Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on the Borough President

This week we asked readers their thoughts on Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s time in office, and asked them to name some of his successes or failures during his administration so far. Well, so far he’s been Borough President for more than four years. It must be more and he’s done a lot of good things. He cleaned up the Bronx River and he’s got us more housing. He’s interested in that stuff, better living and better jobs for us. I think he’s been a good borough president. I think he wants to accomplish a lot for the Bronx and for

By DAVID CRUZ

BP Reflects on Development, Drawing Professional Workers, and Mayoral Ambivalence His innuendos were obvious, if not passive aggressive. But there he stood, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. spending 45 minutes in his seventh State of the Borough address chastising the de Blasio Administration for a number of perceived missteps. For political observers, it was a diatribe that once again stoked the burning question. Does Mr. Diaz want to be mayor of New York City? Can he really run the city? It’s an elephant in the room nurtured by daily speculation from inquisitive media and its propensity for validation. Though

Former Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, running to succeed Congressman Charles Rangel of the 13th Congressional District, holds a meet and greet at Tracey Towers. Cook was previously a US Ambassador for Religious Freedom at large, a domestic policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton and is now the only female candidate running for this seat in Congress. Photo courtesy Campaign for Suzan Johnson Cook

Bronx County Dems Back Wright for Congress

By DAVID CRUZ

The Bronx Democratic County Committee has officially endorsed Assemblyman Keith Wright, a Democrat representing Harlem, in the hugely crowded race for the 13th Congressional District, a seat long held by Congressman Charles Rangel. BDCC’s chair, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, said Wright “will fight for our families, advocate for our needs, and speak up for our community.” Wright, who attended high school in the Bronx, has made little campaign stops in the borough, focusing mainly on Manhattan’s side of the 13th Congressional District, which covers 80 percent of the district. The rest covers the northwest Bronx, including Norwood. Wright hasn’t won the

Hello Faithful Readers! The digital edition of the latest Norwood News, bringing you plenty of Bronx community news you can use, is out and hitting stands as I write. So many stories, it’s hard to know where to begin. We can start at the front page, with a missing persons case that’s rattled Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights and the Bangladeshi communities in the Bronx. Mahfuza Rahman, an aspiring nurse and mother, has not been seen since December. Police are now looking to question the husband, who flew back to his native Bangladesh with their 9-year-old daughter. Find out what representatives from

By DANIELA BEASLEY

The Concourse Yards Development proposal is an innovative idea but not the first time that this airspace has been looked at to become something more for the Bronx. For years, a number of projects similar to Diaz’s current proposal languished in development, with starts and stops that cost the city millions, or ignored completely. It’s a fate that could or could not mar the proposals this time around. An original proposal dates back to 1961 when a plan to create a platform over the Concourse Yards in Bedford Park was proposed by Bronx Community College (BCC). The platform would have

Hello Faithful Readers: The Norwood News brings you the latest edition of the community newspaper, with plenty of Bronx news you can use. With 24 packed pages, it’s tough determining where to begin. Well, we’ll go to page one and a recent spike in crime at the local 52nd Precinct, which is dealing with a spike in burglaries. Thieves hit several stores around the busy Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District, with some taking the news in stride while others deeply concerned. Check out the nifty map detailing where the crimes have occurred. We also bring you some sad news of a

A pair of Bronx legislators are once again backing state Sen. Adriano Espaillat for the 13th Congressional District, which covers Norwood. But an endorsement from the Bronx Democratic County Committee appears unlikely. Espaillat, a Democrat, grabbed support from his Democratic colleague, Senator Gustavo Rivera, along with state Assemblyman Victor Pichardo, a Democrat. The endorsement is a familiar move, as both legislators backed Espaillat in both Congressional elections. His first order of business should he win: opening a Congressional office in the Bronx. “I think the people of the Bronx have been lied to,” said Espaillat, sitting alongside Rivera and Pichardo

By DAVID CRUZ

In his yearly address highlighting accomplishments while pushing a heavy agenda, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s seventh State of the Borough speech addressed more city matters than in previous addresses, further underscoring his ambition to run for Mayor of New York. In the 44-minute speech, ripe with roughly 59 rounds of applause, Diaz took jabs at the city’s response to last year’s Legionnaire’s outbreak, its approach to its lofty rezoning plan, and made clear his support for charter schools, conflicting with the lukewarm take of Mayor Bill de Blasio. Issues relating to the borough, of course, took center stage in