Bronx News Roundup for Sept. 7

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz lays out his rationale against congestion pricing in The Riverdale Press (which is finally on-line).

The Times dissects the buzz that has elected officials, including Latino politicians in the Bronx, encouraging Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion to run for comptroller rather than mayor. The rationale goes something like … African Americans supported Freddy Ferrer twice. Now it’s our turn to support a progressive African American, i.e. current comptroller William Thompson — a friend and admirer of Adolfo—in his bid for Gracie Mansion …
But the message the reader takes away from the Times’ City Room post is that the Bronx BP is focused like a laser beam on being mayor.
Hey, John McCain was once a friend and admirer of Fred Thompson.

This is interesting. A Carrion staffer makes a statement at a public hearing on the Yankee parking garages complaining that his office has still “not received vital information regarding the details of the Bronx Parking Development Company financing.”
Keep in mind that Carrion was the cheerleader-in-chief for the controversial Yankee stadium deal. The least he probably expected in return was a free flow of information.
This should get even more interesting. You can almost hear the cacophonous cries of “I told you so,” from neighborhood residents and other activists who opposed the deal. (And in fact some of the comments to this StreetsBlog post say just that, though a lot less nicely.)

Here’s the Norwood News’ recent editorial on the Yankee parking garages.

Here’s video, via the Politicker, of State Senator Jose M. Serrano talking about why there should be public financing at the state level, like there is in the city.

And here’s video of Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr., a candidate for Bronx BP in 2009, talking about the endless nature of recent campaigns.

By the way, the new issue of the Norwood News is out on the streets, and will be on-line by Monday, which is when we debut our brand new Web site. We’ll announce it here.

More on the Early Start to the BP's Race

As the Times reported in July, City Council Majority Leader, Joel Rivera, 28, is planning to run for borough president in 2009, a decision that’s likely to put him on a collision course with close friend Assemblyman Ruben Diaz.

When asked for an update, Rivera, who attended a press conference this afternoon to mark the beginnings of a new health center on Burnside Avenue, said he’s getting close to formally announcing his campaign, adding that he’s already raised $200,000.

“At the moment I have 140,000 bosses,” he quipped, in reference the population of the District 15. “In 2010 I hope to have 1.4 million.”

Rivera (pictured) will be trying to do what his father, Bronx Democratic boss Jose Rivera, never managed. (Rivera Sr. stepped aside for Adolfo Carrion in 2001.)

So far, no one’s officially said they’re running, and with the election two years away anything can happen, but other possibles include State Senator Jose Marco Serrano and Council Member Helen Foster. (Photo by James Fergusson)