Espada's Staff Swells as Election Nears; and the Curious Case of Haile Rivera

By Jeanmarie Evelly

During a two-week pay period at end of August, the State spent over $80,000 to pay State Senator Pedro Espada’s staff members.

Between Aug. 19 and Sept. 1, the Senate Majority Leader had 44 people on his payroll, according to documents posted on the State Senate’s website. The list includes five assistants, separate assistants for his chief of staff, upstate director and legal counsel, one receptionist, a community organizer and 14 people working in “community outreach”—among others.

Michale Gary, one of many Espada staffers also volunteering for his campaign. (Photo: Adi Talwar)

His staff, by size and cost, dwarfs that of some of his fellow senators. Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, for example, had a payroll of just under $50,000 during the same pay period, and Deputy Majority Leader Jeffrey Klein’s staff of 21 employees set the state back a little more that $30,000 for those two weeks.

Espada’s Senate staff has also grown considerably over the last six months, as election season heated up. (He's facing a well-financed and heavily-backed challenger in Gustavo Rivera). He had just 24 employees listed back in February and now has 44 (Sen. Sampson’s staff size, by comparison, has remained the same, and Sen. Klein’s has gone down by one person since then).

Legally, none of these new hires—or the old ones—are allowed to do any campaign work on the company dime. Haile Rivera, who is handling media inquiries for Espada's campaign, insists that any campaigning done by Senate staff members is done strictly as volunteer work, on weekends or other off-time. Other staffers who have accrued compensatory time are using it to take a leave and campaign, he said.

Dick Dadey, of the good-government group Citizens Union, said this move is “entirely permissible.”

“Senate staff who have earned comp time are allowed to use it any way they wish,” he said. “Often, they end up, ‘volunteering,’ and doing campaign work.”

Meanwhile, Espada’s campaign disclosure forms, which he had to file with the State Board of Elections last week, show few expenditures that could be attributed to paying campaign staff. That means most of the people who have been knocking on doors and handing out leaflets, if not getting paid by the State, are doing the work for free.

Rivera said he himself has taken a “leave” from his Senate job to campaign full time, and that he isn’t getting paid, which is why he wasn’t listed on the disclosure forms.

He was, however, on the state payroll list as having received $1,615.39 for work done between Aug. 19 and Sept. 1. Rivera insists he officially switched over to the campaign on Aug. 24, which would mean he managed to rack in that $1,615.39 in just five days (including a Saturday and Sunday) of that pay period. (It should be noted that Espada compensates his staff well. Senate Counsel Steve Pigeon, who helped Espada orchestrate last summer's senate coup, made $5,769.24 during those two weeks.)

Haile Rivera

Even more puzzling than Rivera’s paychecks is his relationship with the Espada family. A community activist who (briefly) launched a bid to oust Maria Baez for her City Council seat back in 2008, and who has campaigned for President Barack Obama, Rivera said he and the Espadas “go way back.” He first helped campaign for Espada’s son, Pedro G. Espada, in his 2001 City Council race.

When Pedro Espada, Jr. was inaugurated as a State Senator last year, Rivera sent out a statement that called it a “historic moment in Bronx history.”

But last summer, Rivera released another statement blasting Espada for his role in the Senate coup that froze the state legislature for nearly a month.

“What Senator Pedro Espada has done today is the beginning of the end of his political career (at least in the Bronx, maybe he'll have better luck in Mammaroneck),” he wrote in a statement dated June 9, 2009.

“What Senator Espada has done will not, and must not, be forgiven,” it continued. “He will have an election next year and I will do whatever I can to elect a REAL DEMOCRAT.”

Rivera, apparently, found it in his heart to forgive: he took a job on Espada’s staff early this summer. When asked about his change of heart, he called it “one of those decisions I find myself explaining a lot,” and said he changed his mind after a long conversation he had with Espada’s son.

“At that moment, it was more of an emotional outburst,” Rivera said of the press release he sent out following the coup. “At that moment, I thought he betrayed the party.”

He sees it differently now, he says.

“I see it more as something that he had to do in order to get the majority leader position, that obviously benefits the district and brings money into the district,” he said.

“Would other people have used different tactics, maybe?” Rivera continued. “They use other tactics to get what they need, what they want. Let’s not kid ourselves, every politician does it. Every politician will sit down and negotiate what’s best for them.”

Questions Raised About Espada's Campaign Staff

Last week, the BoogieDowner blog posted a list of employees who are on the payroll of Pedro Espada, Jr., eliciting a pretty good discussion in the comments section about the Senator’s rather large staff of 39 people.

