16

 Call 718-828-3900 or go onto our website www.bronxchamber.org for more

 information

Apply For Pre-K For All Today!

PRE-K FOR ALL Application Period Starts Today! March 16 - April 24

It's a big day for our city. Applications are now open for free, full-day, high-quality pre-K starting this fall. And for the first time ever, there's a seat waiting for every four-year-old in New York City who wants one. Each child enrolled in pre-K means one more kid in our city who gets a stronger start on his or her education and one more family that can put itself on a stronger financial footing, thanks to less time and money spent on childcare If your child was born in 2011 and you live in New York City, you can apply to district schools or NYC Early Education Centers for the 2015-2016 school year. Apply now:  Online at nyc.gov/prek Over the phone by (718) 935-2067 In person at a Family Welcome Center (Find one here.) Attend an information session to learn about Pre-K admissions for September 2015. You can also use the Pre-K directory, which we have in our office, to research your school choices

Homeless Coming to Riverdale

   Just what was this 'Coalition for the Homeless' van doing in front of a 'rent stabilized' building in Riverdale? Pictured above is the van, and you can see the Whitehall in the background. The building is managed by Goodman Management, and calls to Goodman Management were answered with, 'Not in that building'. To a question of homeless or transition housing in any building managed by Goodman Management the answer was Mr. Goodman will have to call you back. 

   Calls to the Coalition for Homeless went to voicemail, and I am waiting for a response. It will be in the next version of "Is There Homeless or Transition Housing in Riverdale" Good work guys in getting Montefiore not to build on Riverdale/Oxford Avenues. Now it looks like housing will go up on the site, but what type?

Radio Shack Closes on Johnson Avenue

   You can see the signs in the windows of the former Radio Shack saying 'For Rent' on what was an anchor store of Johnson Avenue. On a street that housed many different long standing stores only a couple of the current stores on Johnson Avenue can say that they have been in business for more then 10 years. With rents increasing, and a landlord who would rather have empty stores than lower the rent Johnson Avenue is becoming a street no one can afford to do business on. 

It's That Time of the Year for Con Edison

  With the last of this year several feet of snow, which has all but melted by now Con Edison Is checking their underground transformers. As in the photo below the run off of water from the melting snow has carried snow melting salt which can damage the insulation. 

  The FDNY was called to this Con Edison underground transformer site which was belching up smoke from below ground. Firefighters roped off the area, and Con Edison came the next morning to repair the damage. The response to my question of how often this happens, was 'It happens every spring thaw when the snow melts'.

BCC Women of Distinction Luncheon

 

Join the Bronx Chamber of Commerce at our upcoming event: 

 Save the date for our following events: 

CDL Interview Job Fair - Thursday, March 19

Women of Distinction -Friday, March 27

Annual Golf Outing - Wednesday, May 6 

Business Expo -Tuesday, June 16

 Call 718-828-3900 or go onto our website www.bronxchamber.org for more

 information

ASSEMBLYMAN MICHAEL A. BLAKE AND BRONX ELECTED OFFICIALS CALL FOR HISTORIC CFE FUNDS TO BE GIVEN TO BRONX SCHOOLS

 
Legislative Proposals Call for $1 Billion in Campaign for Fiscal Equity Funding to Help the Neediest Schools

  With charts to his right and his left Assemblyman Michael Blake flanked by other Bronx elected officials have called for the Court ordered historic increase in education funding won in the landmark Campaign For Fiscal Equity lawsuit of 4.9 billion dollars owed statewide, and for its share New York City is owed 2.6 billion dollars. By Bronx assembly district the numbers are - 

AD 79 Michael Blake-$76,519,150.70

AD 81 Jeffrey Dinowitz-$61,875,114.76
AD 84 Carmen Arroyo-$56,959,988.88
AD 86 Victor Pichardo-$53,218,305.90
AD 85 Marcos Crespo-$45,721,604.43
AD 80 Mark Gjonaj-$44,924,197.60
AD 82 Michael Benedetto-$44,198,462.63
AD 77 Latoya Joyner-$37,278,149.85
AD 78 Jose Rivera-$36,502,077.29
AD 87 Luis Sepulveda-$31,938,984.26
AD 83 Speaker Heastie -$30,666,865.40

Below are the elected officials spoke on the issue, and with new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie of the Bronx just about guaranteed that the amount of one million dollars owed from the CFE settlement would be coming to New York City schools.  

Left - Assemblyman Jose Rivera 

Right - State Senator Gustavo Rivera.

Left - Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda.

Right - Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj.

  What Assemblyman Blake would use the money for.

  I said to Assemblyman Blake, 'As a former parent leader I applauded his effort to get the CFE monies owed, but told him this had been said to parents over and over year after year. I then told him as a newly elected state official to look to his fellow legislators, and ask why they had not done this in the many years they have been in office.