Espada Pleads Not Guilty, Predicts 'Complete Vindication'

Pedro Espada, pictured above with his wife, leaving a
federal courthouse in Brooklyn yesterday (photo by J. Evelly)

Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr.. and his son, Pedro G. Espada, were arraigned in a Brooklyn federal court yesterday  on criminal charges. Both men surrendered their passports and pleaded not guilty before the crowded courtroom, where their respective wives each posted $750,000 in bail for their release.

Judge Steven Gold said the Espadas are charged with "extremely serious crimes," that would put them in jail for "a very long time," if convicted.

Just how long of a time that might be is yet to be seen--the United States Attorney's Office said that, if convicted, the Espadas would face a maximum of 55 years, though experts predict an actual sentence would be much less.

Both men face five counts of embezzlement and one count of conspiracy for allegedly looting their network of taxpayer-funded nonprofit health care clinics, money they used to buy lavish gifts and meals for themselves and their families. You can read more details on their indictment here.

For Bronx residents in the 33rd State Senate District, the Espada debacle has a serious tinge of déjà vu--Espada's predecessor, Efrain Gonzalez, was indicted on very similar charges in 2006. At the time, Gonzalez could have faced a maximum of 30 years in prison. He was sentenced to seven years this June.

Bronx News Roundup, June 29

A group of Ghanaian immigrants now living in the Bronx are bringing a new musical sound to the borough with "hiplife"--a mix of hip hop and African music.

A group of students from the Ghetto Film School in Mott Haven are travelled to Belfast, Ireland to shoot their own horror movie. The school sends students to a different foreign country every year to film, according to this Daily News article.

Jamal Glover, a 32-year-old Bronx man, drowned in a creek while swimming with friends in upstate New York on Sunday night.

The Times' David Gonzalez profiles Ernest "Butch" Kelley, a neighborhood advocate who helped revive a park on Kelly Street in the South Bronx. Kelley passed away last month.

Real estate company Bluestone Group is coming to the rescue of distressed Bronx buildings, abandoned by landlords who defaulted on their mortgages, by buying the properties and fixing them up. The group is in talks to purchase a number of buildings owned by slumlord Sam Suzuki, who was given jail time last week for neglecting to repair a number of his apartments, even after several court orders.

A man was found shot to death this morning in the elevator of an apartment building on East 149th Street.

The Daily News' Bob Kappstatter has a ton of juicy Bronx political gossip in his weekly column. Some highlights? Former state Senator Efrain Gonzalez is finally heading to jail this week, and it looks like there's another contender for Michael Benjamin's assembly seat (we wrote about candidate Eric Stevenson in the last Tremont Tribune).

A groundbreaking ceremony is being held today at the site of Heritage Field, the park being built in the footprint of the old Yankee Stadium. Construction of the park should be done around fall of 2011 (critics have said the project, which was planned to make up for parkland destroyed by construction of the new stadium, has taken too long.)

An NYPD cop and Bronx resident was cleared of assault charges yesterday in a Manhattan court. David London was on trial for the beating of a man in the lobby of a Manhattan apartment building. The incident was caught on tape by surveillance cameras.

A group of animal lovers helped save a hawk that fell from its nest in Mott Haven this weekend.

Bronx News Roundup, May 27

The conviction of former Bronx state Senator Efrain Gonzalez--who was sentenced to seven years in prison yesterday for siphoning money from a nonprofit--is just the latest in a string of corrupt politicians across the city, the Daily News says.

It's not just hot dogs or cracker jacks at the ballgame anymore--here's a review of the new Yankee stadium's steakhouse.

Police are asking for help to find 13-year-old Stephanie Vasquez, who has been missing since Tuesday. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 577 TIPS (8477).

Two Bronx residents were convicted of murder yesterday in relation to a 2007 shooting at a poker parlor in Manhattan.

More than two dozen alleged gang members were arrested yesterday in the 43rd Precinct, according to the Bronx District Attorney's office. The arrested of the reputed members of the Bloods and the Crips stemmed from a nine-month drug ring investigation.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine was awarded a $10 million grant for diabetes research from the NIH (the Bronx has some of the highest diabetes rates in the city).

A Kingsbridge church sent off supplies to Haiti this week after months of collecting donations.

