Baez in Bloomberg's Camp

We've been hearing rumors all week that Maria Baez - the soon to be out of a job councilwoman - has decided to pull an Oliver Koppell, and support Mayor Bloomberg for reelection, instead of fellow Democrat Bill Thompson.

Well, the rumors are true.

"She's definitely with the mayor," said a Baez staffer I spoke with this morning, who asked that his name not be used. He said the councilwoman wants her constituents to know about all the good things Bloomberg has done for the 14th District.

It wasn't always this way. During the primary, Baez listed Thompson as one of her supporters, and plastered his face all over her campaign literature. And, until a few weeks ago, her name appeared on Thompson's list of official endorsers. (Today, she's nowhere to be found.)

I wonder what caused the change of heart? Or, to be cynical, what might be in it for her?

Several other Bronx pols also appear reluctant to back Thompson. On his campaign Web site, the following are conspicuous by their absence: Congressman Eliot Engel, Assemblyman Nelson Castro, State Senator Pedro Espada, Assemblymember Carmen E. Arroyo, and Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo.

I should add that - as with Baez - none of the above appear on Bloomberg's list of endorsers, either.

New from the Norwood News

The latest edition of the Norwood News hit streets last Thursday morning, but due to technical difficulties we were unable to get the Web version up online until today. Sorry for the delay. Here's a quick preview:

We have in-depth post-primary election stories on Oliver Koppell's convincing victory over challenger Tony Cassino in the 11th Council District as well as challenger Fernando Cabrera's narrow win over incumbent Maria Baez in the 14th.

Also, 14th District third-place finisher Yudelka Tapia says despite her problems with Cabrera's past political affiliations (he used to be a Republican) and residency issues (he only moved to the district a little more than a year ago), she will work with him for the good of the community.

The heart of Cabrera's campaign was the relentless support of his congregation at New Life Outreach International Church, a churh he started in the NW Bronx 20 years ago.

The Bronx (and New York City) Ghanaian population is rising and coming together to promote their culture as well as build a political voice.

The new leader of nation's largest labor group came to the Bronx to meet with representatives from the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA). KARA, alongw with Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and members of Community Board 7, is trying to negotiate an unprecedented (in NYC anyway) labor and benefits agreement with the Related Companies, which is planning to turn the Armory into a shopping mall.

Local Football action!

Pedro Espada is meeting with local business leaders and community groups as he decides where to distribute nearly $2 million in discretionary funding.

And always look to Neighborhood Notes page for local events, programs, services and announcements and to our Out & About page to find out about all the arts and entertainment opportunities in the borough.

Want to give us feedback on a story? Have a news tip or a topic you think we should write about? Feel free to send us ane-mail at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

It's Official: Cabrera Defeats Baez

FinalResultsIn14thCouncilDistrict

The Board of Elections has released the final certified results from the Sept. 15 Democratic primaries. In the 14th District, Fernando Cabrera defeated Maria Baez by 75 votes.

Here's the final count:

Fernando Cabrera: 2,108
Maria Baez (incumbant): 2,033
Yudelka Tapia: 1,330

(This is old news, by the way, if you've been reading the comments section in this post. We've had Internet issues these last two days; that's our excuse for not being on top of things.)

The number of votes in the above "Statement and Return Report" are categorized by assembly district. While Baez performed well in the 86th District (where her district office is based, and where she grow up), Cabrera did best further north, in the 78th District, where his church is located and where he now lives.

Assuming Baez doesn't launch a legal challenge, Cabrera can now look forward to the November election, where he'll face token opposition from Yessenia A. Duran (a Republican) and Lisa Marie Campbell (who's running as a Conservative).

Note: Click on the V in the top right hand corner of the Scribd document to enlarge the text.

It's (Almost) Official: After Re-Count, Cabrera Up By 69, Heastie Says

The machine votes for the 14th District Council race have been re-counted, all the paper ballots (absentee and affidavit) have been tallied and Fernando Cabrera is still in the lead over Maria Baez by about 69 votes, said Democratic County Chairman Carl Heastie in a phone interview.

Heastie said the Board of Elections will make it official on Tuesday.

At the end of Tuesday's primary, Cabrera, a pastor and college professor, was up by 90 votes. So Baez, who refused to concede on Tuesday, gained a little ground in the re-count, but not enough to make a difference. Instead of sticking around for the re-count (and City Council meetings), Baez went on vacation. That may be an indicator of what she thought of her chances.

"But this isn't about beating up Maria Baez," Heastie said.

It's about injecting "fresh blood and new energy" into the Council, he said. "Cabrera has a tremendous background. He's a pastor and a counselor, so he can relate to the struggles that families here are going through. And he's going to be present."

Okay, so based on that last remark, it's a little bit about Baez, who was beat up continually for her lack of presence at not only City Council meetings, but also local community board meetings.

