Is Adolfo Carrion, Jr. Thinking of Running for Mayor?

The Perez Notes blog says yes.

Bronx News Weekend Roundup, June 27

Weather: Mostly sunny and in the 80s today.

Quick Hits:
The Times' David Gonzalez, himself a graduate of St. Martin of Tours School in Crotona, offers this poignant piece on the school's closing and emotional last day of classes, which was last Wednesday. The 86-year-old parochial school is one of 26 closed this year by the Archdiocese of New York because of budget cuts and low enrollment.

Bronx News Roundup, April 19

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, now for some Bronx news!

Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo's grandson remains chief of staff even after pleading guilty to embezzling $115,000 from a Bronx nonprofit organization. Richard Izquierdo Arroyo was president of the organization at the time and is due for sentencing in June.

MS 399, located on East184th Street, is among the list of 19 middle schools and high schools Bloomberg has plans to "phase out" due to poor performance. Many of the schools have new principals and have improved but that doesn't take them off the list and it doesn't stop new schools from coming into their buildings to replace them. (This Village Voice piece was written by former Mount Hope Monitor intern Rob Sgobbo.)

Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, who is currently the head of the White House Office of Urban affairs is rumored to be interested in running for lieutenant governor. Liz Benjamin says Carrion is bored with his job and has more details here.

The head of the Bronx Detective Bureau has been accused of sexually harassing a detective with unwanted messages and texts.

Bronx community leader Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter has announced that she will challenge State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr. in the Democratic primary in the 33rd District. (We were at the announcement and will post more details soon.) Meanwhile, Stuart Appelbaum, head of the retail workers' union, which partnered with Hunter and the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition to defeat the city's plans to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a mall, is poised to endorse Pilgrim-Hunter.

Two men were found shot on Friday in the Edenwald section of the Bronx. Both were rushed to Jacobi Medical Center where one was pronounced dead and the other is in critical but stable condition.

Latinos Wanted! The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has enrolled 2,000 Bronx participants and is looking for 2,000 more for its Hispanic Community Health Study. The Bronx is among the four sites chosen by the NIH.

As of last Wednesday the Bronx census mail-back rate was third in the city.

Adolfo Resurfaces

After months of staying out of the NYC media, Andrea Bernstein of WNYC tracks down former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr., director White House Office of Urban Affairs, as he tours cities throughout the country. Take a listen.

Kingsbridge Armory Land Review Process Starts Today

The city announced today that the land review process (known in more wonky circles as ULURP) for the Kingsbridge Armory will begin starting now.

I'll try not to get too technical here, but if you want a handy, but still confusing, ULURP chart, click here.

Basically, this means that the Armory's developer, Related Companies, has completed the application for the zoning changes that redeveloping the Armory will entail, including a completed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). It also means the application has been certified as complete by the City Planning Commission.

Just getting the application approved can take months, even years, but the Related Companies are tight with the city (Related head Steve Ross used to be business partners with former Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff), so that may have had something to do with it. Jesse Masyr, Related's lawyer, however, insists they have no control, or sway, over the process. (He also said he'd love for people to believe that they did. You're welcome.)

It also means Community Board 7 now has exactly 60 days, starting today, to review the application and decide whether or not to support the project.

In March, when Community Board 7 Chairman Greg Faulkner submitted a letter of support for Related to receive an estimated $17.8 million in tax breaks for the Armory project, he asked the city not to start the ULURP process until September because the board doesn't meet in July (or August, like most boards), which is exactly when the 60-day review period will end.

When a rep from the mayor's office told Faulkner about the pending approval of the application last week, the Chairman said, if this is the case, he wants to see some kind of a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) and a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) in place before the board votes on it.

The Board and the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) are both pushing for a binding CBA/PLA that will include living wage jobs, local hiring preferences, more community space for local programming, environmental protection and affordable recreation space (i.e. not a 24-Hour Fitness Club).

