Saturday, December 1, 2012

Rubencito Staying ... Now What?

Exactly one month ago today, we wrote a piece on the effects if our Borough President decided to go for a citywide office in 2013. Last week, he announced that the "needs of the people of the Bronx are foremost on my mind and in my heart" had therefore "decided to run for re-election as Bronx Borough President in 2013.” We believe that had he decided to run, he would have been the strongest candidate from those who have thus far announced, but we respect his decision.

Now, the word 'en la calle' was that if he the Borough President had decided to go citywide, who would be best suited to replace him at Borough Hall. The names that have been out there are those of Council members Fernando Cabrera (Northwest Bronx), Jimmy Vacca (Pelham Bay/Throgs Neck), and Majority Leader Joel Rivera (North/Central Bronx) who is term-limited. Another long shot is that of NW Bronx Assemblyman Nelson Castro, who would have become the first Dominican-American Borough President in the history of our borough (and in NYC for that matter). However, the latter is known to have many ghosts in his closet, which is why we say he's a 'longshot.' Rivera and Cabrera would probably have been the favorites of the Bronx Democratic Party. Vacca would be interesting candidate given the borough's high population of Latinos. 

Now that BP Diaz is staying put, there's no place to go for most. Cabrera, Vacca and Castro would remain in their current positions. 

Rivera, however, has options. He could opt to swap seats with his dad, former County Chairman Assemblyman Jose Rivera. As of date, Joel has a pretty nice campaign war chest - $208,262.00 to be exact. 

Should this scenario play out, where father and son trade seats, whoever decides to challenge either of them would probably be committing political suicide. 

District Leader Yudelka Tapia has been actively fundraising for Joel's seat. Odd given she resides in Cabrera's district (note: due to 2010 redistricting, anyone can seek office even if he/she does not reside in the district at the time). Tapia has another problem she must first resolve before been considered a serious candidate: with the Campaign Finance Board (CFB). Tapia's 2009 campaign for the City Counciil seat Cabrera ultimately won, was fined $47,774. From the $78,828 she received from matching funds, the CFB ordered Tapia to repay $59,930. As we all know, this is not pocket change. 

Another possible candidate is Radame Perez, who has almost $155,000 ready to go. This would be an uphill for Tapia but definitely would be an interesting race. We predict this would be the Bronx race to watch in 2013.   






Tuesday, November 20, 2012

THIS IS NOT 385 Great Plains Road!


In case some of you may have missed it, yesterday the 'Ice Skating fans can now head over to the Bronx and glide through the brand new Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink." So we ask the Bronx Borough President, State Senator Gustavo Rivera and NYS Assemblyman Jose Rivera: WHY ARE YOU SUPPORTING THE PROJECT FOR ANOTHER ice skating rink at the Kingsbridge Armory? In case they have forgotten, Van Cortlandt Park is 1.9 miles away from the Armory. 

BP Diaz argues that the proposal - Kingsbridge National Ice Center (or KNIC) - to create NINE ice skating rinks is "the perfect project for the Bronx." Oh really? Which Borough do you represent Mr. BP? The Bronx has a median income of $34,264 and has New York's highest unemployment rates. How can our Borough President expect a sport which he knows Latinos and African-Americans youth DO NOT PLAY because IT IS  A VERY EXPENSIVE sport (skates alone range between $30 to over $200 a pair) and let's be honest, it is a not a sport that appeals to our community. Just look at the number of Latinos and African-Americans playing professional hockey. How many Mr. Borough President? Is the Borough President going to provide EACH CHILD with a FREE pair of skates for them to use? We did not think so. 

The Borough President stated that "one day we could see the next Mark Messier or Sarah Hughes coming from right here in the Bronx." This is great BUT can you ask ANYONE in our community if the know who is Mark Messier and/or Sarah Hughes? I can guarantee you that 10 out of 10 will have no idea who they are. 

The project BP Diaz supports is WRONG FOR THE COMMUNITY, plain and simple. And let us not forget who is the REALLY BEHIND the proposal Mr. Diaz is supporting. It's not Mark Messier or Sarah Hughes. The person behind the proposal is Kevin Parker, former Executive at Deutsche Bank, which by the way has not ONE woman serving on its Group Executive Committee. Parker, who has never, to our knowledge, invested a dime into our  borough, all of a sudden wants to 'invest' in the Bronx? This group, KNIC, are led by an all-white team and they want to 'invest' in our community? Has anyone seen how comfortable Mr. Parker lives in the Hamptons? Look at his 10-BEDROOM worth, oh just a mere $30 MILLION

Our Borough President has sold himself to the highest, or should we say, richest?) bidder. This is a shame given his potential as possibly the first Latino Mayor of New York City. CBP would have hoped to see the community up in arms with this proposal but unfortunately, Mr. Diaz and his team have done a great job at promoting the project as they see it best. He never really weighed the two projects as he should have done. He came out in support of KNIC even before community meetings took place. In other words, he did not care about what the community had to say. He did what HE wanted to do with no regard for the community's wishes. 

