GUSTAVO RIVERA IN HOT, HOT, HOT WATERS

Here at Changing Bronx Politics (CBP), we are not surprised to hear that the so-called 'beloved' State Senator from the NW Bronx, the Honorable Gustavo Rivera, is in hot waters with Bronx County Boss Carl Heastie and the Bronx Dems. 

BRONX DEMOCRATIC PARTY BOSS CARL HEASTIE: The Honorable Gustavo Rivera has had a tendency of going against the Party at every opportunity he gets. When Heastie and Bronx Dems. rallied behind Bill Thompson for Mayor last year, Honorable Rivera supported Christine Quinn, who came in 3rd place in the Bronx and citywide (Bill de Blasio came in first followed by Thompson). 

And as if that was not enough, Honorable Gustavo Rivera decided to 'stick his noses' in the Speaker's race and supported Melissa Mark-Viverito vs the County's pick, Dan Garodnick, who ultimately conceded to Mark-Viverito. Honorable Gustavo Rivera might have scored some brownie points with Mark-Viverito and some of the progressives who supported her candidacy but locally, he burned his bridges with Party Boss and the entire organization. And if Mayor de Blasio has any say, he might not be as nice as Speaker Mark-Viverito was with her foes.

JEFF KLEIN: As if having the Party not-against-you-but-not-with-you is not enough, the Honorable Gustavo Rivera has acted as the 'pitbull' with no mouthguard, 'el alcahuete' of the Senate Democrats, against his colleague State Senator Jeff Klein. The Honorable Gustavo Rivera may think he has more 'cojones' than Klein but he is forgetting who is Jeff Klein and the immense power and clout he has in NYS politics. As they say in his homeland Puerto Rico, Honorable Gustavo Rivera 'esta abombao'. Klein is ready to put his mighty war chest to oust the Honorable Gustavo Rivera.

REV. RUBEN DIAZ, SR.: And let us add the Honorable Gustavo Rivera's latest insult to injury by mocking the heavy accent of another of his colleagues, outspoken Reverend State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. 

JOSE RIVERA: It is no secret that former Bronx Party Chair, known to many as 'El Padrino' of Bronx politics, Jose Rivera (no relation to the Honorable) has very little, if any, interest in keeping the Honorable Gustavo Rivera acting as if he's the Godfather of the NW Bronx. 

FERNANDO CABRERA: We al know that local Councilman Fernando Cabrera is no friend of the Honorable Gustavo Rivera. Both want to have control of the NW Bronx and both see each other as a threat, whether they admit it or not. Cabrera is even rumored to be one of the possible candidates looking to oust the Honorable Gustavo Rivera. Will Party Boss Heastie stay out it in this case? Remains to be seen.

DOMINICANS: The district which the Honorable Gustavo Rivera represents has a high concentration of Dominicans and while he does not like to admit it or has no interest in acknowledging this fact, they do matter. The Honorable Gustavo Rivera relied on former Assemblyman Nelson Castro (see below) to make him appeared Dominica-friendly, the Honorable Gustavo Rivera has very little respect for this group and we believe the feeling is mutual. He takes his Puertorican pride to a level we all know as arrogant. This will come back to haunt him. 

ADRIANO ESPAILLAT: With State Senator Adriano Espaillat's likely challenge against Congressman Charles Rangel, we could safely assume that Senator Espaillat will need, seek and welcome the support of the Honorable Gustavo Rivera, who in turn, also needs Espaillat to again, re-introduce him as Dominican-friendly. In 2012, when Espaillat challenged, and almost won, Congressman Rangel, the Honorable Gustavo Rivera, once again, defied Bronx Party Boss Heastie who were supporting Rangel, and supported Espaillat for Congress. Word on the street was that the Honorable Gustavo Rivera only showed face when the candidate was in the area but the folks doing the hard work were Nelson Castro's team. We can attest that for better or worse, Castro himself was very active and visible in their efforts to elect the first Dominican-American to Congress. The Honorable Gustavo Rivera was, well, around. 

NELSON CASTRO & VICTOR 'LEVERGATE' PICHARDO: Disgraced Assemblymember, who represented the NW section of the Bronx, was Rivera's base. While the Honorable Gustavo Rivera would probably deny it,  it is of no secret that he never had or has a base established in the district he represents. The recent, and questionable, election of his protege Victor "Levergate" Pichardo means nothing since Pichardo is a newbie to Bronx politics and lacks a base as well. 

PEDRO ESPADA: The Honorable Gustavo Rivera may not like to mention his name but we all know that even if a dog ran against the former, and imprisoned Senator, he (dog) would have won. So we urge the Honorable Gustavo Rivera to not think of himself so high and to make sure he knows he walks the same streets we do and lives on the same planet. Or does he? 

It is clear that his days as the Honorable State Senator from the NW Bronx are numbered.  Maybe he should start looking at trying out for American Idol.

