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.

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

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.

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.

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.

14th District Debate

BRONXTALK/DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY DEBATE-14TH DISTRICT COUNCIL/8-31-2009

Here's the debate between Fernando Cabrera and Yudelka Tapia, candidates for City Council in the 14th District. Incumbent Maria Baez declined to participate. The debate aired live on BronxTalk Monday night on BRONXNET channel 67 and was co-sponsored by the Bronx News Network.

Tapia Gets Her Matching Funds

Today, Yudelka Tapia received $72,721 in public matching funds from the city Campaign Finance Board.

On two prior occasions, Tapia, a City Council candidate in the 14th District, had been denied the funds because her campaign, she said, hadn't submitted the required documentation.

Tapia's opponents - Maria Baez, the incumbent, and Fernando Cabrera - have so far been awarded $70,170 and S81,670 respectively.

The next (and final) payment date is scheduled for Sept. 11, four days before the primary.

More here on the rules and regulations governing public funds, and how the system is designed to help "grassroots and insurgent candidates" (like Tapia) who typically miss out on large donations from unions, etc.

See here for how much each candidate has raised, received, and spent.

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.

Bronx News Roundup, Aug. 21

The Bronx Open - an annual tennis tournament in Crotona Park - starts on Monday. More than 30 of the world's top 100 women will take part. This year, there's no men's side of the draw. The event is free, except finals day on Aug. 31 which costs $10. The New York Junior Tennis League will provide free tennis throughout the week. Here's Adi Talwar's photos from last year.

The parents of a young boy killed by a van last summer as rode his bike to school are suing the city for $10 million.

Could the Stella D'Oro cookie factory in Kingsbridge stay open after all? The current owner, who has been threatening to close it after losing a labor dispute, may have found a local buyer.

Today's New York Times carries an article adapted from Constance Rosenblum's new book, Boulevard of Dreams, a history of the Grand Concourse.

As we mentioned in yesterday's roundup, City Council candidate Yudelka Tapia's campaign manger, Onix Sosa, has been hired by Pedro Espada, the ethically challenged state senator and majority leader. When asked about this yesterday morning, Tapia hadn't heard the news. Later, her communications director sent out press release saying she's parted ways with Sosa because she "felt that the job Sosa took was not consistent with the message she is trying to communicate to the voters of the 14th District." Tapia campaign is staffed by volunteers. In fact, Sosa was the only one on the payroll, Tapia said. She's hired a new campaign manager, a former volunteer.

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.

Espaillat calls Tapia a 'Bad Dominican'

Yudelka Tapia's campaign wants Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat to apologize after he allegedly called her a "bad Dominican" during last Sunday's Dominican Day Parade.

Espaillat, a Dominican-American who represents parts of Upper Manhattan, has endorsed Fernando Cabrera, an opponent of Tapia's in the race for the 14th District City Council seat.

"In our community there are good Dominicans and there are bad Dominicans and that is why I am supporting Fernando Cabrera," Espillat told the Public Access show Contacto, according to Tapia's campaign.

"Assemblyman Espillat [sic] needs to apologize to all of the women of the Bronx for maligning one of our most distinguished community leaders," said Lucila Rutinel, who heads the Committee Dominicanas for Yudelka, in a press release. "In this climate when so many public officials have come under investigatory scrutiny it is offensive for Assemblyman Espiallat [sic] to refer to our sister - whom he knows well - as a Bad Dominican."

UPDATE: Tapia protests outside Cabrera's house, calls him "another Espada"

On Saturday, Yudelka Tapia and her supporters held a press conference outside Pastor Fernando Cabrera's house in Pelham, Westchester. We had a post about this on Friday, which has generated quite a few comments. Here's a follow-up press release from Tapia, sent after the event:

I am here in suburban Pelham New York to ask Mr. Fernando Cabrera why he believes that as a member of this community he would be better able to represent the people of NYC’s 14th City Council District than a true resident of the West Bronx.

We are here to ask him why he believes that state laws should be ignored again as was done by Senator Pedro Espada. It is of little surprise that just like Senator Espada Mr. Cabrera is also a life long Republican masquerading as a Democrat.

We are proud that Mr. Cabrera has achieved great economic success in his life and has been living an affluent life in this wealthy suburb for all these years. But the facts can not be refuted. He does not pay taxes in NYC and his children did not attend our schools

We can only assume that the Bronx Democratic leadership was not aware of Mr. Cabrera’s deception when they displayed their preference for him last month.

Information has reached this campaign that as of a few weeks ago Mr. Cabrera was still reflecting his Pelham address in business and campaign related transactions.

The 14th Council District has already suffered with the absence of City Council Member Maria Baez who is rated as the Council Member with the worst attendance record. How much worse would it be if we elect a REPUBLICAN FROM PELHAM?