The State Senate website posts a payroll list every two weeks; you can download it here and search for representatives by name. Espada's staff largely outnumbers most other reps -- Senator Jose M. Serrano, for example, employs just seven people, and even Espada’s buddy Rev. Ruben Diaz, Sr., has a staff of eleven. (Espada's doubled his staff since becoming Majority Leader last year, and told us in March through a spokesman that the new hires are necessary to help fulfill his role as leader, and as a member of various Senate committees.)

One commenter on BoogieDowner noted that a number of Espada's State-employed staffers were also listed on his campaign website--www.voteespada.com--as members of his campaign staff. These names were then, curiously, removed from the site just a few days later.

A savvy reader e-mail pointed out that you can still see the old version of the website through Google cached pages (Google takes backup snapshots of websites, which you can see by clicking the "cached" link that comes up under the site on a Google search). Here's a version of the site before it was changed, and here's what that staff page looks like now.

Espada's campaign staff has yet to reply to an e-mail inquiring about why the names were removed.

By our comparison, 10 of the eleven names that were listed as "staff" on the campaign site were also on the State's payroll list as regular Espada workers. (The one exception being Pedro Gautier Espada, Espada's son, whose title is "campaign manager.")

There's nothing necessarily illegal or improper about having staff members double as campaign workers, though, as long as they're doing that work off the State time clock.

"If you have somebody on your public payroll, and if they're doing work on the weekend for you, you can compensate them for that," said Jon Conklin, the public information officer at the State Board of Elections.

Election law does not regulate how candidates use staff members or for what purpose, Conklin said. If staff members were campaigning on the public dime, it would fall to the Attorney General's Office to investigate.

In the civil lawsuit that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo brought against Espada in April, the Senator was accused of having employees from his Soundview health clinics illegally work on his campaigns while they were being paid by the clinics.

Police Called to Espada Giveaway Event Over the Weekend

Photos by Adi Talwar, Story by Jeanmarie Evelly

[Ed. Note: these photos were briefly posted on Saturday afternoon, but removed so we could provide a fuller picture of what happened.]

Tensions were running high at a campaign event hosted by Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr. -- and crashed by a group of vociferous anti-Espada protesters -- on the second to last weekend before the Sept. 14 primary.

Espada was handing out free bags of groceries to residents in his district outside of the Mosholu branch of the New York Public Library, at 285 E.205th St., when the police were called to moderate a scuffle between a member of Espada’s staff and a political blogger, Rafael Martinez Alequin.

Martinez Alequin is a City Hall gadfly who runs a blog called Your Free Press and who has a contentious relationship with Espada. He sued the Senator’s son two years ago for breaking his camera during a scuffle at a parade.

At this weekend’s event, according to a witness, one of Espada’s staff members was filming Martinez Alequin with a cell phone camera. Martinez Alequin then knocked the cell phone away, he said.

“We were shocked about that, because it’s not right,” said Haile Rivera, who works for Espada’s campaign. The man who was filming Martinez Alequin was a staff member who volunteers on weekends, he said.

“He was just holding it in front of his face, and kind of taunting him,” said Patrick Wynne, who was watching the drama from across the street, where he and other members of the New Roosevelt Initiative — an Anti-Espada political group that’s supporting rival candidate Gustavo Rivera — were holding up signs to protest the Senator.

“As soon as [Martinez-Alequin] raised his hand, the Espada folks just started screaming, ‘He assaulted him!’” Wynne continued, adding that the police were called and took statements from both sides.

The New Roosevelt protesters were also asked to move across the street, where they had got into a chanting match with some of Espada’s staff.

“They tried to intimitade, us getting up in our faces, you know, that stuff. But it doesn’t phase our volunteers,” said Yorman Nunez, the head of the New Roosevelt Initiative’s Bronx office.

Espada, meanwhile, steered clear of the conflict — staying in his car for a while before coming out to briefly greet the residents who’d shown up to claim their free groceries.

“He was there maybe less than 10 minutes,” Wynne said.

[Ed. Note: this story was first published in the Norwood News print edition, out on streets now.]

Espada Holds Court in Lofty New Office

Pedro Espada Jr. eats biscotti at his new district office near Fordham Road

Pedro Espada Jr.’s new district office, eight months in the making, sits seven floors above the street in a swank office building near Fordham Road. It’s beautiful. New carpeting, new paint job. Giant photos of the controversial Bronx State Senator adorn the back wall. One shows Espada wearing a suit and over-sized red boxing gloves.

It’s a fitting image because the pugnacious Espada – his ringtone is “Eye of the Tiger,” a song made famous in the “Rocky” films – literally fought his way into this office, forcing a leadership struggle between political parties by offering his allegiance to both Republicans and Democrats in exchange for what he calls long-needed Senate reform. After a month of gridlock, accusations and headlines, Espada emerged victorious, for the time being.