This is a perfect example of why Changing Bronx Politics (CBP) was founded: to call out those elected officials who think they are Gods and could run over the community however and whenever they feel like it. CBP hopes that other media outlets, specifically the major outlets like NY Daily News, NY Times, NY Post, and the television stations pick up on this and go out to the community so they can see that the community WILL NEVER SUPPORT KNIC. 

There is a little hope for the community: his name is FERNANDO CABRERA, the Councilman who represents the district where the Armory is located. Cabrera has yet to make his position public and we hope that he does not give in to the pressures of the Borough President and the two other elected officials who are supporting KNIC: Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblyman Jose Rivera (no relation). 

The Borough President must be reminded that the Armory 

CBP will continue to lead the effort AGAINST KNIC and we hope that others have the courage to fight as well. 



Thursday, November 1, 2012

So IF 'Rubencito' Goes (for citywide office), who's next?


It's no secret that our Borough President is considering a possible run for citywide office, specifically for Public Advocate in next year's elections. For the sake of argument, let's assume he FINALLY makes a decision and goes for it, who will be the anointed child of the Bronx Democratic County Committee and its Chairman, Carl "anything to keep the peace" Heastie? 

Let us explore a few possibilities:



One of the names is that of NW Bronx Councilman (and Pastor) Fernando Cabrera, who was elected in 2009, after narrowly defeating incumbent Maria Baez. While Councilman (or shall we say Pastor?) Cabrera is a possible ideal choice, some question his loyalty to the current leadership of the Party. His views, as a Pastor, are very conservative and this is not the view of the Bronx Democratic Party (machine) which creates a problem for Chairman Heastie and his leadership. As of this date, Cabrera only has $19,180 in the bank for a race that could very well go into the hundreds of thousands. He would need to step up his fundraising yesterday to stand a real shot at becoming our next Borough President.



Another name that has been rumored for some time now, is that of NW Bronx Assemblyman Nelson "whatever-it-takes-to-get-re-elected" Castro. We must admit that when this first came to our 'news-desk', we could not stop laughing. Assemblyman Castro for Borough President? A major milestone for Dominican community. And while it never hurts to throw your name in the hat, Castro has enough baggage, political and personal, to fill a container from the Sanitation Department. Yes, he might be pleasant, has charisma and loves hugging everyone but really, who does he think he is? Assemblyman Castro was hand-picked by former ousted Chair of the Bronx Democratic Party Jose Rivera in his efforts to look more, um, diverse. yes, he did win a candidate supported by the current leadership in 2010 but let's be honest, that candidate (Hector Ramirez) did not stand a real chance against Castro. Castro first must prove his leadership and as of this moment, no hugs or charisma will convince Chairman Heastie that he is their man to lead Borough Hall.



And the last, is NE Bronx Councilman Jimmy Vacca. Vacca is a prodigious fundraiser and has over $285,448 in the bank. This is no chump change folks. This week, it was rumored that the Diaz clan - Borough President and his dad, Senator (and also Pastor) Diaz - may have made a deal with to support Vacca for Borough President. This would be a Blessing for Vacca. Problem is, he would be running in a borough which is made up of mostly Latino. Read The Perez Notes for more details on this. How would a last name Vacca do vs. a Cabrera and/or Castro in the Bronx? That is the question!

Let us just say that there may be other possible candidates but these three are the ones we hear 'in the streets.'











A MUST READ: This week's 'BORO BEAT'


Councilwoman behind Dem Boss downfall slapped with 73G campaign tab

By Bob Kappstatter
October 25, 2012

The woman behind Assemblyman Jose Rivera’s downfall as Bronx Democratic county leader owes the city Campaign Finance Board some big bux.
It slapped former west Bronx Councilwoman Maria Baez last week with almost $73,000 in penalties and a bill for unspent matching funds from the 2009 race she lost to current Morris Heights Councilman Fernando Cabrera.
It also hit Yudelka Tapia, female district leader in the 86th Assembly District there, with a $107,704 bill for penalties and unspent funding from that same 2009 council race.

