Bronx BP Scraps Citywide Bid, Running for Re-Election

After exploring and raising significant funds to make a run at a citywide position, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced today that he has decided to scrap his bid for Public Advocate and seek re-election as borough president in 2013. Diaz explained his decision to supporters in an email, saying “the needs of the people of the Bronx are foremost on my mind and in my heart.”

Northwest Bronx Election Results All Over the Map

If you live in the Norwood Newscoverage area, which includes Norwood, Bedford Park, University Heights, Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham and Fordham-Bedford, you may very well be in store for new representation in state government come Jan. 1.

Riverdale Pols to Push Board 8 Member for Council Seat

For a while, Cliff Stanton had candidacy for the 11th Council District, which includes Norwood, Bedford Park and Riverdale, all to himself. Now, however, Riverdale’s political establishment, including current 11th District rep Oliver Koppell, is throwing all of its weight behind another candidate, Community Board 8 member Andrew Cohen.

New Disaster Center at Bronx County Building

A new disaster relief center has been set up at the Bronx County Building where residents can help on any number of issues related to the fallout from Hurricane Sandy. Below is the full press release from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

PS 340 Parents In Uproar Over Mid-Year Transfers

“The education system is going to the dogs,” said Elizabeth Thompson, a representative of the Kingsbridge Heights Neighborhood Improvement Association, at a meeting last week. Thompson, along with a slew of parents from PS 340, lobbied together last Thursday night at the Community Education Council 10 meeting to express their frustrations after being notifying by the school that some 20 students would be transferred midway through the semester to PS 310 due to capping.

Sector George: The Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the Precinct

On a recent Friday afternoon, off-duty firefighter Eddie De La Cruz leisurely walks past Bainbridge Avenue along East 196th Street and stops in front of Our Lady of Refuge Church to chat with Father John Jenik, the parish’s longtime leader. They both greet people passing by, mostly parents with their kids, with pleasantries in English and Spanish. The only sense that this interaction is happening in the most dangerous neighborhoods in the 52nd Precinct, and one of the toughest in the northwest Bronx, is a handful of young men wearing hoodies and expensive sneakers milling menacingly in front of a six-story apartment building down the block. They’re on the lookout and waiting to take over these streets when darkness comes.

Bronx Notes: Job Fair Today

NYS Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assembly Member Nelson Castro will host a job fair, “Let’s Get Bronxites Back to Work,” Nov. 16 from noon to 4 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church Hall, 1948 Washington Ave. (178th Street). Dress professionally and bring your resume. For more information, call (718) 933-2034.

Bronx Biz: On The Fordham Road to Recovery

As Hurricane Sandy whipped through the tri-state area, it left 40,000 in the Bronx without power. Trees went down. They crushed cars. Storefronts were damaged, and branches were ubiquitous. Mostly, businesses were closed. For two days, the city shut down. But despite widespread damage from the storm, Fordham Road — one of the most bustling streets in the borough — began to come back to life swiftly.