He managed to secure a position as the Democratic majority leader, a beefed up staff and two district offices, including the one on Fordham Road and another he says will open someday on Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood.

But Espada’s victories have come at a price.

He’s facing increased criticism and scrutiny on a number of levels. The Bronx District Attorney is investigating whether Espada’s primary residence is actually in the Bronx. The Attorney General is looking into whether he used his healthcare nonprofit for political purposes as well as if he lied about whether he lied on grant he applied for with the state Health Department.

Local housing advocates say he turned their back on them regarding a series of tighter rent regulation laws that he ignored as chairman of the senate’s housing committee. In early August, after Espada negotiated his new majority leader position, his son was hired for a specially created $120,000-a-year job in the State Senate and then fired days later amid accusations of nepotism and the fact that he wasn’t actually showing up to the post.

On Monday, Espada fired his deputy chief of staff after a NY Times reporter told him that the new hire had a long, troubled history as a building manager. On top of that, the new Bronx Chamber of Commerce recently turned down nearly $2 million in member item (discretionary) funding from Espada, who is now scrambling to find other groups to fund with the money.

Earlier today, Espada invited the media to check out his new digs and talk about anything and everything. He spent much of the hour and a half defending his actions and thwarting allegations of misconduct.

He called the investigations “politically motivated” and adds that he’s been under some kind of investigation for 15 years and has not once been convicted of any wrongdoing. (Though he has been reprimanded and fined and three of his employees were sent to prison and then rehired.)

Espada went to great lengths to dispel the notion that he’s in the pockets of the landlords and big developers who have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to his campaign coffers. (The money he’s received from landlords and developers pales in comparison to his colleagues, he said.) He does not support the tightening of rent regulations, something landlords adamantly oppose, that would protect tenants, including the repeal of vacancy decontrol, a hot button issue that local tenant advocates say would protect hundreds of thousands of affordable housing units in the city. Instead, Espada said he wants to focus on creating more incentives for developers to construct affordable housing.

As for the nearly $2 million in discretionary funding, which Espada said he originally wanted to give to two newly created nonprofit groups headed by executives at his Soundview Health Care Network, the senator said his staff is now researching other groups to fund.

Since February, Espada has been trying to secure this office space in the Fordham Plaza building. He said Senate Democratic leaders were holding up the funding for it – he says it costs around $3,500 a month -- in another politically motivated move. But, after the leadership struggle, which he calls a “31-day impasse,” Espada got what he wanted.

Sitting at one of the desks in his new office was Espada’s son, Pedro G. Espada, who apparently has some time on his hands after resigning from his senate job a few weeks ago. Asked if his son was now employed by the district office, which is forbidden under state rules, Espada just laughed and said Pedro G. was simply a volunteer. “We’ll let the NY Post write that story,” he said.

Protestors Say They Were Banned From Espada's Town Hall

Pedro Espada addresses a crowd at a town hall meeting on May 19 (photos by Alma Watkins)

A group of housing advocates who tried to attend State Senator Pedro Espada’s town hall meeting last week say they were physically barred from entering the building, according to two people who attempted to join the meeting.

Michael Leonard, a local resident and self-described activist, says he was stopped outside the Davidson Community Center, where the session was held, and told by a man in a suit that he wasn’t welcome there.

Another woman, who asked that her name not be used for fear of retribution, said she was pushed away and had her hand ripped from the door when she tried to enter the building. The man blocking her entrance told her to “get the hell out” of there, she said.

The woman said Espada's staffers recognized her from some of the senator’s previous rallies, which she had attended to protest his controversial rent freeze bill  - legislation Espada has been pushing for months that he says would freeze rent prices for a number of New Yorkers but that tenant advocates claim is pro-landlord legislation in disguise.

Five people were banned from the meeting, according to the woman. They called the police when they were refused admission, and when cops arrived, Espada’s staff told the officers that the event was private, she said.

A spokesman from Espada's office said the meeting was open to the public, with mailers being sent to addresses throughout the district. Police officers were at the meeting, he said, but only as a normal police presence that comes to oversee any public event. Some people were asked not to come inside because they were holding signs and chanting and would disrupt the purpose of the event, according to the spokesman, who denied that anyone was physically removed or blocked.

Candidates Hit Up Senior Centers, Campaign for Last Minute Votes

Espada near PS 33, a busy polling site. In the background is one of his bodyguards (Photos: James Fergusson)

The elderly typically vote in large numbers, and so most candidates running for election (or reelection) penciled in visits to local senior centers today.