Honorable Gustavo Rivera, our best wishes!

Palma Betrayed by Her Own Party? King Left Out; Torres New Bronx Star

So, how did the Bronx Council delegation do with Speaker Mark-Viverito’s committee assignments? Not so good.

First, keep in mind that the Bronx Democratic Party, except freshman Councilmember Ritchie Torres, supported Mark-Viverito-s rival, Dan Garodnick.

The only two Councilmembers who did not get a piece of the pie were Andy King (Co-op City) and Annabel Palma, who also ran for Speaker.

After the assignments, Palma went on the offensive, bashing Speaker Mark-Viverito and called it “politics as usual” and stating “a blind man can see that this is political retribution.” This argument falls short as the Speaker even appointed her strongest rival (Garodnick) Chair of the powerful Economic Development Committee.  Palma further stated that “nothing has changed.” However, many political observers have commented that the new Speaker’s assignments demonstrate strong leadership on the part of Mark-Viverito.

When questioned by reporters about Palma’s comments, Speaker Mark-Viverito simply responded that “unfortunately, that’s the interpretation of our colleague. I respect the position but I differ with it.”

In his weekly appearance on NY 1’s Inside City Hall, political commentator Gerson Borrero said that Palma “was sold out by her own people” and challenged Palma to questioned “the deal” that Bronx Part Dem Chair Carl Heastie brokered with the Arroyo family. South Bronx Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo was selected to Chair the Community Development Committee.

It remains to be seen what political effect this may have on the leadership of Chairman Heastie, whose leadership has been put in question as a result of several recent political scandals in the Bronx.

Andy King, surprisingly, was also excluded from any committee chairmanship. This was a surprise to many since he was not publicly bashing Mark-Viverito during her race.

NW Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera was assigned Chair of Juvenile Justice. This came as a surprise given Cabrera’s opposition to Mark-Viverito’s race for Speaker. Further, minutes after Mark-Viverito’s historic election, Cabrera left a cloud of doubt when asked about Mark-Viverito’s election by Spanish newspaper (El Diario/La Prensa) and stated that “now let’s see if she really does what she said she would do and if the Council is really united under her leadership.” Seems like these comments were irrelevant to Mark-Viverito’s decision to designate Cabrera as Chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee.

The real winner in the Bronx is newly-elected Councilmember Ritchie Torres, who defied Chairman Heastie and supported Mark-Viverito early on. He will Chair the Public Housing Committee. Many observers say that Torres represents the future of Bronx politics, with a new era of progressives running for office. 

It remains to be seen how much ‘lulus’ each of the Bronx Councilmembers will receive when they are doled out in the new few months. Each Councilmember can receive from $200,000 to millions, depending of course, on their relationship with the Speaker.

As Assemblyman Jose Rivera, a staunch supporter of Mark-Viverito, wrote in his Facebook page that “If you were one of those who saw this train "Stop" at your local train station while the conductor was saying, "ALL ABOARD!" and did not jump on, don't blame Melissa blame yourself.”

Concejal Mantiene Juego con Dios y con el Diablo

El Concejal Dominico-Boricua Fernando Cabrera 

Continua Jugando con Dios y con el Diablo

El Bronx -- Las acusaciones de posible soborno contra el Concejal y Reverendo Fernando Cabrera esta 'como papa caliente' en el Bronx y en las conversaciones politicas. Cabrera, quien representa la parte Noroeste del Bronx en el Concejo Municipal, ahora cambia, de nuevo, su posicion en cuanto al proyecto de convertor el Kingsbridge Armory al Centro Nacional de Patinaje. 

Aquí una cronología de la posición del Concejal Cabrera en torno al proyecto del Kingsbridge Armory:

Primero, es el único de todos los oficiales electos que cuando anunciaron su apoyo para la construcción de un proyecto de convertir el Armory al Centro Nacional de Patinaje, estuvo aislado.

Luego, cuando vino el Alcalde Bloomberg para una firma de acuerdo, acto realizado adentro del Armory, el Concejal Cabrera estuvo allí muy sonriente ante las cámaras.

Después, surge las acusaciones que este estuvo detrás de un plan macabro para obtener una suma de $9.9 millones del grupo de inversionistas que están apoyando al proyecto, para que el pueda darle su respaldo. Claro esta, la simple intención de querer sobornar a los inversionistas es un crimen federal. Aun existe la posibilidad que el Fiscal, ya sea del Bronx o del Estado de Nueva York, puedan darle seguimiento. 

Cabrera entonces dice que no es verdad y que le preocupa el trafico de vehículos/entaponamientos en la zona para os residentes ya que como esta, los estacionamientos están muy escazos y por lo tanto, no apoya al proyecto.

