Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed two prominent northwest Bronxites to a long-awaited 15-member Charter Revision Commission, which will take a look at the entire City Charter and propose any possible changes.
Tony Cassino, the former chairman of Community Board 8 and a former City Council candidate in District 11, and Father Joseph McShane, the president of Fordham University, were both named to the commission.
Bloomberg said he made the selections based on input and recommendations from “numerous elected officials and civic leaders.
City University of New York Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, a career educator and academic, was named chair of the commission. As vice chair, Bloomberg chose former City Council chief of staff John H. Banks, who is now the vice president of government relations at Con Edision and a member of the Metropolitan Transit Authority board.
Bloomberg says the commission will be charged with “reaching out to every community, analyzing every idea on the merits, and proposing changes that will improve the lives of New Yorkers.”
In a statement, Bloomberg said the commission would hold hearings in every borough as part of this outreach effort.
For months, rumors saying Bloomberg may be looking to change and perhaps take away some of the responsibilities of local community boards as well as those of the borough presidents have circulated through the borough.
Immediately after Bloomberg’s commission announcement last Wednesday, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. acknowledged some of those rumors in a statement.
“I am happy that, after weeks of rumors and reports, Mayor Bloomberg has finally announced the appointment of a charter revision commission,” Diaz said. “I look forward to working with the commission and its members to ensure that the issues of all Bronxites are addressed through this body. To that end, this commission must hold hearings in the Bronx, in fact in all five boroughs, to guarantee that the voices of my constituents are heard.”
Dick Dadey, the executive director of the nonprofit Citizens Union, liked the appointment of Goldstein as chair, calling it an “inspired choice.” —Alex Kratz
admin
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.