Michael Benjamin's New Role: Blogger

Photo courtesy of Michael Benjamin's office.

Assemblyman Michael Benjamin is leaving Albany this January--he opted not to run for re-election this fall in his 79th District--but he'll be keeping himself busy post-term.

Benjamin launched a blog a few weeks ago, and so far he's posted entries blasting the city's proposed food stamp soda ban, musing the future of the state legislature and hypothesizing ways to increase enrollment in catholic schools.

"It’s a continuation, actually, of what I’ve been doing in the Assembly--writing letters and Op-Eds," Benjamin said in a phone interview yesterday. "The blog allows me to do that."

Benjamin is laying the groundwork for a Congressional run in the next election season with the blog's name--MichaelBenjamin2012--and an image of the Capital Building as the site's header.

"I think it's important for people to see my thought process and what I have to say on public policy issues," he said. "So that when I run for Congress, there's a body of work that lets people know what I think."

When he first announced plans to leave the Assembly, Benjamin said it was to challenge longtime  Congressman Jose E. Serrano, who he says hasn't done enough in his 20-plus years in office to alleviate poverty in the South Bronx. Benjamin dropped his Congressional bid shortly after but said he'll make another go of it in 2012.

You can check out his blog at www.michaelbenjamin2012.wordpress.com.

District Leader and legislative researcher Eric Stevenson will fill Benjamin's Assembly seat, which covers Belmont, East Tremont and Crotona. Stevenson won with 96 percent of votes on Tuesday.

Bronx Elections: The Rundown

While there's been no shortage of talk about the candidates running in the 33rd State Senate District--the seat currently occupied by Pedro Espada, Jr.--we thought we'd provide a rundown of who's competing in myriad other local races.

Here's a synopsis of Bronx candidates who've filed petitions with the City and the State Board of Elections. These might not necessarily be the names you'll see on the ballot this fall, as a candidate's signatures petition can get thrown out for a number of reasons if it's challenged by an opponent. The deadline for challenging a candidate who filed was July 19, and the final primary ballot will be set August 9 after the signatures are reviewed.

The state's primary will be held on Sept. 14, while the general election will be Nov. 2. Not registered to vote yet? You have until Aug. 20 to register to vote in the primary, and until Oct. 8 for the general election. Visit this site or call 1-800-FOR-VOTE to have a registration form sent to you.

Read more after the jump to see our list.