KARA and the Board say they still hope to get these benefits in an agreement, but Masyr told them "no" on the living wage job front on April 24. (They're upset with the Norwood News' headline saying "Living Wage Hopes for Armory Dashed" and maintain their hopes are not dashed by a long shot.)

Masyr and Related have not committed to sitting down and negotiating either a CBA or PLA with KARA or the Board.

It will be interesting to see what kind of role new Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. will play in this process. His predecessor, Adolfo Carion, was criticized for falling short and excluding community voices in his efforts to create substantial CBAs for the new Yankee Stadium and the Gateway Center Mall (a Related project). Carrion was also criticized for not reappointing several Community Board 4 members as payback for not supporting the Stadium project.

In an interview with the Bronx News Network before he was elected in a special election on April 21, Diaz criticized the Stadium and Gateway CBAs, said he supported the signing of a CBA and a PLA and would "inject" himself into the CBA/PLA conversations at the Armory. After the Board's 60-day review timeframe ends, Diaz's office will have 30 days to review the project and decide whether or not to support it.

After Diaz sees it, the project goes back to the Planning Commission, then to the City Council, then to the Mayor and then back to the City Council.

There's more, but I'll save it for the book. Or a post later this week.

Bronx News Roundup, April 27

A high school junior died after being accidentally shot in the chest by a friend playing with a gun; he was one of two fatalities in a weekend which saw 13 shootings and 1 near-fatal stabbing in the Bronx.

The Bronx teacher who was arrested after he barricaded himself inside a classroom at the New Millenium Business Academy Middle School last Friday was released without bail on Saturday.

The Daily News reports back from a poetry workshop for Bronx teens in residency programs.

A man tried to turn in a live hand grenade at the NYPD's Gun Buyback program, held in churches around the Bronx on Saturday.

The Botanical Garden will open its new tulip show, "The Glory of Dutch Bulbs" on Friday.

And Boogiedowner beat us to the punch, but these are stories worth reading: David Gonzalez, former NY Times Bronx Bureau Chief, had a story this weekend on immigrant families divided by legal status, while PBS is set to air a story tomorrow on a former communist co-op in the Bronx.

And last but not least, former BP Adolfo Carrion finally paid his bill.

Hannity on Carrion

Right-wing FOX talk show host Sean Hannity picks up on the Daily News' recent investigation of developers' contributions to, and relationship with, former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion.

New from the Norwood News

The Norwood News is up online now. Here's a quick preview of our stories:

On Valentine's Day morning, a man who lived in the Norwood area his entire life was shot dead while getting into his car. No arrests have been made, but the man's companion and others say the victim was embroiled in a heated dispute with his landlord. Police said the man was not robbed.

Our in-depth look at Adolfo Carrion's performance as borough president, which we put on the blog last night. His 8th and final state of the borough address is tomorrow morning at 9:30 at Lehman College.

Our editorial on Adolfo.

Housing bills, including one that would repeal vacancy decontrol, are now in the hands of the Democratically-controlled Senate, giving hope to tenant advocates across the five boroughs and putting the spotlight on new senate housing chair Pedro Espada, Jr.

Riders and advocates made a final and passionate plea in the Bronx to stave off a slew of proposed transit cuts.

Eva Bornstein has led a dramatic turnaround at the Bronx's only performing arts center.

Despite failing to file financial disclosure forms, which could prevent her from receiving public financing, Council member Maria Baez says she's running for a third term in 14th District, which is now increasingly crowded with candidates.

Plus, our Inquiring Photographer asks residents how the economic downturn is affecting their lives...our expanded Neighborhood Notes guide to local programs and services...and our Out&About arts and entertainment calendar.

It's Official (We're Serious This Time), Adolfo's Off to Washington; And He Has a Special Assistant

Here's the official White House press release:

>WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, President Barack Obama announced the following White House posts: Adolfo Carrion, White House Director of Urban Affairs and Derek Douglas, Special Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs.

