Bronx News Roundup, June 23

Weather: Foggy and 71 degrees at the moment, with scattered thunderstorms predicted.

Story of the Day: Kemba Walker Ready for His NBA Close-up
Soundview native Kemba Walker, who was launched into basketball stardom after leading his UConn Huskies to a national championship this spring, is expected to be a lottery pick in tonight's NBA draft, telling the Hartford Courant that he's "excited, nervous, ready." He could join any of five teams--Charlotte, Detroit, Toronto, Sacramento and Utah. "It's a dream come true no matter where I am selected," Walker told the paper.

"The Bronx, and all of New York City really, will smile knowingly and burst with pride," tonight, the NY Post's Steve Serby writes. Good luck, Kemba!

Quick Hits:

In other news related to talented Bronx athletes: North Riverdale Little Leaguer Sean Gallagher, 9, pitched a perfect, 8-inning game last week. 

Diaz Calls Economic Development Fight at Armory ‘A New Civil Rights Movement’

Bronx B.P. Diaz delighted the crowd with his demand for living wage jobs at the Armory.
(All photos by Adi Talwar)

Speaking before a crowd of at least 1,000 people who mobbed the gym floor at St. Nicholas of Tolentine School last Sunday, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. said the battle for living wages jobs at the Kingsbridge Armory was the beginning of a movement for economic justice in the borough, calling it “our new revolution here, our new civil rights movement.”

The Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition organized the forum, called “A Blueprint for the Bronx,” to lay out their agenda on a broad range of issues at the federal, state, and city level, including immigration reform, universal healthcare, vacancy decontrol, and overcrowded schools. But most of the crowd said they were there to support community efforts to ensure living wage jobs and school space at the Kingsbridge Armory.

People came from all over the Bronx, and many came straight from church. They arrived singing hymns in English and Spanish and carrying homemade signs and banners with the name of their congregations. Many arrived on buses organized by their church.

"We're protesting about the armory. We want to make the decision about what goes in the armory," like a school, said Greg Miller, who came on a bus with, he estimated, 60 other people from Walker Memorial Baptist Church on East 169th Street. "We have enough stores around here," he said.

"We don't need any more stores in the Bronx," agreed Idrena Adams of the East Bronx, who came with members of her congregation from St. James Church nearby. "We want better jobs, better pay."

A group from University Heights Presbyterian Church arrived and stood outside singing hallelujah and clapping as they waited to sing in and enter the gym. Rev. Brenda Berry said they had come "In support of the Armory project, to fight for full-time jobs for the Bronx and a whole new focus on what the Bronx needs." She was expecting 100 members of her congregation to show up.

The Tolentine gym was filled to capacity.

Inside, people packed the gym in the basement of the Tolentine Church, filling folding chairs, bleachers, and standing along the walls, waving small flags that read "Blueprint for the Bronx." Signs on the walls said, "Say no way to poverty pay!" and "Save our jobs! Vote No!"

Up on stage, elected officials and clergy members sat facing the audience, and for two hours, NWBCC organizers, local clergy, and local elected officials spoke, interspersed with music, dance, and a poetry recital. Members of the NWBCC pulled elected officials up to the microphone and asked them to answer straight on the coalition's agenda, ranging from banking reform to, of course, the armory.

Switching back and forth between Spanish and English for the benefit of the crowd, Diaz focused on the Armory, and what he called, "our new revolution here, our new civil rights movement."

"I want to do business in the Bronx,” Diaz said, [but] “it is not radical to simply say, a) we should protect surrounding businesses and b) we should have jobs and living wages," Diaz said. ""You want to do business, we can do business. But business has to be good for everybody. "

‘Bronx has my back!’

Diaz added that the political pressure on him to support the deal with Related before a community benefits agreement has been signed has been intense. "But I know the Bronx has my back!" he shouted, bringing the crowd to its feet in a din of cheers and whistles.

After his speech, Diaz told the Bronx News Network he didn't yet have the support of the full Bronx delegation in the City Council, which will vote on the project next month. "If Related does not want to negotiate, I will ask the City Council to vote no," he said, adding that he had a three-hour breakfast with the Bronx delegation on Saturday. But, he said, "I'm not willing to guarantee that the entire delegation is together" right now.

Diaz said the vote earlier this month at the City Planning Commission, in which two other borough presidents directed their representatives to vote with him against the plan, was encouraging: "I think the tone is changing,” he said. “I think they [Related] realize we have a lot of support outside the borough."