As for the slim margin of victory, Heastie told Liz Benjamin at the Daily News: "I don't care if you win the Super Bowl by one point or 30, you're still champion."

We'll have full primary election coverage of the 14th and 1th district races in the Norwood News next Thursday.

Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 18

The trial for the four men accused of plotting to bomb two Riverdale synagogues will begin next June 14. At the hearing where the trial date was set, lawyers for the accused, who are pleading not guilty, said that their clients were entrapped by a federal government informant. They also said that key evidence -- recorded conversations in which the defendants allegedly discussed the bombing plans -- doesn't exist. More on this, including courtroom sketches, from NY1 and Daily News.

NY1's Dean Meminger examines the impact of the new Gateway Center mall, which the Related Companies the mayor's office and other elected officials are touting as a huge boon for the south Bronx. From the interviews, local residents seem to think it's been a valued addition as well. Related is facing opposition to its plan to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into another mall because they have not entered into a Community Benefits Agreement.

Not surprisingly, Maria Baez failed to show up for the first post-primary City Council meeting, "keeping intact her hold on the Council's worst attendance record," writes the Times' Ray Rivera. She said on Tuesday night that she was going on vacation for a few days.

An assistant principal at a middle school in Morrisania was arrested for driving drunk on Thursday morning at 7 a.m. Her 10-month-old baby was in the back seat.

The Bronx Democrats have thrown their weight behind John Liu for comptroller after their original choice, Melinda Katz was beaten soundly in Tuesday's primary.

A fire ripped through a Morrisania area grocery store and mosque early this morning.

Rape charges against five Hoftstra students, three of whom are from the Bronx, have been dismissed.

Primary Postcard: Cabrera's Team Celebrates Close (Yet Unofficial) Victory

The mood in Maestro's catering hall in Morris Park was quietly cheerful last night at about 9:30 p.m. There were no televisions in the banquet hall, but the results of the day's Democratic primaries were trickling in via text messages and e-mail blasts to the 100 or so Fernando Cabrera supporters milling about in blue shirts.

Cabrera, the pastor of New Life International Outreach Church and an upstart challenger in the 14th Council District, was nowhere to be found.

Food was served, drinks were consumed and rumors were flying.

"Word is Maria's out," said John DeSio, a spokesman for Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

"I'm hearing good things," said Cabrera's communications director Fernando Aquino.

Two young Cabrera soldiers were talking to reporters as if they were giving a post-game victory speech.

Word slipped into the room: Cabrera's up.

Then the music started. At least 30 campaign staffers piled onto the small stage toward one end of the hall and started banging on hand drums, dancing and chanting in Spanish: "The Cabrera era has begun!"

Carlos Feliciano, a campaign volunteer and youth minister with New Life, jumped on stage, the music still rocking. Some early results were in. Maria Baez, 34 percent. Fernando Cabrera, 41.

Celebration ensued. The dancers, chanters and drummers spilled onto the dance floor, forming the equivalent of huge chaotic conga line.

Then, for a while, nothing.

Fifteen minutes later, somebody says Baez is now in the lead, but it's close. Outside, in the lobby, Daily News Bronx bureau chief Bob "Kappy" Kappstatter is holding court with new numbers from his source within the Board of Elections. With 98 percent of the vote in, Cabrera is up a grand total of FIVE votes, you could count them on one hand.

There's discussion of what this means. Where's the other 2 percent?

Suddenly, there's commotion, everyone starts filing back into the main hall. Community Board 7 Chairman Greg Faulkner, who was instrumental in Cabrera's campaign since its inception two years ago, says, "It's a done deal." How many votes? "It's over. 90 votes," he says.

[Technically, nothing is official at this point and in the west Bronx, a defiant Baez is refusing to concede.]

No matter. Campaigners are now hugging and crying. The word is out. Cabrera did it.

"We did it!" everyone is saying.

Soon a procession is barreling into the hall. Diaz Jr. and his father Ruben Diaz, Sr. (in full cowboy gear) walk through the gantlet of cheering supporters. Carl Heastie, the Democratic Pary Chairman who took a gamble by choosing to back Cabrera, a former Republican, against a Democratic incumbent, walks through confidently.

Then, it's the man of the hour, of the day, Pastor Fernando Cabrera, grinning from ear to ear, high fiving and fist pumping his way to the stage.

Heastie takes the mic first. "I'd like to introduce you to the new Democratic nominee for City Council in the 14th District, FERNANDO CABRERA!"

More pandemonium, cheering and hugging. It was, for even the most impartial observer, exciting.

The pastor's first words: "God did it and you did it!" Nuts. The whole place went nuts.

"Some people questioned whether this was going to happen," Cabrera went on. "I'm here to tell you that not only was it going to happen, it did happen!" More madness.

Later he would go on to thank everyone involved in the campaign for all their hard work, etc., etc. But before all that:

"We're going to start a new era of leadership in the Bronx and the best is yet to come!"

