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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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)

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.

Primary Postcard: Cabrera Votes Amid Signs of a Low Turnout

This is the first in a series of posts today about the primary election happening today in the Bronx and throughout the city. As we mentioned last night, there are four City Council contests worth watching: the 11th, 12th, 14th and 16th.

At about 9:20 a.m., I walked into PS 86, which is right across the street from the Kingsbridge Armory. Fernando Cabrera, one of two challengers trying to unseat incumbent Maria Baez in the 14th District, emerged from one of the voting booths. After a quick photo op (below; I apologize for the quality), his wife also voted. Because Baez voted earlier at PS 33, down the road on Jerome Avenue, I believe that puts Cabrera ahead, 2-1. We have an upset brewing!


In all seriousness, though, Cabrera and his wife were the only ones voting. I saw one other voter leave right before I arrived. Looks like another year of low turnout on primary day.

It's hard to say who a low turnout favors. Traditionally, a low turnout helps the candidate backed by the party and the biggest unions, which would tilt the scales toward Cabrera. But usually it helps the incumbent just based on name recognition. Say what you will about Baez, but people know who she is. That alone will get her votes. There's a third candidate, Yudelka Tapia, who is wild card in this race. It's unclear how she will impact the race. [More on her coming up later.]

Regardless, Cabrera said he slept soundly last night after spending the evening knocking on doors, putting in the work and trying to win supporters. "I've done everything I could do," he said.

His communications director, Fernando Aquino, after snapping some pictures of the Democratic Party's hand-picked candidate, said he felt the same way. "I think we've really gotten our message out there and people are responding to it," Aquino said.

Still, it's not going to be easy. As we mentioned last night, incumbent have won 97% of Council races over the past two decades and Baez has her people out in force today. Aquino said he thought Baez had been saving all her campaign funds for today's get-out-the-vote festivities.

It's on. Stay tuned...

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

Fernando Cabrera's Mailers

Fernando Cabrera's mailers

Here's some hard-hitting mailers sent out last week by Fernando Cabrera's campaign to voters in the 14th District. As you can see, as the primary nears (it's tomorrow) Cabrera and his people have been really going after Councilwoman Maria Baez and her record.

The second one down seems to be reply of sorts to something Baez put out - something about Caberea's Republican past and his house in Westchester, no doubt. Does anyone have this mailer? Or any others for that matter, from Baez, Cabrera or Yudelka Tapia. If so, please send them to bronxnewsnetwork[@]gmail.com.

Thanks to the reader who sent the above ones in. To enlarge the text, click on the v in the top right hand corner.

Cabrera Ahead But Networks Say It's Too Close to Call

Norwood News Managing Editor Alex Kratz just checked in from Maestro's in Morris Park, where Fernando Cabrera has declared victory in his race against embattled incumbent councilwoman Maria Baez. Alex says people are beginning to leave Maestro's after a boisterous evening there.

But while cable station NY1 reports that 100% of the precints have reported results in the race, they have yet to call Cabrera as the winner, possibly because absentee and affidavit ballots might still be a factor.

Bronx News 12 also says it's too close to call, with only 90 votes separating Cabrera and Baez. however. Here's how they break out the numbers in this 3-way race.

Fernando Cabrera 38.5% 1937 votes
Maria Baez 36.7% 1847 votes
Yudelka Tapia 24.8% 1250 votes

Stay tuned.

Liveblogging 14th C.D. Debate

I'll be posting

9:01 -- Gary points to empty chair, representing Maria Baez' decision not to participate

9:03-- Alex asks Cabrera about changing parties and moving from Westchester. Cabrera says he's lived here longer than any other place and lists his endorsements; points to the Norwood News visit to his Bronx condo. Says he's proud of his track record in the Bronx

Tapia says she's lived in C.D. for 20 years and has been a Democrat all her life. Cabrera says he's lived here 14 years during the course of his life. Says if being a Democrat is working for the poor, reaching out to the needy, then he's 100% Democrat

Gary asks Cabrera if he's always had these values. He says he wasn't political and skeptical of politics.

Tapia points out that Cabrera went to Liberty University, a conservative southern university. Cabrera says he did non-traditional program on-line and only spent a week at Liberty.

Council Races Take Shape in Wake of Term Limits Vote

Busy day today so we weren't able to get to our News Roundup but here's a little taste of what you'll find in the issue of the Norwood News hitting the streets tomorrow ...

Lost, or at least partially obscured, in the tussle over term limits is the reality that the incumbents who are now eligible to run for a third term, including the mayor, have to actually run.

Many local insurgent candidates launched Web sites and have been fundraising for months.

Now faced with the probability of facing well-financed, well-known incumbents, candidates are reassessing their campaigns. A couple have already dropped out or signaled their intention to do so.

But after surveying the post-term limits political landscape in the 11^th and 14^th Council districts, it appears most candidates have not been cowed, meaning some spirited and competitive races may be coming next fall.

