NYT: Ruben Diaz, Jr. Considering Mayoral Bid

A piece in today's New York Times about the current state of the mayoral field reports that Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. is mulling a run.

Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 23

Today, we're devoting the roundup to the living wage legislation, which was debated in a City Council Committee hearing yesterday.

Norwood News tweeted live from the hearing.

One of the focuses of a New York Times article is Council Speaker Christine Quinn's questioning of both sides, including her asking opponents of the bill if they'd support it if it were scaled back to only include gigantic developments like stadiums and airports. Maybe, they said.

As Azi Paybarah of Capital points out, today's Daily News covers all sides of the argument: Citing concerns of small businesses in her community, Councilwoman Inez Dickens of Harlem withdrew her support for the living wage bill in a column in the Daily News today. Juan Gonzalez supports the legislation, and puts the spotlights on Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. whose leadership in the battle that defeated a mall at the Kingsbridge Armory gave birth to the legislation. Meanwhile, the paper's editorial page states yet again its opposition to the bill.

Here's Diaz's testimony.

Gotham Gazette has a good rundown of the politics surrounding the legislation.

A Sojourners magazine contributor writes in favor of the bill on Huffington Post. 

In case you missed it, despite heavy union support for the bill, three trade unions came out against it.

Happy Bronx Anthrax Day (No, Not the Kind of Anthrax You're Thinking)

The Bronx is going metal today, as "The Big 4"--heavy metal bands Anthrax, Metallica, Megadeath and Slayer--take the stage at Yankee Stadium this afternoon. The concert is a big deal for metal-enthusiasts and thousands are expected to turn out for the show, which starts at 4 p.m.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., has even christened today, Sept. 14, "Anthrax Day in the Bronx," honoring the band--three members of which have Bronx roots, in Throggs Neck and Pelham Parkway--with a proclamation in the video below.


Bronx Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson, meanwhile, is warning residents to expect traffic delays, crowded trains and extra police presence around Yankee Stadium today thanks to the concert.

"It is good to have big name musical acts like Anthrax and Metallica come to the Bronx because they help shine a positive light on our community, but when thousands of visitors come to the west Bronx like this it can lead to some temporary inconveniences for residents,” Gibson said in a statement.

The Borough President Wants to Know What You Think

(File photo)

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.'s office is asking Bronx residents to fill out a "quality of life" survey and share their thoughts on living in the Boogie Down. The 22-question online survey takes about ten minutes or so to complete and asks about things like local schools, food access, safety, where you do most of your shopping, etc. According to Diaz, the answers will be compiled in a report his office will release this fall.

“It is important that Bronxites participate in this survey and let my office hear from them on the specific issues that face our neighborhoods," Diaz said in a statement.

"The goal of this survey is to build upon newly-released Census data to perform a comprehensive, inclusive, and thorough assessment of where we are as a borough and where we want to go. I hope that as many Bronxites as possible will take a few minutes to fill out this survey and join us in that effort."

And, just in case you'd rather complain to the Borough President face-to-face, survey participants will automatically be entered in a raffle, and the prize: brunch with Diaz!

Fill out the survey here. 

Cablevision, BronxNet Strike Long-Awaited Deal

Television giant Cablevision and local public access network BronxNet finally came to a contract agreement this week after months of negotiations, two years after a previous deal expired.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.'s office sent out a press release on Monday announcing the agreement, which he helped broker and which will result in extra funding for BronxNet to update it's technology (federal law require that cable companies provide support for local public channels).

"This agreement gives BronxNet the tools to greatly expand their ability to serve our borough while also showcasing Cablevision's commitment to serving the people of the Bronx as a good corporate citizen," Diaz said in a statement "This new agreement is a victory for all involved."

Woodlawn Cemetery Designated A National Historic Landmark

Photo courtesy of Woodlawn Cemetery

On June 30, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that Woodlawn Cemetery, along with 13 other sites across the country, was designated a National Historic Landmark. The title recognizes Woodlawn’s role in preserving and celebrating those who have helped shape the world, according to a press release. The prestigious title has been designated to less than 2,500 places, making the cemetery one of a few.

The 150-year-old, 400-acre Woodlawn Cemetery is located in the Bronx neighborhood of the same name, and is the final resting place to some significant people in our nation’s history: music icons like Celia Cruz to local legends like jazz musician Billy Bang to former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.

Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was one of many who advocated for the cemetery to become a National Historic Landmark.

“The Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place for many famous Americans and it is vitally important to preserve our nation’s history for ourselves and for the generations to come,” said the Borough President, who submitted a letter that supported the cemetery’s designation back in October of 2010.

“Without our history we do not know where we came from and we do not know where we are headed,” Diaz continued.