Construction of the long-awaited South Bronx Greenway--the network of bike paths and walkways intended to connect several waterfront parks--will begin this summer.

Bronx News Roundup, May 26

Efrain Gonzalez was sentenced to seven years in prison yesterday. The former Bronx State Senator was found guilty of siphoning hundreds of thousands of dollars from two Bronx nonprofit foundations that he created. {We'll have more on this later.}

An infant was found in a parking lot on East 161st Street in the Bronx yesterday. After an argument, the parents of Ezra Isiah Reyes separately left the lot without the child. Lincoln Hospital later reported him to be dehydrated but otherwise unharmed.

While nearly all of the state lawmakers from New York City  supported an act involving ethics laws and a provision to reveal how much they earning on the side, 63 of the 90 representatives declined to reveal their earnings to the Daily News.That includes nearly all of the Bronx representatives. There was one notable exception: State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., who said he earned more than $250,000 as head of his Soundview Health Clinics.

Bronx citizens are invited to voice their opinions on a rezoning proposal in Tremont and Bathgate. A public hearing will be held June 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Community School 211.

Crain's New York reports that one of the state's biggest mortgage insurers saved 28% of NY mortgages from falling into foreclosure this past year; 6% of the $152 million worth of mortgages saved were for homes in the Bronx. 

Bronx dad Orlando Caceres was issued a $35 parking ticket after ushering his wife and newborn into Bronx-Lebanon Hospital yesterday morning. Miah Caceres was born in the backseat of the car on the way to the hospital.

After being open for more than two years, radios still do not work in the Bronx Hall of Justice.

Bronx News Roundup, May 20

Police are asking for help in locating the man who robbed a woman's car in Mott Haven--stealing a container with the remains of her recently cremated mother.

Police are also looking for 14-year-old Moona Choudhary, of 2158 Blackrock Ave., who has been missing since May 17. See this link for a photo.

The four Bronx men who were arrested in February for pelting off-duty cops with snowballs have some new evidence--video surveillance of the incident, where it looks like one of the officers pulls his gun. Watch the video here. The case against the four, who were charged with criminal possession of a weapon, was dropped earlier this month.

State Senator Jeff Klein, who heads the government efficiency task force, lauded Governor Paterson's recent decision to halt overtime pay to state agencies.

There's a new wave of young, Obama-inspired political hopefuls, according to the Daily News--including Pedro Espada challenger Gustavo Rivera.

Ex-Senator Efrain Gonzalez, who pleaded guilty last spring to counts of fraud and conspiracy, asked a federal judge yesterday to grant him a similar sentence as former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who was sentenced to two years in prison earlier this month on counts of mail fraud. Prosecutors have asked that Gonzalez get as much as 14 years.

Nine senior centers in the Bronx are on the chopping block as a result of state budget cuts.

A housing court judge issued a warrant for the arrest of a landlord for failing to show up in court and for ignoring orders to fix hundreds of violations at his 1585 East 172nd Street building. 

A group of Riverdale residents stopped the Parks Department from spraying herbicide in Ewen Park.

A look at some of the changes, and non-changes, in Kingsbridge over the years. 

Residents are campaigning to get grocery service FreshDirect to deliver to the Northwest Bronx.

Bronx News Roundup, May 14

Federal prosecutors are seeking a stiffer sentence for former Bronx state senator Efrain Gonzalez who they say lied to a judge when he said he wanted to withdraw his guilty plea because he believed he was innocent.  Gonzalez, who is scheduled to be sentenced on May 25, could now be facing 11 to 14 years in prison.

A year ago, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges for diverting state funds to pay for personal expenses, including an apartment in the Dominican Republic, Yankee tickets and labels for his own brand of cigars. Earlier this year, Gonzalez said he was pressured into pleading guilty by his former lawyer, Murray Richman, and wanted to withdraw his plea and take his chances in a trial. The judge refused to allow Gonzalez to withdraw his plea, calling his coercion claims, "preposterous."

On Wednesday, police busted up what they described as a major drug operation in Morris Heights. After a months-long sting operation, arrested the alleged leader of the lucrative drug business, Jose Delorbe, and 14 others in connection with it. Officials said Delorbe had turned 1571 Undercliff Avenue into a guarded fortress -- New Jack City-style -- where they stashed and sold large quantities of cocaine and heroin. More on NY1.