As for the Council members present at the forum, Joel Rivera, the Council’s majority leader who represents the 15th District, promised to vote no on the project unless Related negotiates with KARA. Asked about her position when she left the meeting, Melinda Katz of Queens, who chairs the Council’s Land Use Committee, was noncommittal. “I’m here to support the Coalition,” she said.

[We were not able to approach Councilman Oliver Koppell, who represents the northwest Bronx and has long taken an interest in the Armory, and Robert Jackson of Manhattan for their positions before they left.

Council Member Maria Baez, who was defeated for reelection in the September primary and will leave office at the end of this year, was not in attendance, even though Tolentine and the armory are in her district.]

March to the Armory

After the forum, the remains of the crowd marched to the Kingsbridge Armory, breaking into intermittent shouts of "Si, se puede!" and "Yes, we can!"

Queens councilman Tony Avella, chair of the City Council's Zoning & Franchises committee, turned up to tell the crowd, "Until you get what you want, I'm voting no."

Councilman Tony Avella of Queens spoke to the crowd at the Armory.

As the crowd dispersed, NWBCC organizers passed out small 'prayer cards' with residents' wishes for the armory written on them, for protesters to tie to the armory fence.

As she fastened a string of the prayer cards to the fence, Anne Gibbons, a Kingsbridge resident who came with members of her congregation at New Day Church, said she was hopeful that momentum was building around the issue. "This could be the start of a new direction across the city," she said, when elected officials "take a political risk in favor of the people for a change."

--This story was reported and written by Rachel Waldholz.

14th Election Results Won't Be Certified Until Thursday

The Norwood News is on deadline tonight and hoped to be able to declare, once and for all, who had officially won the the 14th District Council race.

Last we heard, challenger Fernando Cabrera was up on incumbent Maria Baez by 69 votes following an initial recount.

Alas, it was not meant to be. News reporter Molly Ryan found out earlier today that the Board of Elections will not certify the results until at least Thursday.

Earlier this morning, BOE spokesperson Valerie Vasquez-Rivera said the board would meet at 1 p.m. and that they would make a decision on certification by 3 p.m. But when Ryan called back at 3:30 p.m., Vasquez-Rivera (the wife of Baez-ally and Council majority leader Joel Rivera, in case you were wondering) said the board is still waiting for any snail mail absentee ballots to trickle into their offices and would make another certification call on Thursday.

In order to count toward the election, absentee ballots would have to be post-marked by election day, which was last Tuesday, Sept. 15.

So, rest assured, 14th Council District absentee voters in the heart of the Congolese jungle or rural Nepal, your vote will be counted.

Update: BOE spokesperson Valery Vasquez-Rivera just called us to point out that the Board's priority at yesterday's meeting was to certify the leaders in the public advocate and comptroller's races since there is a runoff for both planned for next Tuesday. No other close Council race, even one in Queens where the incumbent is ahead by only 5 votes, was certified yesterday. Stay tuned.

14th City Council District Gears Up for a Recount

Although at the end of last night 14th district City Council candidate Fernando Cabrera had 90 more votes than the incumbent, Maria Baez, Cabrera is not officially the Democratic primary winner. In fact, none of the primary elections have official winners yet.

Last night, when the polling sites closed at 9 p.m., polling officials gave their primary election results to the police, who then publically disclosed the information. However, under New York City Board of Elections policy, these voting results are not official.

The election results released from the polls are usually a clear indicator of who has won the race, but in each race every poll and paper vote needs to be counted and approved by the Board of Elections before a winner can be determined. In close races, such as in the 14th City Council district, the official Board of Elections count could possibly result in a different winner than in the original poll count.

According to Valerie Vasquez-Rivera, a spokesperson for the Board of Elections, the Board of Elections will follow normal recanvasing procedures where a bipartisan team opens up polling machines to get an official ballot count and then counts and validates all paper ballots (such as absentee ballots). Vasquez-Rivera expects the recanvasing procedures to be finished by September 21. All campaigns are welcome to observe the official Board of Elections counting process.

Baez would have to obtain a high majority of paper ballots to win the primary (see our post here), but she has refused to concede the race.

It is expected that Baez will continue to fight for her council seat to the bitter end.

