Election 2020 – Local Election Round-Up

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The following is an overview of some of the more pertinent, local election results released so far in the Northwest Bronx general election races (as well as a few others) held on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020. Bronx Judicial Election Updates Wanda Negron won with 54.5 percent of the vote in the general election for New York City Civil Court Bronx 2nd Municipal Court District. There was no incumbent. She previously defeated Linda Poust Lopez in the primary.The count for other Bronx judicial races, including three seats in the Supreme Court 12th Judicial District race has not yet been finalized.

By DAWN CLANCY

Norwood’s residents braved the first chill of fall on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to cast their votes on Election Day 2020. Despite the convenience afforded by early voting this year, there was a clear driving force behind a solid local Election Day turnout that saw long lines meandering through parking lots, and pouring out onto nearby streets. That driver? The pandemic. “COVID has leaped over all my other voting issues,” said Jan Vanlier, 55, an executive assistant. “My mental and physical health can’t take another four years of this.” It’s a sentiment that has spread aggressively throughout the Bronx, as

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on early voting and the 2020 presidential election. “I think that the process was very effective, I’m hoping. I watched the press conference of Governor [Andrew] Cuomo, that he’s going forward with this in the future, so I think this was a very effective and efficient way of having this opportunity of early voting. The line was about sixty feet, and I was able to get in and out in twenty minutes. It only took me ten minutes to vote. I think the most critical issue is bringing people together. The divisiveness we’re

By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI

Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, presents a five-part series on national issues affecting voters during the 2020 presidential election, seen through the local lens of Bronx neighborhood communities. Part five looks at housing and education. It’s no secret that the Bronx has challenges, that its richer neighbors to the North and South do not. It ranks last among New York counties in terms of health outcomes, has some of the poorest school districts, and some of the highest air pollution rates, but it also has people who care fiercely about it, people who want

By AURÉOLE RIBES

Mia Payne, a 16-year-old Bronx student from Talent Unlimited HS, became interested in criminal justice after watching the Ava DuVernay’s documentary “13th,” which outlines the history of the carceral system in the United States, and its correlation with slavery. Being a young Black woman, criminal and racial justice launched her interest in social justice issues, which is how she ended up joining a six-week criminal justice course at YVote. “It was really just crazy to me how you’re being affected, and you don’t even really know,” Payne said. Founded in 2017, YVote is a NY-based, non-profit organization that

By NORA THOMAS

Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, presents a five-part series on national issues affecting voters in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, seen through the local lens of Bronx neighborhood communities. This segment looks at immigration. In the final presidential debate on Oct. 22, President Donald Trump touted his administration’s efforts to increase border security and said undocumented children in federal custody had been brought over by “coyotes and cartels.” Since he announced his run for president five years ago, Trump has always taken a hard stance on immigration, making it a

Debate for Norwood Assembly Seat Tonight

By DAVID GREENE, MIRIAM QUINOÑES & SÍLE MOLONEY

In this special feature, Norwood News provides an overview of the Democratic and Republican candidates in the 80th Assembly race. Following an August announcement by Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernández that she was running for the Bronx borough presidency in 2021, political wheels started to turn very quickly in the Northwest Bronx. A win by Fernández in the borough presidency race would mean her 80th district assembly seat would need to be filled prior to the end of her second term. Some members of local political organization, the Northwest Bronx Democrats (NWBx Dems), founded in 2003, were so concerned at

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Oct. 14, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) launched an online Service Levels Tracker, a new tool which allows New Yorkers to see average wait times for DOB services while also, according to DOB, demonstrating the agency’s commitment to both expediency and efficiency. While this information has been available to the public in different forms over the years, the new tracker puts it all in one location, with a clear explanation of the different DOB metrics. Too often, homeowners and the public do not have the tools necessary to understand where DOB fits into the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Urban League and its partners invite community-based organizations (CBOs) to apply for a NYC Council Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund (CCNSF) grant by the new extended deadline of Nov. 6, 2020 at 5 p.m. The New York City Council established the Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund (CCNSF) in recent years and has allocated $2.5 million to award grants to support Black, Latino, and Asian-led community-based organizations throughout New York City’s five boroughs. The first New York City Council fund of its kind, CCNSF aims to build the capacity of New York City nonprofits