- See more at: http://blogtimenow.com/blogging/automatically-redirect-blogger-blog-another-blog-website/#sthash.Q6qPkwFC.dpuf Four Months Into Job, Sen. Gustavo Rivera to Move into District Office Next Week | Bronx News Networkbronx

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Four Months Into Job, Sen. Gustavo Rivera to Move into District Office Next Week

[UPDATE: Cruz wanted to respond to this post by sending over a statement:  "Senator Rivera is excited that the New York State Senate has finally approved the lease for his permanent office. The office was identified in December and the process of approval began in January. This lengthy process that Senator Rivera and his constituents have experienced is a very tangible illustration of the need to reform the way business is done in Albany." Cruz also said she was told by a staffer for senate Democrats that there other legislators who are still trying to secure office space. She added that while she and Rivera have worked from home, Rivera's team has either worked from the senate offices at 250 Broadway or the mobile office locations. For constituents, I've posted those mobile office hours at the bottom of the post.]

Looks like the Gustavo Rivera Watch will come to an end next week when the 33rd District state senator begins the long-delayed move into his new district office in the Poe Building on the Grand Concourse, just south of Fordham Road. (The address is 2432 Grand Concourse for those looking to Google map it.)

Conchita Cruz, Rivera's communications director, said final approval just came through this morning and that the state senate would be shipping furniture to the office on Tuesday.

Rivera is the only state senator without a district office. For the past three and a half months, when he hasn't been in Albany, he's been working out of his Kingsbridge-area apartment or downtown at the state senate offices near City Hall. His staff has been holding mobile office hours at various locations and working out of their own homes.

Cruz has said the delay wasn't some nefarious plot by the Republican majority, but rather just typical Albany bureaucracy slowly working its way toward accomplishing something as simple as approving and signing a lease on a district office. (It remains unclear which explanation is a sadder illustration of Albany's problems.)

In any case, Cruz said they will probably hold some kind of ribbon-cutting ceremony or open house in the next couple of weeks.

As for the Gustavo Rivera Watch, a count-up that somebody launched a few days ago, starting the clock from the day he won the primary seems slightly unfair. Technically, Rivera's been office-less for 111 days so far. Not as bad as his predecessor, Pedro Espada, Jr., who didn't open an office -- it turned out to be just outside of the district and was his "majority leader" office -- until he was nine months into the job.

In the meantime, below are Rivera's mobile office hours, which Cruz said they are committed to keeping for the next couple of weeks:

--Monday: 10-2pm, Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Avenue
--Monday: 1-5pm, Asm. Castro's Office, 2175 Jerome Avenue, Suite C Bronx, NY 10453
--Tuesday: 2-6pm, Councilman Koppell's office - 3600 Waldo Ave.
--Wednesday: 10-1, 2-4, CB 7 Office, 229A E 204th St
--Thursday: 12-5 CB 6 1932 Arthur Avenue, Room 709

7 comments:

  1. This is great news. How convenient! Nonetheless, we should applaud him (and his team) for this. About time. I hope that all media outlets play fair and treat Senator Rivera as an elected official and not the one who beat one of the worst electeds we have seen in our times.

    We should continue to ask: WHERE'S THE BEEF SENATOR RIVERA?

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  2. This is great news! It appears to be quite a coincidence that "Conchita Cruz, Rivera's communications director, said final approval just came through this morning" not even 24 hours after The Gustavo Watch officially launched. As a resident of the 33rd Senatorial district I am looking forward to the services that will be provided by the newly opened district office. Moreover, I hope that there will be more transparency from an elected official who has thus far been opaque.

    BX Political Bloc Head Blogger

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  3. Conchita Cruz WHO? Oh great, another elected who brings outsiders? What happened? There's not one qualified Bronxite that could be hired for this position? Ridiculous and shameful! I'm not against Ms. Cruz, who comes from Florida after working for a loosing candidate for Governor but Senator Rivera could have put out a request for resumes and I'm sure they would have received many from Bronxites, probably even from the district.

    Ms. Cruz, welcome to Bronx politics!

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  4. If anyone really understood how difficult government sometimes is and now with Republicans in control of the State Senate, it's extremely challenging. I give, and think we all should, credit to Senator Rivera for being very vocal on key issues such as housing and reform.

    I am concerned however, that he is partnering with Assemblyman Nelson Castro who is facing perjury charges. This is a felony and I would not have advised Senator Rivera to make this move.

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  5. I think finding and using remote offices every day (and sometimes twice a day apparently) is more of a hassle than having an actual office, so I'm going to give Rivera credit for trying his best to offer services despite Albany bureaucracy setting him and his staff back.
    From what I've seen on this site and others, they've been trying to get an office for some time, so it's not like they've been avoiding this problem.

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  6. So wait...how is it unfair that we count from when he was elected again? I mean, he knew he had it once he won the primary and it has taken this long to secure an office? If this is "illustrative" of how messed up Albany is, why did we elect you to go fix it? If you can't get an office (not a political one but an actual one), how are you going to tackle the big issues?

    Great job bxnn covering this 4 months in and giving him a pass.

    That said, its good news to hear that the office is finally here and I look forward to great service from the Senator's office. I guess he gets and A for effort even though I prefer R for Results. At least he lives in the district and advocates in Albany.

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  7. it's pretty hilarious if you think some blogspot webpage actually had any impact whatsoever? You ever try to sign a commercial lease. Think they suddenly just threw up their hands and said "Oh well, this one random anonymous blogger is on us, we'd better get serious now."

    Come on.

    ReplyDelete

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