At around 1 p.m., Senate candidate Gustavo Rivera and Councilman Fernando Rivera, who's endorsed him, spoke to seniors at Morris Senior Center on East 181st Street.

Rivera, seniors said afterwards, is a relatively new face at the center, unlike his opponent, State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. who's well known. "He [Espada] comes around, he shakes your hand, a lot of people are swayed by that," said one 80-year-old woman, who was quick to say that she, personally, "cannot stand him, because of all the things they're saying in the [news]papers."

Rivera at East Concourse Senior Center

About an hour later, at East Concourse Senior Center on East Tremont Avenue, Cabrera and Rivera repeated their message, interrupting a game of bingo in the process. "I'm here to introduce you to the man who's going to be your next state senator," said Cabrera. "We need an honest man, not crooked politicians." Then he added: "This man is going to help me bring money into this senior center."

Rivera told the group of about 60: "The main difference between my opponent and me is simple. I want to work for you. I want to be accountable to you."

For local senior Dina Alverez, Cabrera's and Rivera's message fell on deaf ears: she'd already voted, and for Espada. "I know he has a lot of problems, but I like Espada," she said. "When he talks to you, he listens to you and your problems. You can't believe all you read in the papers."

Mary Kelly, another senior, seemed bored by the whole spectacle. "People [candidates] all basically say the same thing, 'cos they know what you want to hear," she said. She voted this morning but wouldn't say for whom.

When Cabrera and Rivera were done, the bingo continued - for a minute or two. Then Hector Ramirez showed up. Ramirez, who's running against Assemblyman Nelson Castro in the 86th Assembly District, gave a brief speech, before stepping outside and talking to local residents. He got chatting to one woman, who, during her walk up the block, had been given several campaign fliers - one of Ramirez's, one of Rivera's, and one of Castro's. Smiling, Ramirez gently removed Castro's from her hand and discarded it.

Espada Hands Out School Supplies, Gets in Ugly Confrontation

Espada's staff give out school
supplies (Photos by David Greene)

By DAVID GREENE

Last Wednesday evening, State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. and several of his staffers gave out free school supplies to local residents outside PS 94 in Norwood.

"The need is great," said Espada, who's held several giveaways in recent weeks. Last month he antagonized a local pastor when he tried to hand out free groceries by St. Brendan's Church.

Outside PS 94, though, much of the response was positive.

"He's going to get our vote because he's been there for us," said local resident Sedella Harvin. "He supports us in ways that he can."

One man, however, began heckling Espada, accusing him of living in Mamaroneck, not his Bronx district, and of being a thief. (Espada is being sued for allegedly stealing $14 million from the non-profit healthcare company he runs.)

A furious Espada suggested the men settle the dispute with their fists. "Go and meet me there, over there on the corner," he said, pointing to East Gun Hill Road. The man, who refused to give his name, declined the invitation.

After the confrontation, Nancy Brown, another local resident, said, "I won't vote for Espada, but I took the school supplies, because I needed it."

Only folks who'd received a letter in the mail from Espada, and bought it with them, received a bag, which contained a notebook, a folder, a ruler, and pencils. About 100 bags were given out. They were paid for with campaign funds, said Espada, who's running for reelection.

Espada (right) is held back by his staff as he argues with an unidentified man

Espada a No-Show at Albany Special Session?

State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. (File photo)

State legislators are in Albany today to attend a special session called by Gov. David Paterson.

On the agenda:

• Closing an estimated $315 million mid-year budget deficit.
• Dividing up hundreds of millions of dollars in federal education aid.
• The possible changing of a 2006 law, which requires public employees be given a year's notice prior to the closure of certain facilities. (An upstate juvenile detention center, empty but for the staff, has become a symbol of Albany dysfunction.)
• A proposal to allow the continued operation of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corp.
• Several other issues, including approving (or otherwise) 147 gubernatorial nominees.

Legislators can also vote on items not on Paterson's agenda. 

It's unclear, though, whether anything of note will be accomplished during the session, which is expected to start at 3 p.m.  Reaction from legislators has been tepid.  And while the Democrats continue to hold a 32-30 advantage in the Senate, some lame duck senators - Pedro Espada, Jr. included, according to the Times Union - may not even show.  For any legislation to be passed, then, bi-partisan support would probably be needed.

Espada Camp Feeling Good (Updated)

Standing outside of Pedro Espada's district office on Bainbridge Avenue, a political outpost among rows of medical offices, State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. offered a prediction for the upcoming primaries on Sept. 14.

"Pedro's going to win. I'm going to win. And we're going to come back stronger, faster and better," said Diaz, who remains the only elected official to have endorsed Espada. "You know, like the $60 Million Man, you remember the TV show?"