As a reporter, there were still loads of unanswered questions hanging in the air as to how this would all shake out, logistically and otherwise. But the question I kept asking myself was: Are those goose bumps?

-All Photos by David Greene

Maria Baez: 'This is Not Over'

DEFIANT: Assemblyman Jose Rivera and Councilwoman Maria Baez

At 11:30 p.m. last night, Councilwoman Maria Baez addressed 30 or so of her weary supporters inside the Monte Carlo Room, a nightclub on Jerome Avenue near the Kingsbridge Armory.

It was no concession speech.

"This is not over," Baez said, placing emphasis on each word. The small crowd erupted.

As you've likely heard, Fernando Cabrera, Baez's main rival in the 14th District City Council race, is currently 90 votes ahead following yesterday's primary. The Board of Elections will officially announce the results next Tuesday (that's the plan anyway). Certain ballots have yet to be counted, but it's not looking good for the incumbent.

The bad news arrives

Here's how the evening unfolded for the Baez camp:

At 9 p.m., the councilwoman's supporters being to trickle into the club, for a celebration that never was. A handful gathered around a flat-screen TV, watching Bronx News 12 for updates. Others took a seat, and talked quietly among themselves; many had spent the day flyering, and were exhausted.

Diana Vest, a Westchester Square resident who said she was paid $80 for 12 hours of work, told me she'd encountered plenty of hostility towards Baez on the street. "Some people think she's a crook," she said. "They believe she's about promises and no action and that she's not a person who sticks to her word."

Fernando Ferrer, the former Bronx BP and two-time mayoral candidate, showed up around 9:30. "I've known Maria Baez for the better part of 30 years," he told me. "I know how hard she works for her community."

He added: "Her opponant [Cabrera] until recently was a Westchester resident and a Republican at that. Excuse me, am I missing something?"

When the final vote tally popped up on TV around 10:30 p.m., there was a stunned, awkward, silence. Councilman Joel Rivera said he wouldn't be suprised if the race was decided in court, considering how close it was. "I do think it would be a loss for the district [if she is defeated]," he said. "Maria has done a wonderful job these past eight years, contrary to what's been reported."

The party never really got going

Baez, who watched proceedings elsewhere, arrived shortly afterwards. She smiled, but looked shell-shocked, a little embarrassed even. She sat the bar and talked quietly with friends.

Assemblyman Jose Rivera, Baez's political mentor, told me he was "proud of Maria, she took to the streets, it was a very grassroots operation." He said the support of the Working Families Party, 1199 SEIU, and the Bronx Democratic Party ("I know what County can do."), tipped the race in Cabrera's favor, assuming the result stands.

From l to r: Rivera, Baez, her grandson, Councilman Joel Rivera, Assemblymember Naomi Rivera

When Baez finally got up to talk, much of the crowd had dispersed (at one stage 60 or so people were present). "This is not over," she said, standing next to Rivera the elder. "I see everyone, like, sad. We're not sad, we're happy. It's one percent [of the vote] so lets just relax."

At times, though, there was an air of resignation. "It's been an honor for me, I never would have imagined that I would have been a member of the Council," Baez said.

She said she's going on vacation with her family for the next few days, and will assess her options when she returns, to see what can be done.

Then, attempting to lighten the mood on what had been a miserable night, Baez said: "It's not over, they say, until the fat lady sings, and this fat lady ain't singing."

Related Article: Cabrera's Team Celebrates Close (Yet Unofficial) Victory

Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 16

The day following the primaries, many news sources are buzzing about the results. The race in District 14, which we blogged extensively about yesterday is drawing city-wide coverage because Maria Baez may join the list of incumbents who were voted out. But it's still too close to call. Baez is currently trailing Cabrera by 90 votes. [More on this later today]

A Bronx elementary school is overcrowding its classrooms.

It was a very emotional day in court for a girl whose mother was killed in Bronx after a cab driver being robbed at knife point crashed his car. The robber is on trial for second degree murder.

A Bronx girl and her Uncle are filing a law suit against a catering company that used a photo of the two plaintiffs at her Sweet Sixteen party in wedding promotional material.

A 12-year veteran NYPD police officer is being charged with injuring a man during an incident in the Bronx back in March.

A Bronx man is now $168 million richer after winning the lottery last month.

Baseball enthusiasts will be pleased to find out the Yankees announced they will be reducing ticket prices for next season.

Yankees fans may get more than they paid for though after reading this article in the NY Times about the massive brawl that broke out in the stadium last night.

Cabrera Camp Confident in Victory in 14th

Just a few thoughts before we call it a night.

While Maria Baez refused to concede to her opponent, Fernando Cabrera, who ended the night up by 90 votes in the 14th Council District primary, the Cabrera camp is extremely confident that it will prevail after all the extra votes are counted.

Here's why.