We've left voice messages for Cabrera asking for his reaction. When we hear back, we'll post his comments here. In a recent interview with the Norwood News, though, Cabrera said he moved to the Bronx last July and lives at 2792 Sedgwick Ave. - in the confines of the 14th Council District - with his wife and son. While he still owns his house in Pelham, he said his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren reside there - not him.

Some additional thoughts and clarifications:

Cabrera has admitted to being a registered Republican until recently. But he didn't vote in September's Republican primaries, according to Patrick Jenkins, a spokesman for the Bronx Democratic Party - contrary to what Tapia is claiming.

Tapia's camp didn't like the word "protest" that we used in the original post. From an e-mail:

We understand that the word protest, as stated in the headline, is not factually incorrect but it might send the wrong message to the readers of Bronx News Network. Tapia and Bronx residents held a peaceful and low key press conference. Ms. Tapia read her statement and Bronx residents stood behind her outside of Cabrera’s home with signs for about 15 minutes. When she finished her statement everyone left.

If you can't read the signs in the photo above - it's a little washed out - some of them suggest Cabrera voted for John McCain, rather than Barack Obama, in the presidential election. For example, "Cabrera no voto por Obama" and "Fernando Cabrera voto por e Republicano McCain" and "Fernando Cabrera did not vote for President Obama." In a later e-mail, however, Tapia's communications director, Elias Alcantara, said she didn't know how Cabrera voted. "We have found no record of him having voted in the Nov. of 08 election therefore we can not conclude if he voted for Obama or McCain," she wrote.

Update: Cabrera has previously told the Bronx News Network that he was a big Obama supporter and says he takes the "Obama view" on gay marriage, meaning he's for civil unions.

Update 3:30 p.m.: Just spoke to Fernando Aquino, a spokesman for Cabrera's campaign. He said Cabrera was born in the Bronx and has lived here, on-and-off, for more than 10 years - longer than he lived in Westchester.

He said he doesn't know if Cabrera voted in the Republican primaries, but even if he did it shouldn't be an issue. "He used to be a Republican, he's not hiding that," Aquino said, adding that he switched allegiance because "Democratic values were his values."

Of Tapia's press conference, Aquino said: "His [Cabrera's] campaign will welcome any discussion on the issues, but we will not get distracted by unfounded allegations."

Oh, and Aquino said Cabrera voted for Obama in the election, not McCain.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Elias Alcantara. Tapia is holding the mic.

Tapia to protest outside Cabrera's house, calls him "another Espada"

This press release was sent out earlier this evening:

Yudelka Tapia and fellow community leaders will visit Fernando Cabrera’s, candidate for the 14th Council District and endorsee of the Bronx Democratic Committee, home in Pelham, NY. Cabrera also, just recently changed his party membership from Republican to Democrat.

Tapia with various community leaders in front of Cabrera’s home will question him on the legitimacy of his campaign for the 14th City Council District. “Someone who lives in the suburbs of Pelham, NY can not adequately represent our community and Bronx residents do not deserve another Espada” says Tapia. Cabrera most recently voted as a Republican in the 2008 Presidential Primaries. According to the Westchester County Board of Elections Cabrera was a registered Republican for almost ten years.

Date: Saturday June 27, 2009
Time: 1pm
Location: 58 Sixth St. Pelham, NY 10803

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Elias Alcantara, Communications Director at 646-384-1990 or by email at e.alcantara@yudelkatapia.com.

Tapia and Cabrera are among those hoping to topple Maria Baez, the incumbent, in September's primary. More here.

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."

Term Limits Extension Doesn't Deter Candidates Running for Baez's Seat

On Nov. 4, America will elect a new president. Also that day: several hugely uncompetitive Assembly and State Senate elections in the Bronx. We'll ignore them for now, and instead look ahead at what is shaping up to be a fascinating City Council race in District 14 (which covers much of the west Bronx).

Yesterday we spoke to Fernando Cabrera, who assumed, like everyone else, that he'd be running for an empty seat. As of last week, that now looks unlikely: the no longer term-limited Maria Baez will probably seek another four years.

Cabrera, a pastor and college professor, said he was "a bit disappointed" about the term limit extension, but having Baez involved hasn't scared him off. "We're moving forward [with the campaign]" he said. "There is a need, a vacuum of leadership in District 14. This is an exiting time for someone to come in and make a difference."

Hector Ramirez, Yudelka Tapia, and (possibly) Haile Rivera are also running. So far only Tapia and Cabrera have campaign Web sites.

Cabrera says the term limits change has probably hurt Tapia the most because she was banking on the support of Jose Rivera, the party chairman, who will now likely back Baez, his former chief of staff. (We haven't heard from Tapia, but Jorge Javier, of "Friends of Yudelka Tapia," insists she hasn't gone away. "Yudelka Tapia's campaign is still going and she still plans on running for City Council in District 14," he wrote in an e-mail on Friday.)