Primary Postcard: Poll Coordinators Says Candidates Didn't Campaign Enough

A lack of candidate advertising - at least until the very last minute - may be one reason why the expected voter turnout is low, poll workers say.

Early this afternoon I visited several polling sites in the 14th District. Fernando Cabrera appeared to be making the most effort. His truck was spotted driving along Jerome and University avenues, blasting out loud Spanish music and a recorded audio clip of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. vouching for the candidate. The clip was repeated over and over.

While Cabrera appeared the most visual candidate, Maria Baez’s camp seemed more vocal. Close to each polling station, she had volunteers handing out flyers and asking passersby to vote for her. The flyers included this quote by Fernando Ferrer, the former Bronx borough president: "Nobody will take care of her neighborhoods as well as Maria Baez." Her blue and red posters blanketed Burnside Avenue. There was the odd Cabrera one too. In fact, Cabrera's face has taken over a bus shelter on Burnside at Jerome Avenue.

Yudelka Tapia’s posters were plastered on gates, street lamps and buildings near Webster Avenue on 180th Street, but aside from that seemed in short supply, at least where I went.

Despite these last ditch efforts, turnout has been low, poll coordinators said. At PS 163 on East 180th Street off Webster Avenue only 78 voters had cast their vote, as of 2 p.m. Perhaps the low numbers can be party explained by the fact that station is dimly and well hidden. Or, as the poll coordinator there said, because the candidates haven't done a good job of getting their names out there (until today, that is). “Some voters [will] come after 5pm, when they get out of work,” said the coordinator, Luis Rivera. “The candidates didn’t work hard enough, though. We expected more people.”

My next stop was PS 79, which was just as dead. The midday vote count was only 132. A block away, Baez volunteers said they noticed poll workers lounging around outside since there was little to do in the station.

Added Ella Stewart, a poll coordinator at PS 26 on Andrews Avenue.“It really wasn’t advertised enough, we haven’t heard anything."

The voters - the few that turned out this afternoon - seemed non-plussed by their 14th District conditions. “It’s very necessary to vote, but I didn’t vote for anyone new in particular since I didn’t hear much about the candidates," said Laurez Morales, 39, at PS 26. She said she voted for Baez because the name was familiar.

She added, “I’m really confused about the candidates.”

By LINSEY ISAACS

Live 14th District Council Candidates Debate, Tonight, 9 p.m., BRONXNET

Tune in tonight at 9 p.m. to BronxTalk (BRONXNET, Cablevision channel 67) and find out where the candidates of the 14th District Council race stand on all the important issues facing the northwest Bronx and local residents.

The show will be airing on BRONXNET at 9 p.m. for the rest of the week as well.

Candidates Yudelka Tapia and Fernando Cabrera will be answering questions from Bronx News Network editors Alex Kratz and James Fergusson. The debate will be moderated by veteran Bronx talk show host Gary Axelbank.

As we mentioned before, the incumbent in the 14th District, Maria Baez, has declined to appear with the other candidates to talk about the issues.

Update: You can also watch the live debate stream on the Web at http://bronxnet.org/home/live/webstreamtrial.html

In-Depth Profiles of the 14th District Council Candidates

The latest edition of the Norwood News is on the streets and online now. This is issue is saturated with great news and interesting feature stories (we'll have our full preview up on the blog soon), including in-depth profiles of the three candidates vying for the 14th Council District seat.

Click on the name, get the scoop on the candidate:

Yudelka Tapia

Fernando Cabrera

Maria Baez

Get informed before our 14th District candidates debate on Monday, August 31, at 9 p.m. on BRONXNET (Channel 67, Cablevision). Feel free to submit questions for the debate in the comments section. Or e-mail your questions to bronxnewsnetwork@gmail.com.

And don't forget to vote on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Baez Gears Up For Fight of Her Life

Councilwoman Maria Baez and Assemblyman Jose Rivera first met in 1982, when Rivera had just been elected to the Assembly for the first time, and Baez was a struggling single mom living on Creston Avenue. Rivera gave her a job - the first job she'd ever had - and the "rest is history," he says.

Last month, we sat down with Baez to talk about her career (including the important role Rivera has played), her achievements, and some of the criticism she's faced these past two years - being AWOL from Council meetings, her office's mammoth cell phone bills, etc. We also spoke with several of her supporters, including a long-time friend who calls Baez the "best thing that's ever happened to this community." And we heard from those who see her in a very different light. One community leader says Baez has been "invisible" and a "non-entity."

