In a Council race, usually the mailings come fast and furious in the waning days of the election – when most people focus on the race.
But Anthony Cassino, a Riverdale resident and former chair of Community Board 8, who is running for City Coucil in the 11th District as a Democrat, is already shelling out campaign cash to land his nascent campaign in the mailboxes of local voters.
Bronx parks advocates, employees, and elected officials gathered last Saturday at Lehman College for the 15th Annual Bronx Parks Speak Up, which was highlighted by a heated discussion among City Council members about the Yankee Stadium replacement parks and the fate of parks maintenance in this year’s budget.
One drawback to a city this large is that the bureaucrats – most of them dedicated public servants – who formulate policy can’t be familiar with most of the neighborhoods their policies shape.
The remedy for that was supposed to be community boards, originally conceived as Little City Halls in the Lindsay Administration.
But community boards can only be effective if they are kept in the loop about critical local projects. We can’t think of a project more suited to community board review than the city’s decision to transform residential apartment buildings into transitional shelters for the homeless, yet Community Board 7 was kept completely in the dark about this until some teachers at PS 8 noticed what was happening. And the community only learned about what has been happening at 15-19 Mosholu Parkway because tenants called us when they saw our story about 3001 Briggs.
As many local residents have stated, their opposition is not a rejection of homeless people. Community Board 7 has been among the most hospitable to special needs housing programs; there haven’t been the typical knock-down drag-out, not-in-my-backyard protests that have beset other communities.
There’s much more at issue here. The buildings that have been substantially converted into shelters are some of the worst in the area. They have hundreds of serious housing code violations and many tenants have reportedly been harassed out of their buildings to make room for shelter residents.
The remedy for that was supposed to be community boards, originally conceived as Little City Halls in the Lindsay Administration.
But community boards can only be effective if they are kept in the loop about critical local projects. We can’t think of a project more suited to community board review than the city’s decision to transform residential apartment buildings into transitional shelters for the homeless, yet Community Board 7 was kept completely in the dark about this until some teachers at PS 8 noticed what was happening. And the community only learned about what has been happening at 15-19 Mosholu Parkway because tenants called us when they saw our story about 3001 Briggs.
As many local residents have stated, their opposition is not a rejection of homeless people. Community Board 7 has been among the most hospitable to special needs housing programs; there haven’t been the typical knock-down drag-out, not-in-my-backyard protests that have beset other communities.
There’s much more at issue here. The buildings that have been substantially converted into shelters are some of the worst in the area. They have hundreds of serious housing code violations and many tenants have reportedly been harassed out of their buildings to make room for shelter residents.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has done it again. In 2008 we were told that the excavation project on Goulden Avenue would use a mechanical method known as "hoe ramming." But the DEP lied to us! They never intended to use this quieter and safer method. Our community activists learned that in spring 2009, DEP will begin "surface blasting," a process that presents potential danger to all who live near the Jerome Park Reservoir.
Yet another developer in New York City is asking for millions of dollars in tax exemptions. On March 5, the Related Companies will ask the New York City Industrial Development Agency (IDA) for a huge tax break to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory. The company is actively refusing to negotiate with the Bronx community and guarantee basic outcomes, such as good, living wage jobs for local residents, vital community space and quality retail shopping opportunities.
The graffiti situation on the Bainbridge Avenue/East 204th Street merchant corridor has gotten out of control. In the 1990s, community residents were able to raise money to pay for weekly cleaning of the strip. But for years after funding ran out, taggers stayed away because they knew Bainbridge/204th as a place their tags wouldn’t last. But now we’re back to where we were. We hope local merchants, elected officials and community organizations will come together to find a new solution to the problem. In the meantime, we hope landlords, homeowners and merchants will paint over or steam clean their own gates and façades. It’s in their self-interest and the community’s collective interest.