Greg Faulkner, the chair of Community Board 7, who was heavily involved in Cabrera's campaign, told me that they found out all the names and addresses of the voters who requested absentee ballots, which will need to be counted before Cabrera is declared the victor. (There may be a few affidavit ballots left to count as well.)

First of all, Faulkner said there were only about 125 absentee voters in the district, meaning Baez would have to take 91 of those, or 72%, which doesn't seem likely based on the results tonight.

Secondly, Faulkner said Cabrera was the only 14th District candidate who requested the addresses of, and targeted, those voters.

Having said that, this could still take a while and I expect Baez to not go down quietly.

Tune in tomorrow, or actually later today, for more details about the primary results and all the action surrounding the results.

Primary Postcard: Tapia Remains Confident Despite "Issues"

Inside it was hard to tell that a primary election was taking place at P.S. 163, where candidate Yudelka Tapia, cast her vote at around 11 a.m. this morning. Bored-looking poll workers outnumbered voters. Outside was a different story. All three District 14 candidates' brochures and fliers littered the streets and posters covered telephone polls. Tapia even had a convertible driving up and down the Concourse adorned with her campaign material.

However, very few people felt that the community in District 14 was even aware that voting was taking place. The Poll Coordinator at P.S. 163, Steven Caughman, blames the candidates, "I don't think they have been campaigning the way they should have." He continued, "You ask somebody who so and so is and they say, 'who?'"

Sallie Smith, a registered voter in District 15, echoed Caughman's sentiment. "They can pass out all they want to on the day of (the primary), but it is brainwashing. They ought to have seen them before," she said.

Tapia had a more optimistic outlook as she cast her vote saying that people were coming out for change. "I feel good. I'm winning tonight. Today after 9 p.m. is another era," she said.

Despite her confidence in winning the primary, Tapia claimed that there had been a number of issues already today, alleging that Maria Baez had gone with police at PS 33 and PS 70 to break down her campaign stands. The Baez campaign could not be reached for comment and the 44th Police Precinct could not immediately confirm the accusation.

Tapia also contended that the lever for her name was broken at PS 64. However, Mona Turner, the Poll Coordinator at the site, refuted the claim stating that the entire machine was broken from the "time they checked it with the first voter." The site had to use emergency ballots until just before noon when the machine was fixed. Turner reassured voters, "No votes were missing and everyone got to vote."

Outside the school, both Baez and Cabrera had campaigners on the street corner wearing support T-shirts and shouting rally cries at each other.

Voters were a mixed bag. Although many felt the most important issues to them were neighborhood safety and job creation, their candidate selections varied.

Vioneiry Dominguez cast her ballot for Cabrera, because "He (Cabrera) will make a change for the youth. He has made more contact with young people than the other candidates."

A Baez supporter who wished to remain anonymous, defended the candidates City Council attendance record, "People say she didn't attend the meetings, but she has attended to the community and has the most experience."

The majority of Tapia's support was at P.S. 163 where one voter praised her as a "strong woman."

Note: The reporting for this post was done by Katie Riordan and Molly Ryan.

Primary Postcard: Cabrera Votes Amid Signs of a Low Turnout

This is the first in a series of posts today about the primary election happening today in the Bronx and throughout the city. As we mentioned last night, there are four City Council contests worth watching: the 11th, 12th, 14th and 16th.

At about 9:20 a.m., I walked into PS 86, which is right across the street from the Kingsbridge Armory. Fernando Cabrera, one of two challengers trying to unseat incumbent Maria Baez in the 14th District, emerged from one of the voting booths. After a quick photo op (below; I apologize for the quality), his wife also voted. Because Baez voted earlier at PS 33, down the road on Jerome Avenue, I believe that puts Cabrera ahead, 2-1. We have an upset brewing!


In all seriousness, though, Cabrera and his wife were the only ones voting. I saw one other voter leave right before I arrived. Looks like another year of low turnout on primary day.

It's hard to say who a low turnout favors. Traditionally, a low turnout helps the candidate backed by the party and the biggest unions, which would tilt the scales toward Cabrera. But usually it helps the incumbent just based on name recognition. Say what you will about Baez, but people know who she is. That alone will get her votes. There's a third candidate, Yudelka Tapia, who is wild card in this race. It's unclear how she will impact the race. [More on her coming up later.]

Regardless, Cabrera said he slept soundly last night after spending the evening knocking on doors, putting in the work and trying to win supporters. "I've done everything I could do," he said.

His communications director, Fernando Aquino, after snapping some pictures of the Democratic Party's hand-picked candidate, said he felt the same way. "I think we've really gotten our message out there and people are responding to it," Aquino said.

Still, it's not going to be easy. As we mentioned last night, incumbent have won 97% of Council races over the past two decades and Baez has her people out in force today. Aquino said he thought Baez had been saving all her campaign funds for today's get-out-the-vote festivities.

It's on. Stay tuned...