You can read the story here.

Baez, in case you missed it, faces a tough Democratic primary on Sept. 15 against two determined opponents: Fernando Cabrera and Yudelka Tapia. There will be profiles of Cabrera and Tapia (as well as a version of the Baez article) in next week’s Norwood News and September's Mount Hope Monitor. We'll link to them on the blog.

PHOTO: Rivera and Baez at a rally outside Baez's campaign office on July 16 (ALMA WATKINS)

Baez Will Not Participate in Debate

We just received word that Council Member Maria Baez has decided not to participate in an Aug. 31 television debate of District 14 Council candidates sponsored by the Bronx News Network and BronxTalk.

In a statement, Baez's campaign took a swipe at challenger Fernando Cabrera, referring to him as her "Republican opponent."

"As to her Republican opponent, she will be more than happy to debate him once his name appears on the Republican line, in the November election, which is where his name belongs," the statement read in part.

(Cabrera was a Republican until last August. He explained his decision to become a Democrat in this Norwood News article.)

We are very disappointed in the Council member's decision but look forward to a spirited and informative debate between Cabrera and Yudelka Tapia.

And we'll have a seat ready for the Council Member Baez if she changes her mind between now and Aug. 31.

(This post has been corrected from an earlier version.)

Tapia in for August 31st Debate for Council District 14

Candidate Yudelka Tapia has confirmed that she will participate in the televised debate we are sponsoring on BronxTalk (Bronxnet, Channel 67), scheduled for the night of August 31. One of her opponents, Fernando Cabera, is also officially on board. Incumbent Maria Baez has also been invited.

Cabrera Is In for Debate

Fernando Cabrera, candidate for City Council in the 14th District, has agreed to participate in the debate we are sponsoring on Aug. 31 in conjunction with BronxTalk on channel 67 (Cablevision). We are still awaiting confirmation from Yudelka Tapia and Maria Baez. We'll keep you updated.

Maria Baez Shows Up to Support Local Supermarkets

After noticeably missing BP Ruben Diaz’s public hearing on the Kingsbridge Armory’s redevelopment process, 14th District City Councilwoman Maria Baez took to the streets yesterday afternoon to support local supermarkets. These smaller, localized supermarkets feel threatened by the large-scale supermarket included in the plans for the redevelopment of the armory.

In the past, Baez has been criticized for not being actively involved in the redevelopment of the armory, especially since it falls within her district. However, yesterday Baez said the Kingsbridge Amory redevelopment is “a very important priority” for her.

Yesterday afternoon, Baez (center) stood her ground outside a C-Town Supermarket on the corner of University Avenue and Fordham Road supporting local businesses and “opposing big box stores.” Baez holds that if Related Companies, the developer, builds a shopping mall with a brand name supermarket, “thousands of local jobs” will be lost in the process. Instead of filling the armory with large corporate stores, Baez said the Kingsbridge Amory should be transformed into “a place where our children can go, a recreation center.”

Standing tall behind Baez at her press conference outside of C-Town was the owner of the supermarket, Jose Frias and a handful of other local supermarket and bodega owners. In the press release for the event, Frias said, “Maria Baez recognizes the contributions that small business owners have made to the Kingsbridge neighborhood.”

Despite Baez’s press conference at C-Town, the Morton Williams supermarket appears to be the major opponent to the Kingsbridge Armory supermarket. Since Morton Williams is located directly across the street from the armory, competition would be fierce between the two potential food stores.

Although Baez did not specifically mention Morton Williams, she was clearly sending out another message unrelated to supermarkets: Vote for me! With signs reading “Vote Maria Baez” plastered on walls lining the C-Town, Baez chose to combine campaigning for reelection with her opposition to the Kingsbridge Armory supermarket.

After the conference, Baez briefly discussed the Kingsbridge Amory Redevelopment Alliance’s (KARA) fight for securing a living wage at the future stores in the mall. “I have been working with KARA and there is a lot that we need to look at and address,” she said.

As for negotiating a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with Related Companies, Baez said that if reelected, this would be the third time she has been involved in a CBA, so she is familiar with the process.

Bronx News Roundup, July 28

Yesterday, Bronx Supreme Court Judge Joseph Dawson voiced his opinion that defendants in his courtroom should wear respectful, professional attire during their cases.