Speaking of drug dealers, an NYPD cop pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing from dealers in the Bronx, Queens, Manhattand Brooklyn. 

A bunch of the Parks Department's electronic mini-cars caught fire yesterday while they were being charged in Orchard Beach.


Some more on Bronx boxer Maureen Shea, who's fighting tonight at the Paradise Theater.

Enjoy the weekend!

Bronx News Roundup, April 9

 A judge has rejected Efrain Gonzalez's attempt to withdraw his guilty plea, calling the effort "preposterous," according to the Associated Press. The former state Senator pleaded guilty to fraud charges last May, then tried to withdraw his plea on claims that his former lawyer gave him bad legal advice.

A drug bust yesterday in Parkchester yielded $1 million worth of heroin., according to the Post. Four people were arrested on charges of drug possession. 

Two blocks in Wakefield have turned into an illegal dumping ground for neighborhood trash.

Beloved poet and Belmont parking lot valet Joe Binder celebrates his 100th birthday today, with neighborhood celebrations taking place this weekend on Arthur Avenue.

Jury selection begins in a Connecticut court this week in the case of  Bronx man accused of stalking Oprah's best friend, Gayle King.

A 36-year-old man was shot to death this morning on East 225th Street and Barnes Avenue.

Tax preparers in Manhattan and the Bronx have been busted for fraud, some for filing returns for dead people or claiming total strangers as dependents on their forms. So far, 16 of the 26 people being accused were arrested.

Joseph Yancey Track and Field opens today near Yankee Stadium, one of the projects completed under the Yankee Park Replacement Program to make up for parkland destroyed during the construction of the new stadium.

Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 17

Lots of Bronx news out there, let's get right to it. 

Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez reminds everyone that the old Yankee Stadium remains firmly in the way of new replacement community ball fields, leaving youth leagues with no place to play. (The old fields were destroyed to make way for the new Yankee Stadium.) A spokesman for the city's Economic Development Corporation says the stadium will be fully demolished by the spring and the replacement fields will be ready at the end of 2011, five years after the original fields were destroyed.

Neil deMause at Field of Schemes chimes in and notes how activists Joyce Hogi and Karen Argenti say federal funds should be withheld for non-compliance.

Speaking of the Yankees, the club is talking to promoters about holding a big-ticket fight between Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman at the new Yankee Stadium in June. 

Carlos Gonzalez, the son of former Bronx state senator Efrain Gonzalez, is exploring a run for state office. City Hall magazine says he could challenge Assemblyman Jose Rivera in the 78th Assembly District. Gonzalez points out that he also lives in the  33rd Senate District, which is currently represented by Pedro Espada.

Surprise! The Bronx is the most unhealthy county in the entire state of New York, according to a recently released report that measured access to health care, economics, behavior and environmental factors. Westchester County, just north of the Bronx, is one of the state's healthiest. 

Here's a video report about the dramatic fire and rescue in Pelham Bay on Monday.

The Times' story about the troubling record of the top to aide to Gov. Paterson takes a detour into the Bronx, where the aide, David W. Johnson, reportedly had an altercation with a woman in October that led to police intervention. (Paterson's office says the complaint about Johnson in the Bronx was withdrawn and that Johnson had turned his life around after being arrested on drug charges as a teenager.)

The Riverdale Press has a list of all the recipients of grants handed out by the Bronx Council on the Arts.

Granola-y tree-hugger Matthew Modine adds some star power to the recently formed Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy.

Efrain Gonzalez Makes a Motion to Withdraw Guilty Plea; Blames Bad Legal Advice

Former state Senator Efrain Gonzalez Jr. has made a motion to withdraw a guilty plea to 2006 corruption charges.

In 2006, Gonzalez was charged with abusing member item funds for personal gain. He pleaded guilty to four federal fraud charges last May, according to documents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The Village Voice reported in January that Gonzalez considered withdrawing his guilty plea, with his defense claiming it was “involuntary” and that his previous lawyer, Bronx attorney Murray Richman, gave him bad legal advice.