Final Primary Thoughts (Most importantly, remember to vote tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 15)

Well, we've arrived. The moment of truth. Tomorrow, primary voters in the Bronx will decide who they want to represent them in City Council. (We'd say there's still the matter of the general election, but let's be honest here.)

There are three, maybe four Council races in the borough that are worth watching because they could be close (or at least relatively so): the 14th, 11th, 12th and maybe the 16th. In each of those races, the incumbent is not guaranteed victory in tomorrow's primary. And if any of them go down, it will be an exception to the rule.

Last week, the NY Times, in a story about 14th District incumbent Maria Baez's perilous re-election battle -- she's facing two well-financed opponents, Fernando Cabrera and Yudelka Tapia -- reported that incumbents have won re-election in 97% of all Council races over the past 20 years. That means, if any of those incumbents gets knocked off we could be staring at history when the final results are tallied.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm excited to see some political competition.

Candidates ask us who we're endorsing in the various races. Our answer is always the same: we don't endorse. What we do endorse is informed voting and political engagement. And through our coverage and our debates we've hoped to foster that.

On that note, kudos to Oliver Koppell, the 11th District councilman, for being the only incumbent to engage his (or her) challenger(s) in a debate. Baez? A no show. Larry Seabrook (12th) and Helen Foster (16th)? Nope.

As a voter, you have to ask yourself: Why aren't these people willing to debate their opponents? It's not because they were too busy.

In any case, we're hoping some of the competition and campaigns have invigorated a Bronx voting bloc that is shockingly apathetic.

Last fall, Pedro Espada was voted in by less than 5,000 voters in a senate district with more than 100,000 registered voters. Four years ago, only 17% of those eligible actually voted in the 11th district.

So? Vote. That's all we're saying.

Here's a few last-minute snippets from the races.

• 11th District Challenger Tony Cassino read the Norwood News late last week and immediately sent out a flyer with Koppell's quote about why he's not a big fan of public referendums like the two that installed term limits. Basically, Koppell said the public isn't "sophisticated enough" to handle big decisions.
• Tapia was endorsed today by the Daily News.
• Cabrera was endorsed recently by the Rev. Al Sharpton.
• The Tapia campaign continues to attack Cabrera's campaign, while Cabrera focusses his sights on Baez. At the same time, Tapia's campaign continues to leave former strategists in its wake.
• In the last few days, Tapia's campaign has tried to say Cabrera had a poor attendance record during his tenure at Community Board 7. It's unclear exactly what his attendance was, Board 7 district manager Fernando Tirado, says records were not well kept during those years. While Cabrera's attendance record wasn't perfect, it wasn't atrocious either, Tirado says.
• Caberera's campaign is upset that Tapia is handing out literature linking her and Ruben Diaz Jr. who has endorsed Cabrera. Diaz released a statement saying, "While other candidates are trying to mislead the public by distributing material with my picture, I urge all democrats to vote for Dr. Fernando Cabrera in the primary."
• Tapia, having last month fired her campaign manager Onix Sosa after he took a job with Espada (Sosa was then fired for his long record of mismanaging apartment buildings), is now dealing with another disgruntled former advisor in Victor Solis.
• Solis, a veteran political operator who used to work for Bloomberg, says Tapia owes a friend of his, Carlos Garcia, $6,000. Garcia, in a phone interview, said he leant the money to Tapia in early June because he believed in the Tapia campaign, based moslty on the advice of his good friend, Solis. Elias Alcantera, a spokesman for the campaign, says Tapia and Solis had "personal" issues that had nothing to do with the campaign. Solis showed the Norwood News a check from Tapia to Carlos Garcia, a school teacher, for $6,000. Garcia and Solis are both listed as contributors to the campaign.
• According to city records, Tapia's campaign has received $20,900 in loans and only paid back $8,500. Three people were listed as giving her those loans. Garcia was not one of them. The campaign finance board only recently released public funds to Tapia's campaign. Not disclosing a loan, a spokesman for the board said, would result in a significant penalty for any campaign.
• We have no idea what Baez is doing. She didn't call us back today.

Vote!

UPDATE: Someone from Baez's office called us late in the afternoon to say that the councilwoman is planning to vote at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning at PS 33 (on Jerome Avenue near Fordham Road). In the evening, she's hosting an event at the Monte Carlo Room, at 2700 Jerome Ave., to celebrate what she hopes will be a hard-fought victory.

Fernando Cabrera's Mailers

Fernando Cabrera's mailers

Here's some hard-hitting mailers sent out last week by Fernando Cabrera's campaign to voters in the 14th District. As you can see, as the primary nears (it's tomorrow) Cabrera and his people have been really going after Councilwoman Maria Baez and her record.

The second one down seems to be reply of sorts to something Baez put out - something about Caberea's Republican past and his house in Westchester, no doubt. Does anyone have this mailer? Or any others for that matter, from Baez, Cabrera or Yudelka Tapia. If so, please send them to bronxnewsnetwork[@]gmail.com.