Well, not really. But point taken. In fact, several people in Espada's camp have expressed this feeling over the past few days. It's clear they feel -- despite all the negative press, the investigations, the law suits, the confrontations with hecklers and protesters, the hundreds of thousands being spent to defeat him -- that Espada is in a good position to be re-elected for another two-year term.

And why wouldn't they?

• With all the institutional and political endorsements going to challenger Gustavo Rivera, Espada is able to paint himself as the underdog, despite having an enormous campaign war chest bankrolled mostly by the real estate industry.

• His refusal to debate his two challengers is looking increasingly like a shrewd political move. During a debate on BronxTalk on Monday night, which Espada didn't attend, candidate Dan Padernacht continually attacked Rivera for his lack of community involvement and for playing dirty politics in trying to get him to drop out of the race. While Rivera focused his criticisms on the incumbent, Padernacht didn't mention Espada once, except to say he worked to get him kicked off the ballot two years ago for residency issues. Padernacht maintains he's not being encouraged or aided by Espada (and there's really no concrete evidence to support those rumors), but regardless, it's clear his presence is hurting Rivera and helping Espada. (Earlier today, Dan Levitan of the Working Families Party, which is campaigning on behalf of Rivera, said they felt it was clear Padernacht's only goal was to smear Rivera on Espada's behalf and that he probably wouldn't attend tomorrow's debate at Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church if Espada doesn't. We haven't heard back from Rivera's campaign staff to confirm whether he would attend or not.)

• While Rivera and Padernacht are out campaigning and trying to get their name out to voters, Espada is out giving away school supplies, produce and vans. Everyone already knows who he is -- for good or bad. He's also using his status as a working senator to hold press conferences about hot-button issues like immigration and marching for civil rights.Never underestimate the power of incumbency.

Espada may be the most demonized candidate in New York, but he knows how to win elections.

Update: About the signs, Espada spokesman Franck Laboy said he couldn't comment.We'll look into it.

More Questions Raised About Espada's Petitioning Methods

UPDATE BELOW

Pedro Espada, Jr. outside the Bronx Board of Elections (Photo: Jeanmarie Evelly)

At a press conference outside the Bronx Board of Elections on July 12, State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. showed reporters a backpack containing, he said, the signatures of 10,000 registered voters in his west Bronx district. His message to the State Democratic Party and others who him ousted from the Democrat Party: back off, my constituents are behind me.

So how has Espada managed to drum up this level of support? Senate candidates need just a thousand signatures to get on the ballot. Presumably, even if many of Espada's are invalid, he'd still be left with an impressive number.

Could it be that he's more popular than his critics like to admit? Perhaps. But Espada and his campaign team also have also been accused (here and here) of bumping up their count by giving out free food in return for signatures. His spokesman denied the allegations. Recently we heard about another suspect signature-gathering technique, which went as follows:

On June 8 - which just so happened to be the first day of petitioning - Espada hosted his annual "Senior Appreciation Luncheon Day" at Eastwood Manor on Eastchester Road. The press weren't informed but according to two seniors we spoke with, local seniors received invites in the mail and senior centers in the 33rd Senate district were also contacted.

Eastwood Manor is in the East Bronx and so most of the seniors took advantage of the free ride Espada was offering. His office chartered a number of school buses - about 15 by one count - and they picked people up outside senior centers and at other locations.

Approximately 800 people turned out (Eastwood Manor is huge) and a nice time was had by all, the two seniors said. There was food and dancing and Espada gave a speech and handed out dozens of certificates to seniors who have made a difference in the community.

Bronx News Roundup, August 20

Espada Update:

The Senate recently approved some $350,000 in new salaries and raises for new Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr.'s staff.

Many of the new hires were once staffers at Espada's Soundview health clinic, including the son of Sandra Love, a former Soundview executive who was convicted in 2004 of using healthcare funds to finance one of Espada's political campaigns. This on the heels of his son's brief hiring and then resignation from a specially-created Senate position last week. The Albany Times-Union story is the most extensive. Here's a link to the Daily News' story and the Newsday story as well.
Interestingly, Espada also hired Onix Sosa, who is 14th Council District candidate Yudelka Tapia's campaign manager. Sosa was director of the nonprofit organization, U-CAN, that former Councilmember Miguel Martinez (Washington Heights) admitted to stealing from. Sosa will be Espada's deputy chief of staff.

Espada says he needs the extra staff to serve constituents from his new district office.

Other news:

A 17-year-old Bronxite was arrested for allegedly stabbing his three siblings.

An 8-year-old Bronx girlnamed Destiny miraculously survived a seven-story fall from her Castle Hill apartment building earlier this morning. She suffered injuries and his currently undergoing surgery at Jacobi Medical Center.

