Koppell: On Armory, Administration ‘Bargaining in Bad Faith’
As a vote neared in the City Council on the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment, only Oliver Koppell was publicly expressing reservations about joining with the Bronx delegation in rejecting the project.
But when the vote came, he voted with the Bronx delegation and 44 of his colleagues, in a stunning rebuke of the mayor and one of his top outer-borough economic development priorities.
But when the vote came, he voted with the Bronx delegation and 44 of his colleagues, in a stunning rebuke of the mayor and one of his top outer-borough economic development priorities.
Public and Community Meetings
Cabrera Takes the Stage
Fernando Cabrera didn’t wait until Jan. 1 to become the councilman for the 14th District. Right after the November general election, without an office, a Council salary or a paid staff, Cabrera attended community meetings and events, met with community leaders, and helped lead the charge for the Bronx delegation in defeating the Bloomberg administration’s plans to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall.
The hard work and passion he has exhibited thus far is promising and fills a giant gap left by his predecessor, Maria Baez, who had the worst City Council attendance record and was rarely seen at important community meetings.
We do worry he will be spread thin by other substantial professional obligations. He is pastor of New Life Outreach International Church on Morris Avenue and he still plans to teach courses on-line for Mercy College, where he has been a professor of counseling. Only time will tell if he can handle it all, but we hope he prioritizes the position he was just elected to. His constituents are counting on him.
The hard work and passion he has exhibited thus far is promising and fills a giant gap left by his predecessor, Maria Baez, who had the worst City Council attendance record and was rarely seen at important community meetings.
We do worry he will be spread thin by other substantial professional obligations. He is pastor of New Life Outreach International Church on Morris Avenue and he still plans to teach courses on-line for Mercy College, where he has been a professor of counseling. Only time will tell if he can handle it all, but we hope he prioritizes the position he was just elected to. His constituents are counting on him.
Changing Lives One Volunteer at a Time
Volunteer. Make a difference. Give back.
These powerful mantras resonated with us as we decided to dedicate a year of service through the NYC Service initiative, the NYC Civic Corps. In response to President Barack Obama’s call to service, Mayor Michael Bloomberg began NYC Service in April 2009 to make New York City a model of how volunteerism can influence people to become leaders in their communities. Led by Diahann Billings-Burford, the nation’s first chief service officer, NYC Civic Corps is the largest NYC Service initiative tasked with strengthening the key areas of education, environment, health, emergency preparedness, and strengthening the city overall. The nearly 200 Civic Corps members have been placed at 60 agencies in the five boroughs to address the capacity gap at the local level.
These powerful mantras resonated with us as we decided to dedicate a year of service through the NYC Service initiative, the NYC Civic Corps. In response to President Barack Obama’s call to service, Mayor Michael Bloomberg began NYC Service in April 2009 to make New York City a model of how volunteerism can influence people to become leaders in their communities. Led by Diahann Billings-Burford, the nation’s first chief service officer, NYC Civic Corps is the largest NYC Service initiative tasked with strengthening the key areas of education, environment, health, emergency preparedness, and strengthening the city overall. The nearly 200 Civic Corps members have been placed at 60 agencies in the five boroughs to address the capacity gap at the local level.