El 21 de Noviembre, Cabrera cambia de posición, de nuevo. En la Junta del Condado del Bronx, la cual es presidida por el Presidente del Bronx, Ruben Diaz, Jr., Cabrera apoya el proyecto. 

El Presidente Diaz, Jr. estuvó contento pues pensó que ya Cabrera estaba respaldando el proyecto. 

Sorpresa que se llevo Diaz, Jr. cuando el pasado jueves 5 del presente, Cabrera lo enfrenta (a Diaz, Jr.) en una audiencia realizada por el Sub-Comité del Uso de Tierra del Concejo Municipal. Cabrera incluso ataco a los activistas comunitarios que se unieron al proyecto y concluyo exhortandole a sus colegas en el Consejo a no aprobar el proyecto de patinaje. 

Nadie sabe que decisión tomaría el Concejal Cabrera el día de mañana pero si de algo se esta seguro es que su futuro político desde ya esta en peligro de extinción. Los comentarios entre los políticos del Bronx es que "ya la maquinaria esta buscando a quien apoyar para que se postule contra un traicionero" en las elecciones municipales del 2017. Aun es muy temprano para decir quien seria pero entre los que mas suenan están los activistas Yudelka Tapia y Hector Ramirez, ambos que ya se han postulados en reiteradas ocasiones a varias posiciones pero no han podido lograrlo. También suele a sonar Steve Santana, actual Líder Distrital, quien era y se mantiene como la mano derecha del ex-Asambleísta Nelson Castro. Claro esta, el Partido Demócrata del Bronx y el Presidente del Condado Ruben Diaz, Jr serán los que decidirán quien seria el contrincante con mejores posibilidades de enfrentar al Concejal Cabrera en el 2017.

En el 2014, se realizaran las elecciones Congresionales y como ya se ha publicado, el Senador Estatal del Alto Manhattan buscara de nuevo este escaño con el propósito de convertirse en el primer Congresista de origen Dominicano electo en la historia de los EEUU. Dichas elecciones se llevaran a cabo en Junio 2014, y el papel del Cabrera en esa contienda estaría por verse. En el 2012, cuando Espaillat se postuló para ese escaño en contra del actual Congresista Charlie Rangel, Cabrera le dio una 'galleta sin mano' a la candidatura de Espaillat ya que se esperaba que Cabrera respaldaría a quien le confirmo su Dominicanidad. Pero no fue así. Cabrera, y ya vemos que para este es una rutina, de ultimo minuto, respaldó a Rangel.

Según nos informan, el Senador Estatal Gustavo Rivera, quien si respaldo a Espaillat en el 2012, pueda que no este de su lado en esta ocasión pues de hacerlo, corre el peligro que el Partido Demócrata y el Presidente Ruben Diaz, Jr. no respalden su re-elección en Septiembre, cuando es muy probable que este (Gustavo Rivera) tenga un contrincante 'de peso fuerte'. 

Así que aun esta por verse que sucederá con el Concejal Y PASTOR Cabrera pero claro esta, sabemos que no puede seguir con Dios y con el Diablo! 

NY Daily News: "Councilman dodges allegations he tried to secure money from Kingsbridge Armory developer"

Councilman dodges allegations he tried to secure money from Kingsbridge Armory developer

Rejects developer's charge that he pegged support for Kingsbridge National Ice Center to $100,000 a year, for 99 years, for a former nonprofit associated with his church.

BY JENNIFER H. CUNNINGHAM / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The developers, through their attorney, said the councilman did try to secure such a deal as part of a community benefits agreement that the developer negotiated with an alliance composed of 27 local organizations.

Under that deal, the developer promised to set aside $1 million each year for 99 years to provide ice time to needy residents and groups, but the councilman was alleged to have demanded $100,000 of that money be redirected each year.

“A request from Councilman Cabrera, coming as it did from a sitting city council member who would ultimately vote on this project, was inappropriate in our view,” said William Brewer III, who is the lead counsel to KNIC Partners. He added that because Cabrera was affiliated with the group, and because it had lost its non-profit status, “the request was rejected out of hand.”

Cabrera, a minister, wouldn’t acknowledge that he made the request...

Another Bronx Elected Official ALLEGEDLY Caught in POSSIBLE Corruption Scandal

Bronx Councilman ALLEGEDLY Asks $9.9M 

for Support of the Kingsbridge Armory Developer

New drama for Kingsbridge Armory

In yet another twist in the quest to redevelop Kingsbridge Armory, the local City Councilman is reportedly withholding his support months after a failed attempt to extract a massive donation package for his personal charity.

READ FULL ARTICLE

Cabrera Holding Out On Armory

Four sources, including two directly involved with CBA negotiations between the developer and 27 community organizations represented by the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance, said that after the deal was agreed upon, Cabrera tried to get KNIC to funnel $100,000 annually for the next 99 years to Community Action Unlimited, an organization he controls.

READ FULL ARTICLE

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

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!