Former State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. is enlisting the help of some old amigos to publicly combat charges that he embezzled more than $500,000 from the nonprofit network of health care clinics he founded and continues to run. Espada's holding a rally tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. in front of Soundview Health Center, 731 White Plains Road.
With him, according to a press release that describes the event as a "unity press conference," will be Espada's former nemesis turned number one supporter in the state senate, Ruben Diaz Sr. (we received the release from his communications person), as well as Assemblyman Marcos Crespo and Bishop Fernando Rodriguez of the Latin American Chaplain's Association, plus a whole bunch of other folks.
Espada is also facing civil charges from the Attorney General's office that he bilked another $14 million from Soundview.
Here's the meat of the release:
"State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Bishop Fernando Rodriguez, president of the Latin American Chaplains Association, Pedro Espada, Jr., patients, clergy and civic leaders, other elected officials,and medical staff and health vendors will hold a unity press conference and rally in support of the Soundview Healthcare Network, emphasizing the importance of the network’s four medical facilities to the health care of tens of thousands of Bronx residents, families, children and senior citizens."
The best thing Espada can do to support Soundview is fire all his family and closest cronies and then resign himself. Next step is have the Board of Directors resign and request that the State Department of Health select another reputable non-profit health care provider to take over the operation. Alternatively step aside and agree to a some sort of receivership until the legal cases are over.
ReplyDeleteThis rally is about supporting Espada plain and simple. If all these "leaders" really cared about health care for Bronxites they would be figuring out a way to get Espada out of the picture --even temporarily. Crespo and Diaz are showing their loyalties to Espada over their constituents. I hope these constituents will remember this in 2012.
Bishop Rodriguez, who illegally announced that his non-profit endorsed Espada during the primary, doesn't know when the dance ends. (Remember that photo you ran of Rodriguez doing the tango with Pedro?
http://www.bronxnewsnetwork.org/2010/08/espada-rolls-out-endorsements.html ) Be a real leader, Bishop-- dance Pedro off the stage!