Doctors from the Bronx's Montefiore Medical Center are at the heart of a NY Times story about end-of-life treatment options.

A Bronx teacher is accused of innapropriately touching students at the high school where he works.

Espada's Town Hall Meeting Rescheduled

[Ed. note: this post has been updated from its original version.]

The town hall-style meeting at Church of the Mediator featuring State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., which had drawn the attention of pro-tenant housing advocates who were planning to hold a protest outside of the meeting, has been rescheduled because of safety concerns, said Diego Delgado-Miller, the head pastor of the Kingsbridge area church.

A new date has not yet been determined, Delgado-Miller said.

When asked why the church had decided to reschedule the meeting, Delgado-Miller offered a short chuckle as if he was amused by all the attention the meeting was receiving. "We wanted to make sure it was more secure, more peaceful," he said. "We wanted people to feel safe."

Activists from the Real Rent Reform campaign, which includes several pro-tenant housing groups, including the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and Housing Here and Now, had planned to protest outside of the church because the meeting was limited to an invite-only crowd and they wanted to highlight Espada's inaction on several key pieces of pro-tenant housing legislation.

Delgado-Miller said he had invited Espada to speak at his church, "Because I wanted to people to know him and what he is doing."

Michael McKee of Housing Here and Now also wanted people to know what Espada is doing, or not doing, as Chairman of the Senate's housing committee.  "He has bottled every single one of our housing bills in his housing committee," he said.

Earlier today, Espada's chief of staff, Alex Diaz, told the Daily News that they needed to limit the town hall participants to those who had registered because of space concerns.

McKee said it was because Espada only likes to participate in events that he can "tightly control" and where he can hand-pick the audience.

Espada just sent out an angry press release about the postponement. "The meeting will be rescheduled for those who registered to attend so their questions can be answered and their concerns addressed in the civil environment that was intended," he said in the release. [Update: these quotes were technically sent out in a joint statement by Espada and Diego-Miller.]

He went on to denounce the protesters as "political rabble-rousers" -- "the same people who are paid a small stipend and a food voucher to some cheap restaurant to appear at events to disrupt, spit on people, use obscene language, intimidate and push people around."

Indeed some of the protesters, including McKee (who said he was about to get on the 1-Train before learning of the cancellation) are from outside of the community, but many were from the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, which is made up of local volunteer activists, most all of whom are from Espada's 33rd District.

McKee said it is actually Espada who buses in and pays people -- such as employees and patients of his Soundview health clinics -- to show up at his events.

Espada is running for re-election this fall. 

We'll have more on this later. Stay Tuned.

As Majority Leader, Espada Has Doubled His Staff

Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. in full flow (File photo by J. Fergusson)

Since becoming majority leader, Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr. has been on a hiring bonanza, according to a recent wgrc.com article. (Thanks to the BxNN reader who sent us a link to the article.)  He now has 24 staffers working for him, up from 13 last year. The cost to the State: an additional $700,000 a year in salaries.

Espada isn't the only politician to have bought in new people in the last six months or so. As a group, Republican senators have created 87 new positions at an estimated annual cost of $3.7 million.

According to the article, the new hiring is especially controversial because it comes at a time when state agencies are on a hiring freeze. But it's above board, at least legally: To end last summer's legislative stalemate in Albany (caused by Espada and former senator Hiram Monserrate)  the Republicans demanded and received more money for offices and staffing. Some Democrats also benefited, Espada among them. His name sticks out because his office's $700k increase in salaries trumps that of every other senator.

We called Espada's office for comment, and in an e-mail sent through a spokesman he defended his decision to hire more aides:

These resources are commensurate with the wide and far reaching range of responsibilities and constituent services such as job creation and economic development, affordable housing, education, senior citizen and health care services that I have been elected to provide not only to residents and businesses in my district but to residents throughout the state.

Espada also pointed out that, on top of being a senator and the majority leader, he's also the Senate’s vice president for urban policy and planning, vice chairman of the Senate Rules Standing Committee, and chairman of the Senate Housing Committee.

We're waiting on specifics regarding who Espada hired and what jobs they do. If we hear back, we'll let you know.  One of them is Steve Pigeon, an advisor to Tom Golisano, the billionaire who helped orchestrate the coup - and subsequent stalemate - from which Espada negotiated his majority leader title.  Pigeon is Espada's counsel and earns $150,000 a year.

Espada Commemorates MLK's March on Washington, Plans Immigration Forum

Pedro Espada, Jr. (red shirt) marching for "unity and peace" this past Sunday (Photo courtesy of Espada's office)

With primary day drawing ever closer, State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. has been omnipresent in his west Bronx district these past few days.