In the 11th District, which covers Riverdale, Kingsbridge Norwood, Bedford Park and Woodlawn, Council member Oliver Koppell was a prime advocate of efforts to change the term limit law. His staff counsel, Jamin Sewell, ended his bid to succeed Koppell immediately after the extension was approved. Koppell hasn’t publicly announced his plans, but Sewell’s withdrawal indicates Koppell will run for a third term, further extending a career in public office that began in 1970 in the state Assembly.

Sewell pledged loyalty to Koppell, calling him a “mentor,” and took some parting shots at his former rivals.

Anthony Cassino, an attorney and former chairman of Community Board 8, and Ari Hoffnung, a managing director at Bear Stearns, are keeping their hats firmly in the ring.

“I’m looking forward to another good race with Oliver and hopefully the results will be different this time,” said Hoffnung, who ran previously in 2005.

Cassino is opening his campaign office on Sunday in Riverdale.

Helen Morik, a vice president for community and government affairs at Columbia University, said she would reevaluate her campaign after Koppell makes an official announcement.

“Oliver hasn’t made his plans known yet,” she said. “So I’m still running.”

In the 14th District (Mount Hope, University Heights and Kingsbridge Heights), none of Maria Baez’s previously announced opponents seem scared off by the prospect of facing the incumbent.

“We’re moving forward,” said candidate Fernando Cabrera, pastor of New Life Ministries in North Fordham. “There is a need, a vacuum of leadership in District 14.”

Yudelka Tapia, a city auditor, is still committed to the race according to spokesman Jorge Javier. “Yudelka Tapia’s campaign is still going and she still plans on running for City Council in District 14,” Javier said.

Hector Ramirez, Democratic leader in the 86th Assembly District, was not available for comment by press time.

The battle for leadership of the Democratic Party will influence this race as well.

Tapia was expected to seek support from Jose Rivera, but now that his close ally (and former chief of staff) Baez is back in the race, it may not be coming her way.

Also, because of Baez’s relationship with Rivera, the leadership of the Rebel faction challenging Rivera, including Assemblymen Carl Heastie and Jeff Dinowitz, may make this race a priority. The Rebels reportedly back Ramirez. (A hearing to determine the fate of Bronx’s Democratic Leadership was taking place as we went to press. Look for updates online at westbronxnews.blogspot.com.)

Baez told the Mount Hope Monitor recently that she will run again and that the term limits extension will “give an opportunity for members like myself to finish projects.”

-Jordan Moss and James Fergusson

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.)

Liveblogging, cont.

9:19 Asking about parental involvment in schools. Tapia says parental involvement is important. Says parent coordinators should be more involved in parental involvement.

Cabrera says power has been given to the principal. "that's the person we have to negotiate with" to bring forth resources we need. Talks about low rate of h.s. graduation.

9:23 James says Baez has been criticized for poor attendance record and not being visible in community. But says "that neither of you two hav ebeen regulars" at community meetings. What's to say that if yoyu're elected it will be any different.

Cabrera says he was on Community Board (for two years, James says) and had good attendance record. Says he never saw Council member during that time. Asks that voters look at his track record as a pastor and a counselor -- that he shows up and is effective.

Tapia says she was presidnet of PTAs at all her kids' schools (she has four children). Says she has been active on disability issues.

9:24 Name a current Bx pol you admire, Alex asks: Tapia says she worked with former Bronx BP Adolfo Carrion. Gary says he's not "current."

Cabrera says current BP Ruben Diaz. Praises his role as strategist.

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.

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)

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.

Bronx City Council Election Results

As the Democratic primary election results for Bronx City Council members rolled in last night, it became clear that most incumbents have a strong hold on their seats for another four years.

Out of the eight Bronx City Council districts, only four incumbents had challengers in the primary election. Out of those four City Council elections, three incumbents kept a firm hold of their position, while another appears to be out.

In the 11th City Council district, incumbent Oliver Koppell was challenged by Tony Perez Cassino. Despite a heated primary campaign race, Koppell won the primary with 63.9% of the vote. Koppell had 5,348 votes and Cassino had 3,021 votes.

In the 12th City Council district, incumbent Larry Seabrook scraped by to win 55.28 % of the vote despite a series of controversial financial accusations. Seabrook defeated Andy King, Jerome Rice and Sebastian Ulanga in the primary. Seabrook had 4,871 votes, King had 2,830 votes, Rice had 778 votes and Ulanga had 333 votes.

In the 16th City Council district, incumbent Helen Foster defeated political newcomer Carlos Sierra with 60.54% of the vote. Foster had 2,654 votes and Sierra had 1,730 votes.

In the 14th City Council district, Fernando Cabrera has a good chance of replacing the incumbent, Maria Baez. Last night, poll counts listed Cabrera as having 1,937 votes, Baez as having 1,847 votes and Yudelka Tapia as having 1,250 votes.

The above numbers are still unofficial and not yet approved by the Board of Elections. Although the poll count is usually a good indicator of the winning candidate, in close races such as the 14th District City Council primary, official numbers are needed to declare the winner.

More information on the 14th district City Council race to come.