Borough President teaches about sex

Schools need to talk frankly about sex, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. told The Hunts Point Express in a no-holds-barred press conference.

The borough president then proceeded to frank talk himself.

See what he had to say to The Hunts Point Express.

Events: Bronx Salsa Festival

The Bronx Salsa Festival kicks off tonight and will run through this Sunday, July 10, with dance-themed events taking place each night until then.

Head over the Pregones Theatre at 7 p.m for a screening of the award-winning documentary "From Mambo To Hip Hop, A South Bronx Tale,” followed by a discussion on the history of salsa music led by film co-producer Elena Martinez and multi-Grammy nominated percussionist Bobby Sanabria. Afterwards, professional dancer and instructor Elvis Collado, winner of the 2010 New York/ New Jersey Salsa Open Championship, and his partner Melanie Castillo lead a demonstration and group lesson.

There's something happening every night until Sunday, and you can check out the full schedule here.

Despite Outcry, City Moves Ahead With Wakefield Homeless Shelter Plan

It looks like the Muller Army Reserve Center, a former military base in Wakefield that community leaders want to house the Kingsbridge Armory Annex's National Guard so that the Kingsbridge Armory Annex can house a school (confusing, right?), is set to become a homeless shelter--the plan that Mayor Bloomberg's administration has long been pushing.

Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., who vehemently opposes the idea of another homeless shelter at the Nereid Avenue site, sent out a press release earlier this week saying the Mayor's office "is claiming that a vote was held in November 2010, despite having hosted a public hearing on June 22, 2011, to solicit public input on the reuse of the facility in advance of a vote."

Controversial Minister Looks to Set Up Shop at the Armory

Creflo Dollar, pictured with his wife, Taffi, in a photo
from the Kingsbridge Armory report.

An evangelical preacher from Georgia, known for his lavish lifestyle and for touting the spiritual benefits of wealth, is proposing to take over the long-vacant Kingsbridge Armory, according to a report released by the Bronx borough president’s office last month.

World Changers Church International, an Atlanta-based, nondenominational parish led by television preacher Creflo Dollar and his wife, Taffi, has proposed turning the 575,000 square-foot West Kingsbridge Road building into a “state of the art church facility” fit with administrative offices, daycare and afterschool program space, a gymnasium, food and clothing banks and a recording studio.

Armory Report: Long in Length, Short on Answers

The Kingsbridge Armory, on West Kingsbridge Road. (File photo by Adi Talwar)

Editor's Note: This story was first published in the latest issue of the Norwood News, on the streets and online now.

By ALEX KRATZ

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. has made it clear redeveloping the vacant 575,000-square-foot Kingsbridge Armory into a quality-job-producing, vibrant community space, is a top priority of his administration. But a much-anticipated report created by an Armory task force he assembled was released with little fanfare earlier this month and appears to generate more questions than answers.

On June 21, Diaz’s office quietly released the 267-page report, which included no clear plan for financing the redevelopment. It detailed all of the meetings of the task force, which included union reps, health care industry leaders, developers, community activists and elected officials. It also included three models for possible redevelopment created by a group of New York University graduate students and faculty.

Gay Marriage Becomes Law -- Diazes React Very Differently

With the historic passage of gay marriage Friday night in the state Senate and Gov. Cuomo signing the legislation immediately, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and his father, State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., the only Democrat to vote against the bill, had very different reactions.

"God, not Albany, has settled the definition of marriage a long time ago," Diaz Sr. said on the Senate floor.

In sharp contrast, the borough president, who did not publicly support same-sex marriage, said he looked forward to the wedding of his lesbian niece, Erica Diaz, who made headlines when she crashed her grandfather's anti-gay marriage rally on the courthouse steps and then took him on in a NY Post op-ed, and his chief of staff Paul Del Duca. He added:

"Now that the debate on marriage equality has been resolved, it is time for us to come together and move forward in a positive manner with respect for our fellow Bronxites and all New Yorkers, irrespective of our differences, backgrounds and religious beliefs. We must both celebrate and build upon our diversity for a better and brighter future for all of our hard working families. I also wish to complement Governor Andrew Cuomo for working sincerely and diligently to ensure that the appropriate balance of protections are ensured within the bill.

BP Diaz's Testimony From Last Night's Muller Center Hearing

The public hearing over the future of the Muller Army Center in Wakefield took place last night, at P.S. 21 on 225th Street.

BxNN reporter Alex Kratz was there and will post a more detailed account later, but he said the majority of those who attended--a strong showing of Wakefield and Woodlawn residents, and many members of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition--are against the city's plan to fill the building with a homeless shelter, and support the idea of moving the National Guard from an annex at the Kingsbridge Armory into the Wakefield site to free up school space (you can read some more background in yesterday's news roundup).

