Norwood News

Who’s Gained and Lost in the New Progressive Council

Despite the Bronx political machine delaying their support of one of their own, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito (D-8th CD) still extended a hand of solidarity to several of her fellow Bronx political brethren by offering key roles in the City Council while leaving some in the lurch. We broke down a list of the borough’s political haves and have-nots:

WHO REALLY GAINED

Ritchie Torres:  Councilman Ritchie Torres (D-15th CD) has gained the most, thanks to his early support of Viverito. He’s the only freshman council member to be included as a member of Viverito’s leadership team, having accepted the prominent position of Deputy Leader. He also became chair of the Public Housing Committee, an important panel he sought given his background as former Housing Director for East Bronx Councilman Jimmy Vacca, his mentor. Torres’ well calculated and cordial snub of Vacca for Council Speaker and resistance with party bosses was a gamble that Torres won, clearing his path as a rising star within the new liberal class of council members. So on top of his six-figure salary, Torres will earn another $23,000 carrying the extra responsibilities, where he could very well hold hearings addressing NYCHA’s historically poor performance record.

Jimmy Vacca: Though he challenged Viverito in her quest for Speaker by running himself, Vacca (D-13th CD) managed to land a spot as a member of Viverito’s leadership team. On top of serving as Deputy Leader, Vacca will also chair the Technology Committee, a new post for Vacca who served as chair of the Transportation Committee for some time. For Vacca, his new roles appear to be a case of two steps forward, one step backwards given the less prominent post of the Technology Committee. Still, a bump as Deputy Leader is also a $23,000 salary bump for the East Bronx councilman. For his part, Vacca promises on his Facebook page to be “the  most tech-savvy member of the body!”

WHO GAINED

Andrew Cohen: In his first time out as councilman, the newly sworn-in Cohen (D- 11th CD) assumes the post as chair of the Mental Health Services Committee from his predecessor Oliver Koppell. The post can be seen as an opportunity for the relatively unknown Cohen to shine, though the committee is often viewed as less important compared to other committees, such as the ever-coveted Land Use Committee.

 

 

Maria del Carmen Arroyo: Arroyo (D-17th CD) comes out of the political fallout of the Viverito aftermath relatively unscathed, given her support for Brooklyn councilman Dan Garodnick, moving from Health to Community Development Committee. Arroyo’s re-appointment better suits her, given the nature of the committee that explores ways to reduce poverty in low-income neighborhoods. Arroyo can lend first-hand experience to the committee, since neighbors residing in her district fall largely below the poverty line.

 

Vanessa Gibson: Having switched from the state to the city level, newcomer Gibson (D-16th CD) is now Public Safety Committee Chair, holding the power to hold the NYPD’s feet to the fire on issues related to Stop-and-Frisk. The level-headed Gibson is walking a fine line since the current top cop was picked by her boss, Mayor Bill de Blasio, which could likely give her less room to criticize the department.

 

 

Fernando Cabrera: Cabrera (D-14th CD) walks away from the Technology Committee and transitions to Juvenile Justice, a spot he sought (his other preference was Higher Education Committee Chair). From Cabrera’s standpoint, the post could help create more crime prevention programs to help steer young people away from a hard life. Now, whether he’ll convince Vacca to honor his promise to re-review the NYPD’s Crime Map remains to be seen.

 

 

LEFT IN THE LURCH

Andy King: Councilman Andy King enters his first official tenure as councilman without holding court over any committee chair posts. King, a former union organizer for 1199 SEIU, did not back Viverito, whose background has been with the unions. On “Bronx Talk With Gary Axelbank,” King explained that his unwillingness to initially support Viverito was largely due to other Bronx council members seeking the Speaker seat, namely councilmembers Annabel Palma and Jimmy Vacca. Still, King doesn’t appear to be bitter over being cast aside as he told Axelbank he’s a “team player.”

 

Annabel Palma:  Coming out of theViverito/deBlasio transition limping is Councilwoman Palma (D-18^th CD) who lost the spotlight as Chair of the General Welfare Committee after a futile race for Speaker against Viverito. She starts the year empty-handed, relatively powerless, and seemingly bitter, telling Capital New York her committee chair strip was “retribution.”

 

 

Why This Matters

Chairperson assignments can often be looked upon as the reward for throwing support to a particular Council Speaker. The assignments also support the vision crafted by the new Speaker, who can serve as a behind-the-scenes power player pulling some political strings. In the end, chairpersons can review intros, hold hearings and decide whether to kill a bill. Chairperson posts raises one’s profile, and can help steer monies towards a given portion of the budget, particularly if it serves their district’s interests. In a more nuanced manner, chairpersons can view the post as a political gravy train, where special interest groups could very well legally fund a chairperson’s upcoming campaign war chest for a friendlier inquisition during City Council meetings. Of course, chairs who play ball with Viverito/deBlasio’s agenda stand to score even more discretionary funding come Fiscal Year 2015.

—By DAVID CRUZ