“He has to say what he has to say,” Richman responded in a phone interview. “I carry no grudges. He’s my pal, and I’m sorry that he feels he was forced to take the plea, which is absurd.” 

Fordham Place Building Manager: Never Heard of Pedro Espada

This is the office building, Fordham Place (400 E. Fordham Road), that State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. claims is home to his district office, at least on his Web site.

But that simply is not true, said the building's manager, Todd McGaughey. In fact, McGaughey said he'd never spoken to the man or even heard of Espada until seeing his name and face plastered all over recent newspapers.

This is all despite the fact that Espada has been claiming he's been in negotiations with the building's property managers for months now.

About a month ago, Espada's press guy, Steve Mangione, told me the problem with getting a district office up and running was with Senate officials who weren't signing off on Espada's plan for new digs.

Today, the NY Times reported that Espada was asking for $100,000 a year (more than twice the amount allotted for New York City senators) for rent for his district office and the Senate had rejected him. It was one of the reasons Espada defected to the Republicans, along with the Democrats' refusal to sign off on his earmarks (known as member items), which Espada reportedly was directing to nonprofit groups of his own creation. So, now, as Republican, maybe he'll have a district office. But it hasn't happened yet.

If that sounds familiar, it's because the man Espada supplanted in the 33rd Senate district, Efrain Gonzalez, recently pleaded guilty to bilking the state for hundreds of thousands of dollars, by funelling state money, through member items, into two nonprofit groups he created. That money then ended up in his own pocket.

Bronx News Roundup May 11 -- Special Bronx Politics Edition

Lost of Bronx political news over the weekend -- none of it good.

Former State Senator Efrain Gonzalez pleaded guilty on Friday to fraud charges and will be sentenced in August. His trial was postponed several times over the last year and a half and was set to finally begin today. Gonzalez was charged with funneling state member item money through nonprofits for his own personal use. Times coverage here.

Yesterday, the Daily News's "State of Shame" series about the broken state legislature set its sites on State Senator Pedro Espada (who defeated Gonzalez in the September Democratic primary) and Assemblyman Peter Rivera. Espada has been accused of, but never convicted of, using the staff and resources of his Soundview Health Center on his political campaigns. The News says Soundview's health fairs doubled as campaign rallies where campagin staff gave away condoms, food, and even granola bars with the slogan, "Vote for Pedro Espada." The News also reports that Espada has run up $13,000 in fines for not filing 6 campaign finance disclosure reports. For more -- and there is more -- read the whole story.

As for Peter Rivera (no relation to Jose or Joel Rivera), who mainly keeps a low profile and whose name rarely pops up in these kinds of reports, the News reports that he allocated a nonprofit group -- NETS -- with $1.3 million. According to the News, the group employed his son and campaign treasurer, and NETS workers have carried petitions for Rivera. Meanwhile, NETS "appears to have done little with the money, spending $430,000 in state funds for a community center that has yet to open after seven years."

In a sidebar to the story not available on-line, the News says that, according to its sources, an investigation into the relationship Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and his father, State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr. had with a south Bronx nonprofit several years ago, is still continuing despite a previous report to the contrary.

The Times reports today on the family members Larry Seabrook has hired, or advocated on behalf of, for city-related jobs.

The Times also reported on the role of former Bronx borough president Fernando Ferrer in helping a Nevada financial firm secure a $100,000 pension fund investment fee from the state comptroller's office.

Sigh.

Efrain Gonzalez Back in Court Tomorrow

Former State Senator Efrain Gonzalez will be back in a Manhattan federal court tomorrow at noon for a pre-trial conference.

Gonzalez is facing nine counts of fraud and corruption for allegedly funneling more than $400,000 of state money for personal use. His trial is set to begin on May 4.

Two of his co-defendants, former Pathways for Youth Executive Director Neil Berger and former Gonzalez staffer Miguel Castanos, recently pleaded guilty to related charges.

The guilty pleas do not bode well for Gonzalez.

Berger pleaded guilty to federal program fraud on March 30 for sending state funds to the West Bronx Neighborhood Association (WBNA) even though he had "received indications that WBNA was using the funds from Pathways to pay for, among other things, former State Senator Gonzalez's personal expenses," according to court documents.