Thanks to the reader who sent the above ones in. To enlarge the text, click on the v in the top right hand corner.

Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 11

We'll start this dreary Friday off with some politics as we approach the last weekend before the Sept. 15 primary.

Big profile of 14th District Councilwoman Maria Baez in the Times. Headline: "Often-Absent Bronx Councilwoman Fights for Political Survival." The article then starts off with the story of how Baez, owner of the worst attendance record in the City Coucnil, missed 24 consecutive meetings in the spring of 2008. During that time she spent at least a week in Puerto Rico with her daughter and her daughter's fiancee.

She charged the $3,100 trip to her state campaign committee and said she was meeting a fund-raiser there. But there are no contributors from Puerto Rico listed in her campaign finance reports.

This is also the time when Baez says she was missing Council meetings because of an illness that she won't discuss. Baez says the illness affected her in 2008, but the article goes on to say that she only attended 58% of her Council meetings in 2005.

Times' reporter Ray Rivera calls Baez, "the rarest of the rare, a City Council incumbent in danger of losing her seat." In the last 20 years, incumbents have won 97% of Council races.

Some commentary on Baez and the 14th District Council race in the Village Voice. And here's some more from Liz Benjamin about the race, including Al Sharpton's endorsement of Fernando Cabrera. Yudelka Tapia is also in the three-headed race.

In other news:

The fallout from the Stella D'oro cookie factory closing is that hundreds of local Bronxites will be looking for work when the plant closes after this month.

Neighborhoods in the growing north Bronx says they need rec centers.

Ferrer to Endorse Baez

Fernando Ferrer, the former Bronx borough president and mayoral candidate, will formally endorse Maria Baez at 2 p.m. today, on the steps of City Hall, according to Baez's campaign.

Ferrer and his wife, Aramina, appear to be big fans of the two-term council member who is running for reelection. In March, they gave her $1,500 in campaign contributions.

As you may have read, Ruben Diaz Jr., the current borough president, is supporting a different candidate.

Bronx News Roundup July 21

Four Democratic state senators, including Ruben Diaz and Pedro Espapda, have hit back at Mayor Bloomberg, after he allegedly compared them to Nazis. The mayor is frustrated the Senate hasn't acted sooner to renew mayoral control of schools.

Espada, the new majority leaders, raked in $150,000 in campaign donations in the first half of 2009, but he's yet to reveal how he spent it.

Councilwoman Maria Baez has the worst attendance record in the City Council. She showed up at just 56 percent of mandatory Council meetings and hearings in the 2009 fiscal year, according to the Post. This isn't the first time Baez has claimed top spot. In an interview earlier this month, she blamed a long-term illness for keeping her away from City Hall. She said Council Speaker Christine Quinn is "aware" of her condition, and has been helpful and understanding. Certainly, Baez's chronic absenteeism hasn't angered Quinn too much. Last week, she gave Baez a glowing endorsement at a campaign rally.

Quinn's support, and other developments, suggests Baez "still has plenty of political street savvy," writes Bob Kappstatter.

Residents doctors at St. Barnabas are asking Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to investigate executive pay at the hospital.

Police are looking for three men who robbed a man at knife point on Saturday evening, inside a Washington Avenue building.

A Williamsbridge man was shot dead on Sunday night, as he tried to to protect his brother from an armed mugger.

Chinese alligators, bred in captivity at the The Bronx Zoo and later released at mouth of the Yangtze River, have begun breeding, much to the delight of the Wildlife Conservation Society. The species is said to be on the verge of extinction.

Castle Hill merchants say a parking ticket blitz is driving away customers.

Michael Martin, aka Iz the Wiz, a prolific graffiti writer from the the Bronx, has died.

A new book explores the history of DeWitt Clinton High School and its remarkable alumni.

Tenants of 1600 Sedgwick Ave. in Morris Heights say they've been hit by through-the-roof utility charges. More here.

Quinn Endorses Baez; Polanco Steps Aside

The Bronx Democratic Party may have cut loose Councilwoman Maria Baez (they're supporting Fernando Cabrera, a pastor, in September's primary), but she still has friends in high places.

As she looks to secure a third term in office, Baez is being backed by mayoral candidate Bill Thompson, former Bronx BP Fernando Ferrer, and, we discovered yesterday, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

"She's been a great friend to her district, a great friend to the Bronx, and a great and loyal friend to me," said Quinn, speaking at a morning rally outside Baez's campaign office on East 181st Street.

Also present to show their support were Assemblymen Jose Rivera and Nelson Castro, Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo and her mother Assemblywoman Carmen E. Arroyo, and two or three other pols from other boroughs.

Assemblywoman Arroyo said people have tried to convince her to throw her weight behind another candidate, but she's not interested. "I said 'bring me a person who could do better than Maria.' But they don't have that person. That person doesn't exist," she said.