READ COMPLETE COLUMN HERE

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

WHO'S REPLACING JOEL RIVERA IN THE 15TH?


While most of the attention is on the candidates for Mayor in 2013, we must also remember that voters will be voting for their City Council representatives. In the Bronx, we are keeping our eyes on a few City Council races. Today, we'll focus our attention to Council District 15, currently represented by Councilman & Majority Leader Joel Rivera

In 2001, Joel was elected in a special election to fill the seat (formerly held by his father Jose Rivera) and became the youngest elected official in the City of New York at the age of 22. In 2009, he was rumored to be considering a run for Bronx Borough President. While he's term-limited (unable to run for the seat again), he's still sitting on a campaign war chest of $208,262.00 (as of 10/24/12). This puts him in a very comfortable position to seek Borough Hall next year. 

No, we here at CBP doubt he will challenge current Borough President Ruben "Rubencito" Diaz, Jr. This scenario is in the event that 'Rubencito' decides (finally) to seek higher office, such as Public Advocate (many political observes have publicly stated he's not ready for prime time just yet). He is sitting on $886,865 (as of 10/14/12) so he has nothing to loose and everything to gain. Did we mention that if he does decide to go for Public Advocate, he would be the only Latino on the ticket for city-wide seat? 

And yes, there's always the possibility that Joel could decide to seek his father's Assembly seat and dad will in return run for his son's seat. Gotta love Bronx politics folks. 

Now, who else would run for the 15th? Let's look at a few individuals who stand out.

Yudelka Tapia: from what our sources tell us, the perennial candidate (for almost every seat that becomes vacant) has been fundraising and telling friends she's running for Joel's district. We find that odd given she lives in Councilman Cabrera's district (who's not term-limited but, well, more on him later) and has had her base there for some time now. However, due to redistricting, she is able to run in any district (just this time).

As of today (10/24/12), she has not registered with the NYC Campaign Finance Board and thus there is no date to disclose. Yudelka is probably keeping all her options on the table. If Cabrera decides to run for Borough Hall (assuming 'Rubencito' seeks citywide office) then Yudelka MIGHT have a shot a something she has been seeking for a very long time: hold public office (being District Leader is not enough for her). 

Yudelka, in our humble opinion, is probably digging her political grave (or should we say deeper?) if she ultimately decides to run for this seat. Then again, she is an experienced, but unsuccessful, candidate. One thing we are sure is that she needs to make up her mind on which seat she ultimately wants and not be all over the place. Voters, her supporters and even the Bronx Democratic Party will eventually have wish her good luck -- on her own!


Radame Perez: Radame is the son of an influential and highly successful developer in the Bronx. They run Mastermind (they are literally all over the Bronx these days). Back in 2009, Radame was fundraising and campaigning for Joel's seat. While virtually an unknown in politics, publicly at least, Radame caught everyone's attention (particularly that of the Bronx Democratic Party) when he raised over $150,000 from June 2008 to April 2009 (yes, in only 10 months). At the end, Radame decided to hold off and while we are not sure if there was ever an agreement between him, Joel and/or Bronx Democratic Party, one thing is certain: Radame is a force to be reckoned with. 

Jose Rivera: Current Assemblyman (and former Bronx County Chair) is what many have speculated could be in the works. While we encourage everyone to seek and hold office until their bodies and minds allow them, we must also be realistic and know that those trips to Albany do take a serious toll on your body and mind when you're almost 80. 

Keep in mind that the elder Rivera held Joel's seat for more than a decade. Simply put, Jose Rivera is (or was?) a 'caudillo' in Bronx politics. Needless to say, the last name has become very familiar to older voters (especially seniors) and come election day, voters will go with the only name they have known for a very long time, for some, it has been the only name they have voted for. 

Oh, and for anyone going up against the elder Rivera, remember where he comes from: LA PERLA, Puerto Rico. And for those who know something about La Perla, we know one thing: they do not play. Want proof? When in San Juan, go, actually try, if you dare, to 'enter' La Perla. You lucky if you're allowed in and even luckier if you come out alive (of course, unless you know someone who lives there).

Tapia vs. Perez vs. Rivera: definitely worth waiting and watching how this scenario plays out in the coming months. 

UP NEXT: "Who's Replacing Helen Foster in the 16th?"

CBP will continue to keep its ears on the ground... in the meantime, let us know your thoughts. Good or not-sop good... we love democracy and freedom of speech!