Politics

Mayor & Bronx BP Races: Kathryn Garcia & Nathalia Fernández Cross Endorse Each Other

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80), candidate for Bronx borough president, endorsed Kathryn Garcia as her number two choice for New York City mayor on Friday, June 11, while Garcia, the City’s former Sanitation commissioner and food czar, endorsed Fernández as her number one pick for Bronx borough president.   Fernández credited Garcia’s dedication as a lifelong public servant, her extensive career fighting climate change, and her steady hand shepherding New York City through some of its biggest crises, as the deciding factors in ranking Garcia her number two choice for mayor. On May 12, the assemblywoman announced her endorsement of


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Dinowitz Bill Allowing Seniors in Co-Ops Access to Home Equity Loans Passed by Legislature

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The State Assembly and State Senate have passed legislation (A1508) to allow seniors living in cooperative apartment buildings to apply for “reverse mortgages,” a type of loan currently available to homeowners that transfers built-up home equity into cash. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), who was one of the legislators to introduce the bill, announced the news on Friday, June 11, as the Legislature broke for the summer recess.   According to bankrate.com, a home equity loan is a lump-sum loan that’s secured by home equity. Quickloans.com defines equity as the difference between what a person owes on their mortgage and


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Bronx BP Race: United Probation Officers Endorse Vanessa Gibson

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The United Probation Officers Association announced their support on Sunday, June 13, for District 16 City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson in her bid to win the Bronx borough presidency.   Dalvanie K Powell is president of the association and said The Bronx needs elected officials who understand the role that probation officers play in turning lives around in New York City and that Gibson “certainly” does that. “She has proven herself, time and again, that she is committed to the future of the Bronx and to New York City, and we proudly endorse her for borough president of the Bronx. We


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Update: Jamaal Bowman Issues Statement on Eric Adams’ Education Remarks on Virtual Learning

By SÍLE MOLONEY
In response to remarks about remote learning made by Brooklyn borough president and New York City mayoral candidate, Eric Adams, during a Citizen’s Budget Commission forum in February 2021, which were posted to Twitter on June 11, U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), himself, a former teacher, released a statement on Saturday, June 12, condemning the borough president’s remarks.   The tweet was posted under the Twitter handle for The Matt Skidmore Show. Under the YouTube channel for the The Matt Skidmore Show, it states that “Matt creates a video explaining why voters should consider 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate and former


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Wiley Outlines New Universal Health Care Plan at Montefiore, Backs Fernández for Bronx BP

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Human rights lawyer and candidate for mayor, Maya Wiley was back in The Bronx on Tuesday, June 8, for a visit to Montefiore Medical Center, where she held a press conference to announce details of her plan for universal health coverage in the City. She was joined by members of 1199 SEIU and New York State Nurses Association. Wiley said the plan would transform health coverage in New York City and extend care to hundreds of thousands of residents, including the undocumented.   About 600,000 New Yorkers are uninsured according to Wiley, and half of those are undocumented. Meanwhile, a


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Bronx CB7 May General Meeting Sees New Officer Nominations & Veterans Fare Discounts

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
  A jam-packed agenda extended the May Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) general board meeting to just under two hours. Much of the meeting, held on May 25, was spent going over the nominations for incoming officer positions for the upcoming year, including chairperson, first vice chair, second vice chair, third vice chair, treasurer, and secretary. Several motions were also passed, including those relating to requested letters of support from the board to different city agencies and elected officials.   Each year, during the general board’s May meeting, nominations are made for new officer positions, and the final vote is


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Bronxites Mark Gun Violence Awareness Month as May Sees 271% increase in Shooting Victims

By DAVID GREENE
June marks Gun Violence Awareness Month across the country. In the Bronx, lawmakers pushed for more stringent gun reform laws, increased federal funding for local cure violence programs, an anti-gun violence rally took place along Valentine Avenue, and other rallies are planned throughout the remainder of the month, all in efforts to address what has long been categorized as a gun violence epidemic.   Bronx shooting incidents were up 190 percent in May, compared to May 2020, while the number of shooting victims in the borough over the month increased by 271 percent, compared to the same period last year.


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Update: AOC Backs Wiley for Mayor, Abreu in CD14, Velázquez in CD13; PAC Backs Lora in CD11 & Sanchez in CD14

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
  District 14 City Council candidate and tenants’ advocate, Adolfo Abreu, picked up his most high-profile endorsement to date when Bronx Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) personally endorsed him during an event held just a few steps from Manhattan’s City Hall on Saturday, June 5. During the event, the congresswoman also announced her much coveted seal of approval of mayoral candidate, Maya Wiley, while District Leader in A.D. 82, Majorie Velázquez, also received a personal endorsement from the congresswoman in the District 13 City Council race.   Meanwhile, in the District 11 race, candidate, Mino Lora, founder and executive director of


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Super PACs Spend $18.6 M on NYC Candidates so far, including Abreu, Bravo & Pierina Sanchez

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) announced that “independent expenditure committees,” sometimes referred to as IEs or Super PACs, reported a new collective spending total in the 2021 New York City elections of over $18.6 million, as of Friday, June 11. This was mostly spent on mayoral candidates but also includes cumulative spending on other candidates like District 14 City Council candidates, Adolfo Abreu and Pierina Sanchez, and District 15 City Council candidate and Bronx Community Board 7 District Manager, Ischia Bravo.   A Super PAC is a political campaign that advocates for the election or defeat of


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