The younger Arroyo talked about Baez's "strength, character, and integrity." She said she called her the "quiet storm" because she works "very quietly, very consistently."

Said Baez, who represents the 14th District: "I've been in this community for 40 years, 30 years politically. I will not stop fighting for this community. I'm not going anywhere."

The event was billed as a "Women for Baez" rally, and perhaps 80 percent of the 100-plus crowd were women. At a guess, I'd say most were in the 60-plus age bracket.

"She's done a lot for the seniors, the schools, and she's not stuck up, I'll put it like that," long-time Morris Avenue resident Willie Simmons told me.

"Maria has always been the kind of person who makes time for you," said Anna McQuilla, who's lived in Mount Hope for 40 years.

I could go on, but you get the picture - there was a lot of people saying a lot of nice things.

At the rally, Baez introduced her new campaign manager, Yesenia Polanco, who until recently was one of Baez's potential primary opponents. Polanco told me she decided not to run back in May, but this is the first we've heard.

She said she realized that now wasn't her time, and so she looked carefully at the other candidates and decided to support Baez, who later offered her a job. "As a young Latina woman... she's very inspiring," said Polanco, a former state legislative aide.

Hmm... I wonder if things really went down like that. One thing I did hear is that Baez's decision to hire her came out of the blue, surprising at least some of the councilwoman's staff and others working on her campaign.

Regardless, as of yesterday, there's officially five candidates in the race, not six.




TOP PHOTO: Baez is at the mic, Quinn is in the center, Councilwoman Arroyo is on the left. BOTTOM PHOTO: Yesenia Polanco

For the Record: Fernando Cabrera Opens Up His Home, Talks About Switching Political Parties

Fernando Cabrera at his apartment on Sedgwick Avenue. Photos by Ashley Villarreal.

Many people have been talking, and talking loudly about Fernando Cabrera, who's running to replace Maria Baez as the Council Member for District 14.

Does he actually live in the Bronx? Is he really a Democrat?

Northwest Bronx residents are understandably wary given the recent and unpopular actions of State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., a Democrat by name only whose support of Republican leadership is effectively paralyzing Albany.

Much has been made of the fact that Espada claims to live in a Bedford Park condo but appears to spend the bulk of his time at his home in Mamaroneck. Espada's Westchester County home is just a 10-minute car ride north, but local residents say his actions (and inactions) in Albany show he's out of touch with the needs of his Bronx constituents.

But yesterday, as he opened up his freezer and then fridge to offer me an ice cold soda, Cabrera assured the Bronx News Network that he, his wife and teenage son live in this apartment on Sedgwick Avenue, near 197th Street. Inside the ice box are leftovers in Tupperware and bags of frozen tamales made by his Mexican wife.

Cabrera says they moved in last July from Pelham, a suburburban town just northeast of the Bronx. Just two months later, Cabrera announced his intention to run in the 14th District Council race. Cabrera says he still owns a home in Pelham, but that his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren live there.

Trying to set the record straight, I toured the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and living space, scouring for evidence of a quick move-in, such as the one neighbors claimed Espada did in preparation for a media visit. (He showed up the night before with vacation bags and suitcases.)

Cabrera's new Bronx digs appear legit.

Toothpaste stains on the mirror, a son's bruised drum kit and a baby crib, which Cabrera said is used for visits from his grandson, were all evidence in his favor.

Cabrera, a Mercy College professor, also boasts he is on the advisory board for the building complex, and he seems to be on a first-name basis with the building's super.

Bronxites are also concerned Cabrera may not really be a Democrat. Up until last year, he was a registered Republican. He doesn't deny this. However, Cabrera, the pastor of New Life International Outreach Church on Morris Avenue, said he recently switched parties to sympathize with what he says are values more in line with his lifestyle.

"When I started to re-analyze the work I've done for the past 20 years and started to see the platform the Democratic Party has, I saw myself with the Democratic Party," said Cabrera, as he talked to me on couches in the seemingly lived-in common area he shares with his son, a Columbia University student studying English and computer science.

Cabrera, who is backed by the Bronx Democratic Party and the left-leaning Working Families Party, said what really made for the switch was the work he has done over the years -- counseling teens, being an educator and as a Community Board 7 member (2004-2006) -- that all align with the values Democrats put on social issues.

All the political leaders that came to his church, Cabrera said, were Democratic. And let's not forget new President Barack Obama, who Cabrera says he voted for and who also played a role in inspiring the former Republican to switch parties. "What I love about the Democratic Party is that they're a party of inclusion," he said.

The decision may have been momentous, but Fernando Aquino, Cabrera's campaign consultant, said Cabrera's decision is not that uncommon. "He's not the first person to be a Republican and then a Democrat," Aquino said. "A lot of people decide what they're going to be when they were young, or they have a parent that is and then later they realize they aren't."