On Sunday, he was joined by clergy, local residents, and youth groups for a "march for peace and unity" along the Grand Concourse to commemorate the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic march on Washington.

In a statement sent out afterwards, Espada said:

I was encouraged by the response and participation by our community, particularly our children and young people who turned out for this event. They sent a strong message that the actions and behavior of those who pursue the path of violence and discrimination will not be tolerated in our streets and neighborhoods.

Then, on Monday, Espada personally delivered a new transport van to the Sister Annunciata Bethel Senior Center in Bedford Park. The van was paid for with a $50,000 state grant Espada secured, according to a press release. It'll be used to transport seniors to and from their homes, doctors' appointments, and on shopping trips, etc. The money was also used to purchase computers and a digital blood pressure device, and upgrade the kitchen and the center's roof.

Espada also held a press conference later that afternoon with two Spanish-language newspaper editors who are supporting his reelection bid.

At 2 p.m. today he's scheduled another press conference outside his district office on Bainbridge Avenue to discuss what needs to be done to reverse anti-immigrant sentiment, and to announce that he's hosting an immigration forum on Sept. 9 at Bronx Community College. (For more details about the forum, see our events calendar in the top right hand corner of this page.) State Senate Majority Conference Leader John L. Sampson is expected to be in attendence today.

Espada has also been holding "giveaways," during which he and his staff hand out free school supplies or groceries to registered voters. During one such event, he got into an argument - and very nearly a fight - with a man who berated him.  On Saturday morning, we hear he plans to give away bags of fruit outside Amalgamated Houses' Vladeck Hall and Mosholu Library.

Espada's office also fired out a press release recently announcing that he helped secure funding for the construction of two affordable housing projects. One of the buildings will be built in his district, the other just outside.

Bronx News Roundup, Monday, Aug. 8

Happy Monday, Bronxites! Your weather forecast for today calls for sunshine and temps in the high 80s.

Story of the Day: Espada Spent the Most Senate Cash

File photo by Jeanmarie Evelly

Pedro Espada's lavish spending habits have him back in the headlines again (just in case you've forgotten, see here.) State Senate documents released this week show that the infamously indicted former Bronx rep. spent more taxpayer money in his last three months in office than any other Senator did in double that time, doling out $750,000 in expenses and to pay staffers.

Espada managed to rack up the high tab despite the fact that he and his office were conspicuously quiet during the months in question, October to December, which was after he lost the primary to now-Senator Gustavo Rivera. During these final months in office, Espada was criticized for missing several important sessions in Albany, including a vote on housing legislation that he was the main sponsor for.

We wrote about Espada's bloated office staff roster last fall, after we noticed the number of employees on his payroll had practically doubled in the months leading up to the primary. His staff at the time insisted, however, that any campaign work they did for Espada was off the Senate clock.

In other Espada news: the Soundview Healthcare Network which he founded (and was indicted for looting) will lose $10 million in Medicaid funding because of repeated violations of state law, according to the NY Post.

Quick Hits: 
A New Jersey-based advocacy group set up shop outside Nativity of Our Blessed Lady parish in Eastchester, where they say they are urging sexual assault victims to come forward and share their stories. The church's priest, Father James Duenas, was arrested last week on molestation charges.

More ink on the Bronx-based indie flick "Gun Hill Road." (Read some of our coverage here and here.)

Espada Misses Vote on Important Housing Bill

Espada at a rally for his "rent freeze" bill in February (file photo)

Sen. Pedro Espada's absence at a special Senate session in Albany yesterday was a conspicuous one, as the controversial Majority Leader failed to make the trek to the capitol, while his primary election rival Gustavo Rivera--now Senator-elect--did.

Also making the journey to Albany? A group of city housing advocates intent on supporting an important housing bill to extend current rent stabilization laws until 2018--a lobbying effort that ultimately failed, as the bill was just a few votes short of the 32 needed to pass.

Espada missed the vote on the bill despite the fact that he is the chairman of the Senate's housing committee and happens to be the legislation's main sponsor.

"No one believed any of the stories [for why he didn't show up]," said Michael McKee, director of the Tenants PAC and the Real Rent Reform Campaign, who attended yesterday's session.

Bronx News Roundup for Jan. 11

This isn't really exactly a Bronx thing, but we couldn't resist: The New York Post reports that the city's new comptroller, John Liu, is requiring staffers to rise when he enters a room and address him as "Mr. Comptroller." 

A Post editorial says Attorney General Andrew Cuomo needs to successfully connect the dots on State Senator Pedro Espada's alleged funneling of state money to his health center business or the AG's office does not deserve the greater authority Cuomo is seeking.