Castanos pleaded guilty to accpeting a no-show job that prosecutors say Gonzalez set up for him and then submitting fraudulent time sheets to the Community Association for Progressive Dominicans.

Gonzalez's lawyer, "Don't Worry" Murray Richman, was coy about what the guilty pleas meant for his client. "I guess they were guilty," he said. "My client is not."

Richman wouldn't comment on whether Gonzalez would be following his co-defendants in negotiating a plea agreement. However, he did say that he'd much rather be vacationing in Puerto Rico, but not in the Dominican Replublic (where Gonzalez has a home that prosecutors say he paid for with state money).

Bronx News Roundup, March 31

Nick Berger, an associate of former state senator Efrain Gonzalez, has pled guilty to helping Gonzalez squirrel away taxpayer money for personal use. He faces a year in jail. Gonzalez himself faces more serious charges; his much-delayed trial will start on May. 4. Here's some background reading.

Bronxites are excited about the Yankees new ballpark. Here's what they'll be paying if they decide to attend a game.

Still on the Yankees, the chairman of the much-lampooned New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund, is being sued over alleged conflicts of interest.

Daily News columnist Patrice O'Shaughnnessy questions the integrity of Adolfo Carrion and Eliot Engel.

Students at the Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy, a high school in Marble Hill, are proud of their school's A grade.

Fordham University has launched an ambitious funding-raising campaign. According to the school's Web site, the school is seeking "$500 million to support new facilities, more student scholarships, more endowed faculty chairs and more funding for academic endeavors throughout Fordham’s colleges and schools."

Kemba Walker, a freshman guard from the Bronx with plenty of moxie, is one of the main reasons UConn find themselves in the Final Four. Another Bronx player, Corey Fisher, is also still in the tournament, following Villanova's defeat of Pittsburg. Anyone know where these boys grew up?

Bronx News Roundup Nov. 19

Modern technology - and a MetroCard - has freed a murder suspect who was charged with killing a man in Highbridge back in May.

Business is booming in Port Morris, one of the city's few remaining industrial enclaves.

The Fordham Rams take on the Lady Jaspers (Manhattan College) tonight in women's basketball. You can listen to it live on WFUV-FM 90.7. The Rams will be trying to avoid their 36th consecutive defeat.

Assemblymen Jose Rivera and Carl Heastie may be bitter rivals (both claim to lead the Bronx Democratic Party), but their relationship remains cordial.

A travel blog has discovered Arthur Avenue.

Pedro Espada, not yet a state senator, is bidding to be the next Senate Majority Leader, according to El Diario/La Prensa. (You can't fault him for ambition.)

Still on Espada, the Daily News reports that he raked in thousands of dollars from top Republicans - funds that helped him defeat long-time incumbent Efrain Gonzalez in September's Democratic primary.

At a ceremony today, the Triborough Bridge will be officially renamed the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge.

Bronx-born Eric H. Holder, currently a senior legal adviser to Barack Obama, is being tapped as the next US attorney general. He would the first African-American to hold the position.

Bronx News Roundup Oct. 17

Yesterday, an autistic Bronx toddler was left alone on a school bus for six hours, outside P.S. 194 on Waterbury Avenue in the east Bronx. The bus driver and a school matron have been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Just last month, another bus driver was suspended without pay for dropping off a five-year-old boy two miles from his Eastchester home.

Rose Donaghey, an 88-year-old waitress who works at the Wicked Wolf on East Tremont Avenue, is in the news again. Earlier this month she was profiled in the Daily News. The "lively octogenarian" has been working as a waitress for the past 50 years.

The trial of a Bronx man accused of murdering six men in the 1990s, begun yesterday in Manhattan's state Supreme Court. Prosecutors say Fausto Gonzalez was a motorcycle obsessed hit-man whose modus operandi was pass his victims on powerful Honda Fireblade, shoot them dead, and then speed off. Gonzalez, who's already serving a life sentence for a separate murder, is pleading not guilty.

The Times has some exhaustive coverage of yesterday's term limits hearing at City Hall. See here and here. They're also live blogging today's hearing. An hour or so ago,
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz alluded to State Senator Efrain Gonazalez's recent primary defeat, in his argument for extending limits. "I’ve always been opposed to laws that enforce term limits. They are profoundly undemocratic," Markowitz said, according to The Times. "We have methods to apply term limits, they’re called elections. Look at the most recent elections: Two veteran state senators were defeated in elections in the Bronx and Brooklyn."