President Barack Obama said, "I look forward to working with these talented leaders to bring long overdue attention to the urban areas where 80 percent of the American people live and work. Vibrant cities spawn innovation, economic growth, and cultural enrichment; the Urban Affairs office will focus on wise investments and development in our urban areas that will create employment and housing opportunities and make our country more competitive, prosperous, and strong."

President Obama and Vice President Biden created the White House Office of Urban Affairs to develop a strategy for metropolitan America and to ensure that all federal dollars targeted to urban areas are effectively spent on the highest-impact programs. The Director of Urban Affairs will report directly to the president and coordinate all federal urban programs.

The following announcements were made today:

Adolfo Carrion, White House Director of Urban Affairs- Carrion has served two terms as Bronx Borough President and one term as the President of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). As Bronx Borough President, Carrion oversaw the creation of 40,000 new units of housing in seven years, 50 new schools, $7 billion in capital and infrastructure expenditures, and over $400 million in new parks and parkland renovation. Prior to his service as Bronx Borough President, Carrion represented the 14th City Council District on the New York City Council and also served as an urban planner at the NYC Department of City Planning and a teacher in the New York City Public Schools. Carrion received his bachelors in World Religions and Philosophy from King's College in 1985 and his Masters in Urban Planning from Hunter College in 1990.

Derek Douglas, Special Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs Douglas has served as Washington Counsel to New York Governor David A. Paterson and Director of Governor Paterson's Washington, D.C. Office. In this capacity, Douglas served as the Governor's chief architect for federal policy and oversaw federal policy development and advocacy on domestic, economic, and urban policy issues for the State of New York. Prior to his appointment in 2007, Douglas served as Associate Director of Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress where he founded and served as Director of the Economic Mobility Program. Prior to joining the Center, Douglas was a Counsel at O'Melveny & Myers LLP and an Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educa-tional Fund, Inc (LDF). Douglas graduated from the University of Michigan with Highest Honors in Economics and from the Yale Law School.

Reflecting on Adolfo's Borough Presidency

With the Daily News reporting today that Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion is indeed heading to Washington to become Obama's urban policy director, the Norwood News takes an in-depth look at his tenure in office and his prospects for success on a bigger stage.

Basically, what we found is that although Carrion's been criticized by city and local advocates for his handling of some big-ticket development projects, most observers have nothing but kind words for the outgoing B.P.

Here's an opinion on Carrion as a leader and what he can do to help him excel in higher office.

By the way, as of this post, the White House has yet to announce Carrion's appointment. The (departing?) B.P. will give his final state of the borough address on Friday morning at Lehman College. We'll have post-speech coverage here on the blog.

[Photo: Adolfo Carrión with Peter Kalikow, right, and E. Virgil Conway of the MTA in 2004.]

It's Done -- Adolfo Packs for D.C.

Adolfo Carrion being sworn in for his first term as borough president in Jan. 2002. (File photo)

Bob Kappstatter reports that, after many weeks of speculation, the White House will announce today that President Obama is appointing Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion to head the new White House Office on Urban Policy.

The Norwood News, which hits the streets tomorrow, will have an article gauging Bronx advocates' and activists' opinion of Carrion's 7-year tenure. We'll link to that and an editorial about the matter as soon as they're on-line.

So, now the campaign begins. Read this post for a look at how the special election for a new BP will unfold.

State of the Borough Address Confirmed for Feb. 20

We've just received a formal invite to Borough President Adolfo Carrion's State of the Borough address at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 20.

Since rumors began detailing Carrion's seemingly imminent departure from the borough presidency (reportedly to be head of a new Urban Affairs department in the Obama administration), we've wondered if this year's address was even going to happen at all.

But now that we have a date, will we also soon get some clarity about Carrion's future? Is there another announcement forthcoming? Will this be his farewell speech?

