Though there are some remaining obstacles (see cover story re: Pedro Espada), come Jan. 1, the Democrats are likely to take control of the state legislature for the first time in 40 years.
That means they will no longer be able to blame the Republican-controlled Senate for stalling legislation and budgets.
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, long accustomed to seeing bills passed by his own house disappear into the Senate’s black hole, said there’s “a backlog of years and years of good things that we’ve done that we want to make into reality.” He cited gun control laws, stem cell research, rent protection laws and a new bottle bill.
He also mentioned campaign finance and redistricting reform.
“We won’t be able to blame Republicans if it doesn’t become a reality,” Dinowitz said. “With these huge victories come significant responsibilities for the Democrats. If the Democrats can’t produce, then Democrats will get blamed for not producing. It’s time to put up or shut up, and I don’t like shutting up, so we better put up.”
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.