It could be that Rivera's support no longer matters: all but one of the State Senate and Assembly candidates he backed in September's primaries were defeated. Moreover, he's struggling to keep his leadership position. But, with Baez in, Tapia's campaign has probably taken an early hit.

Cabrera says he's staying out of party's leadership fight. "So far, I have taken a neutral stand," he said. "I haven't made any enemies." He said he'd welcome the endorsement of whoever wins, but that the success of his campaign doesn't depend on it, because he has a strong base, with grassroots support from churches and community groups. "I'm the only one who's truly independent," he said.

For the moment, we won't touch too heavily on what the candidates say they'd do in office. But if you're interested, visit Tapia and Cabrera's Web sites. We'll link to the others when they're up. Ramirez's is "under construction" - unless www.hectorramirez.com is for the mixed martial artist of the same name.

One piece of additional gossip: We hear that Ramirez, a district leader who's sided with the Rainbow Rebels against Rivera, once worked for Tapia, but at some stage they had a big falling out.

Term Limits and City Council District 14

The City Council will decide at 2 p.m. tomorrow whether or not to extend term limits, after a last ditch effort to derail the vote failed. The latest count by NY1 has 18 council members favoring an extension, 23 against, and 10 undecided. But supporters and opponents of the bill say Speaker Christine Quinn (who supports an extension) wouldn’t have scheduled the vote unless she was confident of securing a majority.

Here in the west Bronx, a “yes” vote would allow Council member Maria Baez (District 14) to run again, and potentially serve another four years. Baez says she’s in favor of an extension because it would “give an opportunity for members like myself to finish projects."

Predictably, the up-and-comers eyeing her seat (which under current laws would become vacant at the end of 2009) see things differently.

“I don’t think you can change them because one person wants to stay in power,” said Hector Ramirez, in reference to Mayor Bloomberg. “If you want a change you have to go again to the people [for a referendum]. If people say yes, then ok, but not because of one person.”

Ramirez, currently a district leader, is one of three individuals in the 14th District to have filed financial disclosure forms with the city’s Campaign Finance Board - the others being Yudelka Tapia and Haile Rivera. All are of Dominican origin. Never before has there been a Bronx council member from the DR.

Reached by phone earlier this week, Rivera, a community activist who suspended his campaign in June to work as field organizer for the Obama's campaign, argued against a term limit extension, saying the wishes of New Yorkers should be respected. “Twice they voted against extending them,” he said. “These votes should count, otherwise what’s the point in voting?”

Tapia didn’t respond to phone messages seeking her term limit position. But she's probably playing close attention: in many ways, her City Council campaign is further along than the others. She’s the only candidate, for example, with a campaign Web site.

According to her online biography, Tapia's a senior auditor for the city, the president of The Great Alliance Democratic Club, a Bronx State Committee member, and a tenants’ rights advocate, among other things. Politically, she's more experienced than both Rivera and Ramirez, having run for the same City Council seat in 2001, and then the 86th Assembly seat in 2002 (both unsuccessfully).

Unlike her rivals, who are supporting Carl Heastie and the "Rainbow Rebels" in their efforts to de-throne Party Chairman Jose Rivera, Tapia hasn’t taken sides – at least not publicly. One elected official told me she’s fence-sitting. But she's clearly close to the party boss, or has been in the past. In a July press release, sent out in support of Assembly candidate and fellow Dominican Nelson Castro (who defeated the Rebel-backed Mike Soto in September's primary), Tapia praised Rivera, citing his willingness to reach across racial boundaries – the very thing the Rebels say he’s failed to do. Her release said: “Mr. Rivera and other Puerto Rican Democratic Leaders in The Bronx have always acknowledged the contributions and rights of the Dominican community."

Tapia, then, could be in a tough spot. If term limits are extended (as looks likely) and Jose Rivera is ousted (also likely), she could end up facing an incumbent (Baez), as well as a candidate (either Ramirez or Haile Rivera) with backing from the party's new leadership.

Haile Rivera, it should be said, says he’s unsure if he’ll revive his campaign when he returns to the Bronx. “At the moment I’m focusing 110 percent on Obama,” he said. (So things are looking pretty good for Ramirez, as it stands.)

Of course, there’s still a long was to go: the election isn't until November 2009. But tomorrow’s term limit vote, and the outcome of the Bronx leadership battle, will play an important role in deciding District 14’s next council member.

Other term limit news: As we reported earlier, Adolfo Carrion, the borough president and former District 14 council member, has dropped his support for a term-limit extension, after billionaire Ronald Lauder told The Times the extension should only apply to council members currently serving their second term.