Kratz said that Father Richard Gorman of CB 12 got the crowd going with an impassioned speech that took several hilarious digs at Mayor Bloomberg. Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., who sits on a panel overseeing the building's redevelopment, also testified--you can read his full statement in the document below.

Bronx News Roundup, May 25

Weather: Finally, a full day of sunshine and blue clouds, with a high of 82 degrees this afternoon.

Story of the Day: Ticket-Fixing Scandal Could Foil Another Court Case
The arresting officer in a drunken-driving case admitted on the stand in Bronx Supreme Court yesterday that she's fixed tickets for family members and friends, the second time such testimony has been brought up in cases unrelated to the ongoing NYPD scandal. Officer Julissa Goris was questioned in the trial of defendant Stephen Lopresti, a lawyer accused of driving under the influence and crashing his car on the Grand Concourse in 2006. Last week, a man on trial for a murder in Mott Haven was acquitted after defense lawyers painted his arresting officers as corrupt and unreliable due to their ticket-fixing histories.

Meanwhile, celebrities Derek Jeter, late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and hip-hop mogul Jay-Z are among those who have had traffic tickets taken care of. The grand jury hearing of the case will likely last through June, the Daily News reports.

Quick Hits:

Supporters of the controversial living wage bill, sponsored by two Bronx Council members and backed by a large coalition of local groups, are looking to amend the legislation in the hopes of winning over some critics. The bill currently has the votes of 30 City Council members but needs 34 to override Mayor Bloomberg's likely veto (see our recent coverage here.)

From Kappstatter's column: BP Diaz and City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo are at odds over the Borough President's choice for the city Planning Commission, Community Board 2 chair Orlando Marin. Arroyo supposedly has a personal vendetta against Marin and is trying to block the nomination, Kappy writes.

Bronx High School of Science and Manhattan's Stuyvesant High School, long considered the top public schools in the city, enroll  startlingly small numbers of African-American students. Students of color now make up about 2 percent of the population at both schools, compared to 10 percent in 1971.

A 19-year-old Riverdale man is suing the NYPD, saying he was wrongfully accused of smashing a rock through a car window. Student Bryant Dale says he was held by police for 40 hours and dragged through months of litigation for the crime, even after the real culprit came forward and confessed.

The "Battle of Bronx" skateboarding competition took place this weekend at River Avenue Skate Park.

Bronx residents and City Councilman Fernando Cabrera are fighting cuts to the city's childcare subsidies, which would take a hit should Mayor Bloomberg's budget pass.

John Alberquerque, a 19-year-old Bronx resident, shares his story of coming out as gay with the New York Times in this audio slideshow feature.

Bronx BP Heavily Involved in Hunts Point Negotiations, Spokesman Says

Despite a Crain's article that does not mention his involvement, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. is heavily involved in negotiations to keep the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx, said spokesman John DeSio.

In our news roundup earlier today (now updated), we made note of the conspicuous fact that Diaz was not mentioned in the Crain's article as being part of the city and state's Hunts Point Market negotiating team. It did mention Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy, the Empire State Development Corp., the city's Economic Development Corp. and other Bloomberg officials.

Diaz has said keeping the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx is a top priority of his administration. DeSio says this remains the case and that Diaz and Duffy are in regular contact, as is Marlene Cintron, the head of the Bronx Overall Development Corp., and the city's EDC. He added that Diaz was instrumental in bringing New York's U.S. Senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, into the negotiating fold. 

On Sunday, Crain's reported that the market cooperative is on the verge of signing a short-term lease to stay in the Bronx, at least temporarily, while they continue to negotiate a long-term lease, either in Hunts Point or New Jersey.

City Releases Long-Awaited Living Wage Study

City Hall reports that the city's Economic Development Corporation has finally released its assessment on what a living wage mandate would mean for New York City.

The 44-page report says that requiring employers to pay a living wage would ultimately kill tens of thousands of potential jobs and stifle commercial development, on the grounds that many would not be able to afford the higher wages. City Hall uploaded the entire document on its site; you can read it here.

A living wage bill has been lingering in the City Council for over a year now. The legislation, sponsored by Bronx Council Members Oliver Koppell and Annabel Palma at the behest of Borough President Ruben Diaz and backed by a number of local organizations, would require developers of retail projects receiving taxpayer subsidies to pay workers there $10 an hour with benefits or $11.50 without.

Today's report has been a year in the making: the EDC hired Boston-based consulting firm Charles River Associates last August to conduct the study, paying the group $1 million to assess the economic effects of such a law.

