There were a number of contested Democratic primaries in the Bronx. Here are the results: State Assembly – District 79 Michael Benjamin, 2,301 votes, 61.64% Sigfredo Gonzalez, 1,432 votes, 38.36% State Assembly – District 83 Carl Heastie, 3,667 votes, 78.25% Sherman Browne, 1,019 votes, 21.75% State Assembly – District 85 Ruben Diaz, 3,157 votes, 85.58% Israel Cruz, 532 votes, 14.42% State Assembly – District 86 Nelson Castro, 1,513 votes, 62.62% Mike Soto, 903 votes, 37.38% State Senate – District 33 Pedro Espada, 4,615 votes, 59.60% Efrain Gonzalez, 3,128 votes, 40.40%

In defeating Maria Matos, Jose Rivera’s choice in the Democratic primary for Civil Court, Elizabeth Taylor scored a victory for a large faction of Bronx elected officials who seek to replace Jose Rivera as party boss. The so-called Rainbow Rebels, named for the diversity in their ranks, also defeated Rivera’s attempt to unseat several of the breakaway incumbent lawmakers. This all comes as the Bronx County Democratic Committee prepares for a meeting on Sept. 28 at the Utopia Paradise Theater, where the Rebels will likely make their move to unseat Rivera.

As we report in this issue, Council Member Oliver Koppell, who represents Norwood and part of Bedford Park, in addition to his Riverdale base, has emerged as the prime mover behind an effort to extend term limits for city elected officials from two four-year terms to three. We are open to this concept. But since voters ratified term limits twice, any changes are for the voters to decide, not Koppell or his Council colleagues who obviously have a self-interest in this matter. Our gripe here is not with Koppell’s record, who was also an effective assemblyman for more than two decades before his Council tenure. What troubles us most is the last-minute nature of this effort. Koppell could have introduced this legislation last year or the year before. So, this strikes us as a bid to get it past voters with as little public input as possible. We are open to this concept. But since voters ratified term limits twice, any changes are for the voters to decide, not Koppell or his Council colleagues who obviously have a self-interest in this matter.

On Aug. 7, the Housing Committee of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition held a "Know Your Rights" training session at Our Savior Church, 2317 Washington Ave. The training focused on educating community residents, including immigrants, of their rights as tenants.

I was a community organizer from 1976 to 1983 in the northwest Bronx. It was my first job after college. Until recently you may never have even heard of that job, “community organizer.” But since the Republican National Convention, it’s gotten a lot of play, thanks to Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin’s dissing of Barack Obama’s tenure as a community organizer in Chicago.

Onstage The Bronx Library Center hosts the Papo Pepin Salsa Ensemble, Sept. 20 at 2:30 p.m.; Latin Jazz Concert by Ivo Tirado, Jr. and the Latin Jazz Element Sextet, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m.; and Chamber Music by the Bronx Symphony Orchestra, Sept. 27 at 2:30 p.m. The Center is located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road. For a detailed schedule, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org. The Mosholu Library, at 285 E. 205th St., hosts BombaBoricua, Sept. 20 at 2:30 p.m. and From Italy With Love, featuring Dino Rosi “La Voce di Napoli,” Sept. 27 at 2:30

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MMCC Open House and Carnival The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, located at 3450 DeKalb Ave., at the corner of Gun Hill Road will be having an open house for program registration on Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A free carnival will take place, rain or shine, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. including free food, face painting, raffles, activities and more. For more information, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0. Karate Classes Mosholu Montefiore Community Center at 3450 DeKalb Ave. offers a wide selection of karate classes for elementary school students, teens, and adults starting in the

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Norwood resident and World War II veteran Robert A. Theiral passed away on Aug. 14 from a blood clot related to a hip injury. He was 93. A first generation American and former employee of Peter A. Frasse & Co., Theiral was a mainstay in the Williamsbridge Oval, just across the street from where he had lived since 1968.

The city’s Department of Environmental Protection has decided not to blast at the Jerome Park Reservoir, but they were still due in court on Wednesday along with community organizations that brought a lawsuit to fight the plan.