Bronx Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, on the other hand, argued against an extension. “Although I remain personally opposed to term limits, it is my opinion that it would be wrong to circumvent the results of the 1993 and 1996 referendums in which the voters of our great city both affirmed term limits and rejected any attempt to alter them,” Diaz said, according to The Times.

Diaz, it should be said, isn't affected by term limits because he's a state official. But he's running for Bronx borough president and could suddenly face a powerful opponent - Adolfo Carrion - if the current laws are changed. Carrion, the current BP, is a candidate for comptroller. He's yet to say if he'd seek another four years as BP, if allowed to run again. But he does favor a term limit overhaul. A few minutes ago, his office fired off a press release detailing Carrion's testimony at today's hearing. He said: "I support extending term limits, not because Michael Bloomberg wants to run for Mayor again, but because it begins to move us back toward responsible governance and representative democracy, which should continue to be the foundation of American democracy."

UPDATE: I should have mentioned that Diaz has previously said he'll step aside if Carrion does indeed run for a third term. We shall see.

Bronx News Roundup Sept. 22

Here's some Bronx-related news from the past few days.

Police say they've arrested one of the men who robbed and viciously assaulted a Boston-based radio host in Kingbridge Heights on Sept. 14. Pelagio de la Cruz was hit over the head with a baseball bat and seriously injured. In the aftermath of the attack police released this surveillance video.

Hostos Community College is looking for a new president.

It's an important day in the chaotic world of Bronx politics. The Rainbow Rebellion, a coalition of Bronx politicians who are trying oust Party Chairman Jose Rivera, are meeting at 7 p.m. at Dresier Loop Community Center in Co-op City (at 177 Dreiser Loop), where they hope to elect new leadership. More here, on how this works. UPDATE: I just received a call saying tonight's vote has been cancelled. Instead there will be a rally at the same location to protest Rivera's leadership. Apologies for being a little vague; we'll have more later. SECOND UPDATE: According to The Times a State Supreme Court judge ruled that the event couldn't take place because of limited space in the hall. The Daily News also has the story. Elizabeth Benjamin is calling it "a significant victory" for Rivera.

State Senator Efrain Gonzalez tells The Times that his ongoing legal issues may have played a role in his surprise primary defeat at the hands of Pedro Espada. Strange. In a interview on Sept. 10, Gonzalez told us his indictment wasn't to blame. "I came up short because of a lack of resources," he said. "It was not about my leadership and it’s not about the indictment." Party boss Jose Rivera told the Norwood News there were a number of reasons why his man lost. "It's hard with all the newspapers, including yours, that are calling him a crook." Of Espada, Rivera said: "I call him the Puerto Rican Michael Bloomberg. He's not as rich as Bloomberg but he's a millionaire and we couldn't compete with that."

If you missed it, The Times has some wonderful coverage (articles, photos, video and audio) on the history of Yankee Stadium, which last night hosted its final game.

In what appears to be a tragic accident, a young couple fell to their deaths from the roof of a Soundview apartment building, following a night of partying. On a side note, it always amazes me that the Daily News doesn't moderate their comments (or if they do, they do a lousy job). Check out the posts at the end of the story. I'm all for free speech, but...

Could Results be Read in Palm Cards?

There's kind of a water-cooler theory of the Senate primary results going around (maybe it's just around our water cooler, but I think I've heard others say this, too) -- that you can't be under indictment and postpone your trial for more than a year and still win an election. That may be true, at least in part, and there's probably no scientific way of proving it.

But another plausible explanation of the results may be found in the palm card distribution by the party, or lack thereof.

Liz Benjamin at the Daily News posted this Democratic Party regular palm card distributed in the bulk of Efrain Gonzalez's district, but excludes his name.


Palm cards encouraging voters to vote for a slate of candidates are distributed by campaign volunteers just outside the polls. They can be effecitve particulary in races with extremely low turnout and elections with fairly low profile races (not a lot of people know who the candidates for state legislature are, much less district leader and the like).

Earlier today I spoke to Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, one of the architects of the Rainbow Rebellion, a large faction of Bronx Assembly members and senators who now oppose Party leader Jose Rivera.