Supporters of the City Council bill disparaged the EDC's move, saying several of the economists hired to work on the study are known living wage critics, and that the report was "rigged" to comply with Mayor Michael Bloomberg's opposition to a wage mandate.

Two years ago, Bloomberg and Borough President Diaz butted heads over plans to fill the long-vacant Kingsbridge Armory, where the mayor was pushing to build a shopping mall. The plan was eventually killed in the City Council, mainly because the developer would not guarantee that retail workers be paid a living wage.

The landmark building still sits empty, though Diaz is soon expected to release his own report, drafted by the NYU Wagner School of Public Policy, with recommendations for redeveloping the site.

Devastated Milbank Buildings Finally Sold

Speaker Christine Quinn, Mayor Bloomberg, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Sen. Gustavo Rivera and tenants celebrate the sale of the Milbank portfolio at a press conference yesterday.

By JORDAN MOSS and JEANMARIE EVELLY

It was a rare scene for the transfer of a residential apartment building: Tenants, a new landlord and a variety of city elected officials, from the mayor on down, gathered Tuesday for a press conference that turned out to be a celebration.

The now-infamous Bronx Milbank buildings, including one at 2264 Grand Avenue, were finally sold last week to a new landlord after months of local organizing and city involvement. Tenants, advocates and elected officials had fought to wrest the portfolio of 10 deeply troubled properties from irresponsible bankers and owners to a responsible party who could afford to make them livable again.

Over 100 people showed up for the announcement of the sale at 3018 Heath Ave., where the building had brand new windows -- the first of what tenants hope will be many improvements to come at this and the other Milbank properties.

"We now have someone to communicate with -- someone to hold accountable," said one tenant, Twyla Rashid, who described conditions at her building as “devastating.”

The one to hold accountable now is Steven Finkelstein, a Scarsdale-based landlord who purchased the mortgage and the deeds to the properties in a $28 million deal last week, and faces a mountain of some 4,000 housing code violations.

On Armory, Bloomberg Says: 'We're Open to Every Good Idea'

At a press conference today earlier in Kingsbridge, I asked Mayor Bloomberg if his administration was willing to consider new plans for the Kingsbridge Armory, since Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. is expected to release, in the next several weeks, a report drafted by the NYU Wagner School of Public Policy with recommendations for redeveloping the vacant landmark .

"We're open to every good idea," the mayor said, exhibiting none of the bitterness some have attributed to him for having his preferred plan for the facility -- a mall developed by The Related Companies -- killed by Diaz and  many of the very same people that were at the press conference to cheer him on for the Bloomberg administration's efforts to get a portfolio of 10 nightmare apartment buildings into the hands of a new, responsible owner.

(Diaz, who had been at the mayor's side for most of the press conference, left before I asked this question.)

Diaz For Bronx Week 2011

Next month brings Bronx Week, the 10-day annual festival to celebrate all things Boogie Down-related. Here's a video promoting the event, which will run from May 12--22, from Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.



For a list of Bronx Week features and event, visit www.ilovethebronx.com.

Vacca Holds Out On Living Wage; No Hearing Date Yet

City Councilman James Vacca is the only Bronx member of the Council who has yet to throw his weight behind the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act--the bill that would require developers of retail projects receiving taxpayer subsidies to pay workers $10 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 without.

This week, his spokesman Bret Collazzi said the councilman is waiting for an official hearing to be held on the legislation before he takes a stance.

“He’s open to the idea, but he’s not there yet,” Collazzi said. “He’s met with both sides, he’s interested in it, but he won’t make a decision until the hearing.”

The fate of a hearing lies in the hands of  Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has said that she's opening to the Council having one. Quinn spokeswoman Maria Alvarado said nothing has been scheduled yet.

"No hearing date has been set at this point, but the committee is continuing to work on finding a date," she wrote in an E-mail.

The living wage bill has lingered in the Council for almost a year; it was introduced last spring by Council Members Oliver Koppell and Annabel Palma, and has strong backing from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., who led the effort to defeat the city’s plan to build a mall at the Kingsbridge Armory, mainly because the developer would not guarantee that retail workers be paid a living wage. [Corrected from an earlier version]

The bill currently has the support of 29 members, short of the 34 that would be needed to override a likely mayoral veto. Mayor Bloomberg has been vocal about his opposition to a living wage requirement on the grounds that it would harm small businesses and discourage development.

The Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act would apply to any development project that receives more than $100,000 in tax breaks or city subsidies.

“We even exempted some small businesses to make sure we weren’t hurting small businesses that might not be able to pay these wages,” Council Member Koppell said at a rally for the legislation last month. “We worked hard to craft this bill so that there can be no exceptions [to it].”