Early this morning, four men attempted to rob the home of Ivy Skeffery on Bussing Avenue in the Bronx. Skeffery shot two of the invaders leaving one dead. The other invader is in stable condition at Jacobi Hospital. Police are still investigating the shooting.

The City Council is considering putting a ferry service in place around New York City. The ferry service would have eight potential stops in the Bronx including Orchard Beach, Yankee Stadium and Ferry Point. The plan for the ferry is scheduled to be discussed in Riverdale on Thursday.

Bob Kapstatter of the New York Daily News sees the City Council District 14 race between Baez and Cabrera as a problem for Assemblyman Carl Heastie. Heastie supports Cabrera, but if Cabrera looses the primary election, Kapstatter believes Heastie could be challenged by other district leaders for supporting a losing candidate.

This past weekend, building began on a home for an injured G.I. on Sampson Avenue in the Bronx. The house for Robert Reyes will have renovations that will allow Reyes to live functionally, all provided by volunteers, donors and government grants. The Norwood News wrote a story about Reyes and some of the efforts to help him last spring.

This week, the Stella D'Oro union plans to protest outside of Barclays, a shareholder of Lance Inc. who plans to buy the company. The union fears that the production of the cookies would be scattered across plants all over the United States and Canada instead of remaining at the one Bronx-based plant that is now in operation.

New Community Center in Mount Hope

Mount Hope Housing Company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday to celebrate the opening of its much-anticipated community center on Townsend Avenue at East 175th Street.

The four-story building boasts classrooms, computer labs, offices, a green roof for insulation purposes, and two large open spaces on the third and fourth floors which Mount Hope will use for events, and also rent out.

It's located near the Cross Bronx Expressway amid a sea of apartment buildings, in a part of the Bronx with few parks and playgrounds. In other words, it's a huge boost for the neighborhood. “I’m excited that we’re able to deliver this building to the community,” said Shaun Belle, Mount Hope's president and CEO. He called it “respite for them [children] in this concrete jungle.”

A fundraiser was held after the ribbon-cutting to honor Belle (who's leaving the company after 13 years of service) and to raise money to help cover the center's operating costs. Mount Hope is also seeking funds for the second phrase of the project - a gymnasium, to be built alongside the center on the Walton Avenue side.

We'll have more on this in the next issue of the Mount Hope Monitor.

Photos and slideshow by Alma Watkins. Holding the scissors is Shaun Belle and Councilwoman Maria Baez, who over the past seven years has put $7 million into the center.

Cabrera Gets Bronx Dems Nod, Another Blow for Baez

Dr. Fernando Cabrera, a pastor for a Kingsbridge-area church and head of the Councseling department at Mercy College, continues to distinguish himself in the crowded 14th Council District race to unseat incumbent Maria Baez, as reader's of Liz Benjamin's relentless Daily Politics blog already know.

On Monday, the Working Families Party endorsed Cabrera. Then last night he was endorsed by the Bronx Democratic County Committee, who's leaders last fall overthrew former Chairman Jose Rivera, who was vigorously backed by Baez during the takeover.

This represents a huge boost for Cabrera, 44, an unpaid pastor at New Life Outreach International Church and a former member of Community Board 7. (CB7 Chairman Greg Faulkner is also a member of New Life and supports Cabrera's bid.)

Cabrera still trails fellow candidate Yudelka Tapia in fundraising as of the last reporting period on May 15. Baez is third. Former senator Israel Ruiz, who indicated he might be throwing his hat in this crowded ring, is listed as having raised more than any other District 14 candidate, but it's unclear if he's actually running or if his fundraising totals are accurate.

Yesterday, Faulkner said the endorsements show Cabrera's growing support in the community. On Memorial Day weekend, Faulkner said some 90 people showed up at a campaign meeting, which far exceeded their own expecations. He said they'd hoped to get between 20 and 30 people.

In addition to Tapia, Baez and perhaps Ruiz, other District 14 candidates include former organizer Yorman Nunez (who officially announced his candidacy yesterday), Yesenia Polanco, a former staffer for Annabel Palma and Luis Diaz, and Miguel Santana, a city consultant.

Starting June 9, all candidates must gather at least 900 valid signatures to get their names on the ballot.

The endorsements should help Cabrera in that effort. Bronx Dem Chairman Carl Heastie said in the announcement that "we look forward to working strenuously to elect him." And the Working Families Party is known for its on-the-ground campaigning efforts.