Bronx News Roundup, Jan. 9

The Daily Politics' says it's uncovered another sign that Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion is on his way out. Earlier today, Carrion's office sent a notarized letter to the City Clerks Office, which designated Deputy BP Earl Brown as his successor in case of sickness, suspension or absence. If Brown, for whatever reason, can't perform the BP's duties, Carrion's executive assistant Karen McGuiness would take over. The Adolfo watch continues...

If Carrion leaves, Liz Benjamin says Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. and City Council member Joel Rivera would probably be running in a special election, with CM Jimmy Vacca also mulling a bid.

Earlier today, former "A Bronx Tale" star and "Sopranos" part-timer Lillo Brancato, Jr. was sentenced to 10 years for attempted burglary after being acquitted on murder charges last month. Brancato was present when his friend, Steven Armento, shot an off-duty Bronx police officer, Daniel Enchautegui. Armento was sentenced to life in prison this past fall. More from the AP and NY1.

Some harrowing testimony from a Bronx firefighter who escaped a deadly Tremont apartment building blaze in 2005. The fire killed two other firefighters.

The co-founders of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) , which operates a handful of middle schools in the Bronx and upper Manhattan, give Obama some advice on how to change the education system.

In a citywide story, I thought was interesting, an MTA proposal would ask environmentally-conscious riders to pay extra to contribute to the "greening" of New York's transit system.

Also, the Times writess about Nat Hentoff's 50 years as a writer at the Village Voice. As far as journalists go, he's an icon. Thanks for all your good work at the Voice and we hope to see your byline elsewhere soon.

Adolfo Watch

An update to yesterday's news roundup: Washington Post columnist Al Kamen chimed in today on reports that Bronx BP Adolfo Carrion, speaking off the record (or so he thought), told a group of Yale students that the Obama Administration had offered him a cabinet position.

Further, Kamen notes that yesterday's discovery of the website AdolfoCarrion.com by some blogs only contributed to the recent problems for the BP. The site, which includes a Carrion Political Cartoon Archive and attacks his economic and housing development record, is owned by Andy Wolf, publisher of the Bronx Press Review and Riverdale Review, according to the New York Observer. The site credits the mayor's office for all of the urban development projects undertaken in the Bronx since Carrion became BP in 2001. [Incidentally, we plugged in all the other borough presidents' names -- martymarkowitz.com, scottstringer.com, etc. -- and those URLs all seem to still be up for grabs. Maybe Carrion's Web problem will prod the others to plunk down the lousy 50 bucks and save themselves a whole lot of tsuris (Yiddish for trouble)].

Equally displeased at the idea of Carrion in a position of power within the Obama Administration, Tom Robbins posted his Five Reasons Why Bronx Beep Adolfo Carrion Will Be a Great HUD Secretary yesterday to the Village Voice's blog Runnin' Scared.

--Peter Mullin and Jordan Moss contributed to this post.

Secretary Carrion? What Do You Think?

Add Mr. Secretary to the titles that could be affixed to Bronx BP Adolfo Carrion come the New Year. This report in the Times today says Obama transition officials are considering Carrion for the secretary of the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, better known as HUD.
This comes on the heels of reports that Carrion is on the list of of officials Gov. Paterson is considering for appointment to the United States Senate to take Hillary Clinton's place as she packs for the State Department.
We want to know want you think of either of these prospects. Comment away ....

Bronx BP No Longer Supports Term Limits Legislation and Other Twists

The term limits debate keeps taking more twists and turns.

Earlier today, three council members announced they would not support the term limits extension, two attempted and failed to block the legislation in court and three others introduced an amendment that would require any term limits extension be put to vote through a public referendum.

Meanwhile, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, a former mayoral hopeful who has announced his intention to run for City Comptroller, released a statement saying he could no longer support the term limits legislation after billionaire Ronald Lauder (the architect of the original term limits referendums in 1993 and 1996) said he would try to block term extensions for Council members.