Meanwhile, Crain's (which only provides its on-line content to registered subscribers) had this to say about Cuomo's inquiry:

Insiders say it was no accident that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo unveiled his investigation of controversial state senator Pedro Espada on the heels of Gov. David Paterson's state of the state speech. “It shows action to Paterson's prose,” one Democratic insider says, referring to the governor's promise to push for reforms.
Another Democratic aide calls Mr. Espada a “perfect target” because Mr. Cuomo can burnish his “cleaning up the Legislature” credentials without alienating the powers that be, as Mr. Espada is disliked by many colleagues. “This becomes especially valuable if Paterson fails to deliver on any of his proposed reforms, while Cuomo collects a trophy scalp to wave before the angry masses,” the aide says.
Mr. Cuomo is looking for evidence that Mr. Espada broke laws by seeking funding for nonprofit organizations that he controls, failing to report campaign contributions, or living in his Westchester County house while portraying his Bronx apartment as his primary address. The legislator brought the state Senate to a standstill last year by defecting to the Republican conference and then back to the Democrats.
“Pedro Espada, for better or worse, is the symbol of all that is wrong in Albany,” the first insider says.

Speaking of Espada, again, those in the political blogosphere who can't stand the idea of him running in the Democratic primary this September unopposed are raising the prospect of drafting Lilliam Perez, who is on the staff of State Senator Eric Schneiderman.. She had expressed interest in the seat a while back but then backed away.

And the last word today on Esapda: Believe it or not, the Boogiedowners, the Bedford Park bloggers who are no fans of the senator, say they had a good experience at one of Espada's health centers in Wakefield, where they went to get the flu vaccine for their daughter. 

A pregnant Bronx woman is still waiting for an apology from Howard Safir (former police commissioner under Rudy Giuliani) who hit her with his Ford Escalade as he was backing up in Manhattan and drove off. He told investigators he did not know he hit her and has not been charged.

Parents are rallying to save Christopher Columbus High School, which is slated for closure.

The Times reports that unionized workers of the New York Public Library can take paid leave or receive comp time when the temperature dips below 68 degrees at a branch. 

Candidates File Campaign Disclosure Forms

Candidates running for elections this fall were required to file their disclosure forms with the State Board of Elections by last Tuesday, Sept. 3, and the BOE website posted the figures this week. They shed light on how much each candidate is spending, and on what, and how much they've racked in in campaign contributions so far. You can go here to search by candidate name, contributor name or by office.

Bronx News Roundup, June 25

Pedro Espada's health care business, which received a very favorable write-up in yesterday's Times, owes $347,000 in back taxes.

Still on Espada, BoogieDowner has the latest on the senator's yet-to-materialize district office. Each side - Espada's people and the Senate's staff - blames each other for the continued delay.

In a related story, CBS had this report a couple of days ago, saying Espada's desired office location - 400 E. Fordham Rd - wasn't even in the 33rd District. Certainly, if you type the address in here on the Senate's Web site, Jeff Klein's name comes up, not Espada's. Here's a map:

Map created using NYC Dept of City Planning BYTES of the BIG APPLE data

Some non-Espada news:

A Bronx detective has been found guilty of perjury, after a 17-year-old murder suspect secretly recorded an interview the detective gave him on his MP3 player. Christopher Perino, who worked out of the 44th Precinct, faces up to seven years in prison. More here on how modern technology is increasingly catching out dishonest cops.

Martha Stewart is expected at the Botanical Garden this Saturday, for the opening of a new exhibit, Edible Garden.

Last week's water main break in Kingsbridge has hit local merchants in the pocket.

He's Back! Espada Plans Rally at Soundview Clinic

Former State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. is enlisting the help of some old amigos to publicly combat charges that he embezzled more than $500,000 from the nonprofit network of health care clinics he founded and continues to run. Espada's holding a rally tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. in front of Soundview Health Center, 731 White Plains Road.

With him, according to a press release that describes the event as a "unity press conference," will be Espada's former nemesis turned number one supporter in the state senate, Ruben Diaz Sr. (we received the release from his communications person), as well as Assemblyman Marcos Crespo and Bishop Fernando Rodriguez of the Latin American Chaplain's Association, plus a whole bunch of other folks.

Espada is also facing civil charges from the Attorney General's office that he bilked another $14 million from Soundview.

Here's the meat of the release:

"State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Bishop Fernando Rodriguez, president of the Latin American Chaplains Association, Pedro Espada, Jr., patients, clergy and civic leaders, other elected officials,and medical staff and health vendors will hold a unity press conference and rally in support of the Soundview Healthcare Network, emphasizing the importance of the network’s four medical facilities to the health care of tens of thousands of Bronx residents, families, children and senior citizens."