Santana, who trails all the other candidates in fund-raising, says the endorsements won't stop his underdog bid and may, in fact, help it. He said it might mean Cabrera and Baez rise to the top of the field and engage in more direct conflict.

"Maybe they go at each other and beat each other up," Santana said earlier today, "and we're able sneak in the middle."

WFP endorses Cabrera for City Council

The Working Families Party will support Pastor Fernando Cabrera in September's Democratic primary. Cabrera - and a host of others - are trying to unseat Councilwoman Maria Baez, who is running for a third term.

Bronx News Roundup, May 19

The Horace Mann School in Riverdale has been closed for the rest of the week because of concerns about swine flu.

Fare-beaters are taking advantage of the honors system on the Bx12 Select Bus Service.

In his weekly column, the Daily News' Bob Kappstatter runs through the lengthy list of Bronx politicians currently being investigated for wrong-doings. He adds that the Bronx Democratic Party has chosen to endorse every incumbent City Council member for reelection. Everyone, that is, except Maria Baez (District 14).

Still on endorsements, the Bronx Democratic Party has endorsed Melinda Katz for city comptroller, Bill de Blasio for public advocate, and Bill Thompson for mayor.

The much-lampooned principal of PS 24, a K through 5th grade school on West 236th Street, has been reassigned.

State Senator Jeff Klein wants to see non-diet sodas taxed, with the money going towards tax relief for homeowners.

More on the city's failure to build the Yankee Stadium replacement parks on time.

Bronx pols endorse Thompson for mayor

At yesterday's Puerto Rican parade on the Grand Concourse, a handful of Bronx politicans endorsed fellow Democrat, City Comptroller Bill Thompson, for mayor, according to a press release from Thompson's office.

Assemblyman Carl Heastie, the Bronx party chairman, said:

The Bronx wants a mayor who understands that there are families, hard working people, businesses, schools and strong, proud communities outside of Manhattan. Bill Thompson will be a mayor for the Bronx because he knows this borough and he understands the challenges that hardworking Bronx residents are facing. Bill will fight for The Bronx and for all New Yorkers.

Added Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz:

Bill is going to represent working New Yorkers, middle class New Yorkers in all 5 boroughs and that’s what we need. He will improve schools and we will see real results in our education and not just the same half baked statistics that we are used too. I am proud to endorse Bill Thompson for Mayor of New York.

Councilmembers Oliver Koppell, Annabel Palma, and Maria Baez also gave Thompson their backing.

UPDATE: Koppell says he yet to make any endorsements. More here.

District 14 Candidate Jorman Nunez Launches Web site

Jorman Nunez, a young community organizer, has thrown his hat in ring for City Council in District 14, the seat held by Maria Baez.

Baez in for tough re-election battle?

Council Member Maria Baez, currently running for a third term in office, could face her strongest challenge from Yesenia Polanco, the chief-of-staff to Council Member Annabel Palma. We hear that Polanco's candidacy, which was only announced recently, is being supported by Democratic Party Chairman Carl Heastie and the new-look party machine. (Presumably that means access to resources and plenty of manpower come primary time.)

Heastie previously said that no door's closed; that he's willing to extend an olive branch to those he's fallen out with in the past. But the goodwill only goes so far - Baez was/is a close ally of former party boss Jose Rivera, whom Heastie defeated in what was a bitterly contested leadership fight late last year (and one that's still being played out in an appeals court).

"They're really going to go after her [Baez]," said one source close to the party.

Others hoping to topple Baez (pictured) include Fernando Cabrera, Yudelka Tapia, and another Heastie ally, Hector Ramirez (unless he's now stepped aside for Polanco). More here.

The primary will be held in September; the election in November.

UPDATE: I just spoke to Polanco. "I hope to get their [the party's] support when the time comes... probably in March or April," she said, but that it wasn't guaranteed. "Have I spoken to Carl and he's said yes? That hasn't happened."

Polanco, a 28-year-old University Heights resident, said she recently stopped working for Palma so she can concentrate on her campaign full time. At the moment she's focused on getting the unions behind her.

UPDATE 11: Patrick Jenkins, a consultant for the party and Heastie's special assistant, said his boss "isn't supporting any candidate at this moment." Jenkins said the party would look at each individual carefully (including Baez) before deciding who to endorse.

(Photo by Rebecca Chao)