Cabrera joked, "There is someone a lot of people might not remember: Hillary Clinton, she was a Republican and now look at how she's represented now, she's very proud of the fact that she is (a Democrat)."

For now, District 14 will continue to give Cabrera more careful scrutiny in the weeks leading up to the election. To learn more about Cabrera's positions, visit his Website.

For the record, Cabrera says he supports civil unions for homosexuals but not legal marriage (same as Obama); he supports abortion only in cases of rape or violence (unlike Obama who is decidedly pro-choice); he is a proponent of saving affordable housing; he supports more funding to help welfare recipients; and he doesn't think there is enough hunting being done in the Bronx to warrant some of its residents' gun collections.

We'll have a little more on all this in the next issue of the Norwood News -- it hits the streets and the Web on July 9.

Bronx News Roundup, June 19

We'll start with Pedro Espada, Jr., who is fast becoming one of the most high-profile and controversial Bronx legislators in history.

Yesterday, during a closed-door meeting among leaders in both parties, Espada, a former boxer, nearly came to blows with fellow Bronx State Senator Jeff Klein (who was/is the deputy majority leader). Espada told the Daily News, "I was going to kick his ass." Later Klein responded. "I can take it. He lives in Mamaroneck. I live in the Bronx." (Oooo. Snap. Why do I feel like I'm back in 5th grade?)

Apparently, Espada is upset that the Dems are sending out robocalls to people in GOP districts telling them that Republicans should drop Espada as Senate president.

Ok, on to other stuff:

Mayor Bloomberg was in the Bronx yesterday, at Truman High School on Baychester Avenue, to publicize and take credit for the 9% drop in crime at city schools.

A front page story in Times reports that, over the last five years, the Bronx has had the most murders per capita of any of the five boroughs. The Times also has a cool interative map that shows all the murders in the city since 2003 and allows you to search several categories associated with the murders.

Now, some more Kingsbridge Armory news:

The Village Voice's Runnin' Scared blog has a story on how Moroton Williams, the Bronx-born supermarket chain, is digging in for a battle against the Related Companies' plan to put a new60,000-square-foot supermarket in the Kingsbridge Armory. Morton Williams owns the Associated supermarket directly across the street from the Armory, on Jerome Avenue.

[On a long side note:The story says Related put the supermarket into its plans because the local Community Board (7) wanted it. It's true, several board members and local residents have expressed a desire for a better supermarket for the area, but CB7 Chairman Greg Faulkner said recently that the larger point is that the area needs more healthy eating options, not necessarily another competing supermarket. I'm sure we'll hear more about this at the hearing next Wednesday, June 24 at Lehman College at 6:30 p.m. If you want your voice heard, don't forget to sign up to speak beforehand by calling, (718) 933-5650.]

In a related story, the Neighborhood Retail Alliance, which Morton Williams enlisted for the Armory fight (and also was heavily critical of the city's deal with Related at the Bronx's Gateway Mall), writes on its blog that Council member Maria Baez is against a competing supermarket in the Armory, according to Crain's.

14th District Drama: Ruiz Drops Bid, Baez Criticizes Bronx Dems

A little political food for thought on this rainy Friday.

First of all, cross another name off the list of candidates in the race for the 14th District Council seat. Former state senator and city council member Israel Ruiz, Jr. said today that he will not be running for the hot seat currently occupied by Maria Baez.

For the past few months, Ruiz had been indicating that he wanted to re-enter Bronx politics. First, he hinted at a run in the special election for borough president. Then, after withdrawing his name from that conversation, he said he might joining the crowded race to unseat Baez.

Today, however, after speaking with County Chair Carl Heastie earlier in the week, Ruiz said he's dropping his bid. And on his way out, he had some interesting things to say about the 14th District race, specifically, and Bronx politics, in general. Here's a little sample:

• If four candidates wind up on the 14th District Ballot, Ruiz says, Baez will almost certainly win.
• He says he's never heard of Fernando Cabrera, the Bronx Dems' and Working Families Party's chosen candidate.
• He says he only wanted to run in order to oust Baez, who he says is doing a terrible job of representing her constituents. He added that Baez's primary argument for re-election -that she brings money back into the district -- isn't valid because anyone in her position would get the same amount of funds to distribute.
• He says he hasn't decided who he will support but he like Miguel Santana because he thinks Santana's got a handle on policy issues.
• He likes new party boss Carl Heastie, but doesn't know if he'll be able to unify the party and actually affect real changes.

Speaking of Heastie and the Bronx Democrats, Maria Baez is upset about them deciding to support Cabrera. She says it's a case of gender bias on the party's side. She also said it was because certain "individuals decided I was the weakest link."

She also says the decision flies in the face of the party's attempt to unify the Bronx politicians. "If we’re talking about us as leaders, coming together, this is strange way of showing it," she said.

More on this later and other 14th District intrigue on Monday.