Gonzalez was the only candidate both groups of Bronx Democrats supported. Dinowitz's Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club even backed Gonzalez, who is under indictment, because their overarching goal is taking Senate control away from the Republicans. Gonzalez's opponent, Pedro Espada, has flirted with the Republican Party despite his Democratic affiliation, and he could very well keep the balance of power tilted toward the GOP.

Dinowitz says that the only Assembly District (a few A.D.s overlap with Gonzalez's larger Senate District) that Gonzalez got more votes than Espada in was Dinowitz's own -- the 81st A.D. And it was in this A.D. that Gonzalez's name did appear on palm cards -- Ben Franklin Club cards that had Gonzalez's name and the successful civil court candidate the club and the Rainbow rebel faction vigorously backed, Elizabeth Taylor.

Just a theory, but maybe Gonzalez would have won if all the palm cards distributed that day looked more like this one, which was handed to me outside my daughter's school on Gun Hill Road.

Gonzalez Talks About Primary Loss

Efrain Gonzalez, a favorite of the Bronx Democratic machine and a state senator since 1989, was expected to defeat Pedro Espada in Tuesday's primary. But he lost - badly.

In a phone interview last night, he talked about his downfall, insisting his ongoing legal problems were not to blame.

"I came up short because of a lack of resources," said a glum but defiant Gonzalez. "It was not about my leadership and it’s not about the indictment."

By resources Gonzalez means money and manpower. "I’m not a rich guy, I’m a poor guy and that’s the way it is," he said. (Espada, incidentally, says Gonzalez - who was bankrolled by the party - outspent him. )

Looking back at his political career, Gonzalez, 60, says he's has no regrets. "I’m fine, I’m happy, I’m at peace," he said. "I’ve nothing to be ashamed of, I’m proud of everything I’ve done."

So what did Gonzalez accomplish during those 19 years in office? It's a good question: he certainly wasn't a prolific lawmaker. In the 2007/08 legislative session, for example, he has sponsored just one lonely bill. To give a comparison, Bronx State Senators Jose M. Serrano and Ruben Diaz have sponsored 24 and 33 respectively. (That few of these bills will see the light of day, because of the Republican majority in the Senate, is another matter.)

Instead, Gonzalez says he focused on helping thousands of Bronx residents - often on a one-to-one basis. "I don’t make press releases of all the things I do, that’s what makes me different [from other politicians]."

Of his future plans Gonzalez said: "You move on, you move forward, you keep working. I want to keep being helpful. You don’t have to be in elected office to continue helping people."

Asked whether he'll return to politics, Gonzalez said "never say never."

Bronx News Roundup for Sept. 8

The Times highlights an exhbit at the Bronx Museum of the Arts: Street Art, Street Life: From the 1950s until now. (Photo above is in the exhibit.)

The race between Efrain Gonzalez and Pedro Espada is considered one of the hottest in the city.
The primary election is tomorrow.

The Norwood News has been inundated with letters complaining about the Select Bus Service along the Bx12 route, but the The Times and now the Daily News have run articles saying passengers are happy with the new system. The Norwood News letter writers, however, focus not on the new system for boarding the bus (getting a receipt from a curbside machine before boarding the bus) but on the fact that residents on the western part of Fordham road heading to Manhattan now have to walk a few blocks to get on the Select Bus.

The chairman of the Bronx Republican Party, Jay Savino, has a big fat crush on Sarah Palin.

Another anti-Espada Video

Anti-Espada forces -- who are perhaps Efrain Gonzalez supporters -- are using YouTube quite a bit in this heated local primary election for the state Senate. This one plays on Espada's past flirtations with the Republican Party. He never actually became a Republican but he did caucus with them toward the end of his term in the Senate. (Thanks to Liz Benjamin at Daily News for alerting us.)

If my own mailbox is any guide the NYS Democratic Committee is flooding local voters with mailers that link Espada to uber-Republicans Bush/Cheney and even the war in Iraq. The mailers don't mention Gonzalez as they aren't actually being sent out by his campaign, but they certainly are intended to influence the electiion. Meanwhile, no direct mail at all from Espada. Ahhh, the power of incumbency.