Carrion's statement:

"I can no longer support term limits legislation in light of Mr. Lauder’s recent statements to the New York Times in which he clearly indicates that he intends to block a permanent third term extension for City Council members. It is irresponsible for government to enter into a deal with a private citizen that would undo the term limit legislation resulting in a two-tier class system of council members. I am, therefore, asking members of the City Council to oppose Intro 845A.

The proposed legislation and the debate surrounding it should not be about the incumbent mayor and cannot be about individual agendas.

The public opposition to the proposal is based on the idea that it is a singularly motivated measure to extend one person's term in office. New York is the greatest city in the world with an enviable talent pool of the best and the brightest. The idea that has been presented by some, that this Mayor is indispensable, is naïve and a distraction from the real debate. As such, I can no longer, in good conscience, support this legislation."

Adolfo Staying Far Away from Dem Leadership Struggle

We spoke briefly with Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion last night at the Marina Del Rey in Throggs Neck where the Bronx Chamber of Commerce was having its sixth annual banquet.

We asked him if he had anything to say about the battle underway for the leadership of his party. He threw his head back and laughed robustly. "Absolutely nothing," he said, finally, still smiling.

"I've always allowed the political battles at the county level to be handled by its chairman and the people who are interested in that," Carrion said. "I'm only concerned with moving the Bronx in the right direction. We all need to focus on deliverables for families who live in [the borough on issues like] education, health care, economic opportunity and housing production."

So, it sounds like that unlike virtually every other elected official and active Democrat in the borough, it's a good bet Carrion won't be at the Paradise this Sunday for the big party showdown.
We also asked Carrion if he still wanted to be comptroller, what with the economic meltdown on Wall Street and all that. Not unpredictably, he said the crisis "presented an opportunity for leadership [and] for smart investment."

Update: Turns out Carrion will be in Florida campaigning for Obama the night of the big showdown back home.

Carrion in St. Paul for Republican Convention

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion gave a speech today on what would seemingly be enemy turf -- he's in St. Paul for the Republican National Convention.
Liz Benjamin of the Daily News reports that Carrion was in the Twin Cities in his capacity as chairman of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials to make a nonpartisan case to the GOP that, if they want to win, they need to pay attention
to the burgeoning Hispanic vote.

Carrion, who is running for city comptroller next year, made a similar case in Denver -- though he probably turned fewer heads there.

A Sign of the Slump?

Opinion by Guest Blogger Gregory Lobo Jost
New York City has seemed immune to the housing downturn afflicting most of the country, but there are plenty of signs that it may just be a matter of time. Foreclosure numbers continue to rise (at least in the outer-boroughs), many of the newly constructed infill housing (multiple 2- and 3-family homes on one lot) in the West Bronx sit vacant with For Sale and For Rent signs in the windows simultaneously, and now the latest from the Daily News: New housing construction down by one-third.

According to the article:

a new report from the city's housing and buildings departments shows building permit applications plunged 33% in the Bronx in 2007. Permits were issued for 3,104 new residential units in the Bronx last year, compared with 4,658 in 2006.

The ever-optimistic Borough President's Office counters that

the numbers do not represent a leveling off of local housing development, because there were still a record number of dollars invested last year — more than $925 million, compared with $713 million in 2006 and $237 million in 2002. Carrion's office said that more "substantial structures" were built in 2007 — including multi-family apartment buildings on smaller parcels of land and more elevator buildings, which cost more to build. The investment dollars also went into significant renovations of buildings. "It was a great year for housing in the Bronx — the fourth largest year in decades," said Carrion. "That's something to take notice."

Nonetheless it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the Bronx. No matter what, there will be some winners and losers. If housing prices do decline, current homeowners -- especially those in foreclosure who need to sell -- and banks will lose out. But if prices stay at the levels they are now, our affordability crisis will get worse as operating expenses like fuel and water continue to rise.

Carrión's Cover Letter

So far, five individuals, including Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, have declared their interest in running for city comptroller. Today, in the Gotham Gazette, the candidates discuss what they would do to revive the flagging economy. Here's what Carrión had to say.