Chavez Falls for the Bronx

Next time they’ll go up against each other on a Bronx baseball field.

But this time, Congressman Jose Serrano was Hugo Chavez’ biggest fan, inviting the oft-maligned Venezuelan president to the Bronx to meet his constituents.

It all started when Serrano heard that Chavez would be in town for a United Nations conference in September. He called Chavez’ people to broach the idea of a Bronx day trip and Serrano said their response was, “This is incredible! We were just going to call you.”  Chavez was interested in meeting with community people in the Bronx, perhaps because Serrano has been one his few supporters in Washington. Chavez has been pilloried by the administration and other politicians for his socialist leanings and his alliance with Fidel Castro.

To save time, Serrano invited several community groups — including Mothers on the Move, Nos Quedamos and Youth Ministries for Peace and justice — to set up display tables at the Point, a community center in Hunts Point.

“Everybody set up a booth and we expected a typical head-of-state situation — shake a hand and leave,” Serrano said in a phone interview. “Three hours later he was still at the center … It was incredible!”

Chavez asked each group questions about their budget, staff size and mission. At the booth for the Mary Mitchell Center, a youth center in Crotona, Chavez instructed an aide to take down the group’s information so the Venezuelan embassy could make a donation, the Miami Herald reported.

Chavez made other speeches that day, before a packed house at the Latino Pastoral Action Center in the Bronx and at a church in Manhattan. His Bronx tour seems to have made an impression.

“Starting today, you known that I [have fallen] in love,” he said to the crowd in Manhattan. “I have fallen in love with the Bronx and New York.”

He added, “I even have a dream, as Dr. King said … Some day I want to take a swim in the Bronx River when we clean it, when we de-pollute it. And I have another dream to play ball at Yankee Stadium.”

He also said he had “met the soul of the American people.”

U.S. policy toward Venezuela is driven by anti-Castro Cubans living in Florida, Serrano said. “Miami gets this country into so many confrontations with Latin America,” said Serrano, who brought Castro to the Bronx a decade ago.

Serrano said Chavez’ relationship with the borough will continue and a number of ideas for collaboration are being batted around.

Chavez, who once aspired to be a major leaguer, did tell Serrano that he had one disappointment on his trip: he wanted to play softball. That will have to wait for his next visit, though the two politicians played catch on stage after one of the speeches.

In the meantime, Serrano gave an appropriate gift of two framed and signed Yankee photos: one of Paul O’Neill, and one of Derek Jeter flying into the stands to snag a fly ball.

“This one reminds me of how you dove into the fight against poverty in your country,” Serrano told Chavez.
— Jordan Moss

Unsafe School Crossing
For many Bronx kids, the process of getting to school safely is scarier than hitting the books, according to grim statistics outlined in a report by the borough president’s office last week. The Bronx leads the city in the number of children struck by cars, and over one-third of the borough’s recent pedestrian accidents involve children under the age of 14.

“People should be able to walk to school, church or simply stroll around the city without the fear of being hit by a car,” said Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión in a statement.

Two out of the five most dangerous intersections, according to city statistics, are in the local area. Two children have died in two years trying to navigate between University Avenue and West 181st Street, which is near PS/MS 15 and PS 291, and 26 children were hit by vehicles at the intersection between East Fordham Road and Webster Avenue over the past five years.

Despite the dangers, nine out of 10 children ages 5 to 17 walk to school in the Bronx.

The borough president called on the city Department of Transportation (DOT) to install more traffic calming devices, like speed bumps, around Bronx schools. The DOT began studying safety concerns around 135 city schools, including PS 33, MS 399 and St. Ann’s School, last year.

The DOT did not respond to calls seeking comment.
— Heather Haddon

More Buses
New express buses will soon hit Bronx streets now that the MTA has awarded a $141 million contract to purchase new, fuel-efficient vehicles. The 140 new buses are divided between Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens routes.

Council Member John Liu of Queens praised the decision, but said it was too long in coming. “This is welcome news, finally, since bus riders in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx have been starved of desperately needed new buses,” said Liu, the Council’s Transportation Committee chair, in a statement. “These 400,000 bus riders should never have suffered for so long with decrepit and breakdown-prone buses.”

Last year, the MTA took over several private express bus routes, including the Liberty Lines that travels between the Grand Concourse and Manhattan. A survey conducted by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Council Member Oliver Koppell last month found that rider satisfaction has plummeted since the takeover.
— Heather Haddon

Comings and Goings
Madeline Provenzano’s final term in the City Council doesn’t officially end until January, but Tom Lucania, her chief of staff, has already moved on. The borough president appointed Lucania as his new director of community board affairs last month.

Lucania has a long career of public service in the Pelham Parkway and Morris Park areas. He served as the district manager of Community Board 11 until 1995, and most recently worked for Provenzano, who oversees Council District 13. The Bronx seat serves Pelham Parkway, Throgs Neck and Morris Park.

In his new role, Lucania will handle all issues related to the Bronx’ 12 community boards, which borough presidents oversee. “His strong ties to the Bronx and many years of public service to our borough will be invaluable to this office,” said Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión in a statement.
— Heather Haddon

Making Law
In light of skyrocketing fuel costs, state Senator Jeff Klein introduced a package of legislation last month that details some creative ways to encourage energy efficiency. The proposals include easing taxes and eliminating tolls for hybrid vehicles, which run partially on electricity, and a sales tax exemption for purchasing new energy-efficient appliances. “These are proven common sense steps we can take to reduce our dependency on foreign oil,” said Klein, who represents Riverdale and other neighborhoods in the Bronx and Westchester.
— Heather Haddon