Norwood News

By DAVID CRUZ

Mr. Obama’s Visit to the Bronx
President Barack Obama’s first visit to the Bronx was short and sweet, though attendance to see the Commander-in-Chief in person was somewhat of an exclusive affair, and away from the community at large. The Norwood News was granted access to hear the President’s half hour address on a new nonprofit for young minority men (see front page story).

POTUS gave the proper shout outs to local elected officials, including Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Assemblyman Carl Heastie and Councilman Andrew Cohen, boasting over the President’s remark that he’s doing a “great job.” But perhaps the President’s biggest nod, and one for the Bronx (so far), went to former White House aide turned Assemblyman Michael Blake, who was introduced ahead of everyone else. “You gotta stand up, Mike,” said the President, as Blake slowly rose from his seat. “We’re still trying to teach him about politics.”

There were rumblings within the Bronx community, who thought Obama’s visit could’ve been better publicized. Though the sounds of Marine One chopper can be heard by anyone within earshot of Lehman College, there was not much of a mention to this rare visit by a sitting U.S. President. Perhaps a lameduck Commander-in-Chief can skip a tour of the country’s poorest congressional district. It would have been good to see him among the masses. The White House didn’t return calls for comment.

Kudos to the Bronx, which now has seen three heads of state stop by the borough in 2015 (from the United States, Albania, and Israel). Bravo.

Rivera at BMCA
As promised, a dapper Assemblyman Jose Rivera (usually dressed down in the Bronx; he was in Albany), stopped by the Bedford Mosholu Community Association for his long-awaited talk with the community.

Among some assurances Rivera made: a sit down with the Bronx Assembly Delegation over how to secure state funding for the revitalization of Mosholu Parkway, now in the period of brainstorming. BMCA will likely hold him accountable for that task. They’ve done so with his attendance.

During his 10-minute remarks, Rivera tried passing the buck on future appearances to Kenny Agosto, District Leader for the 78th Assembly District, who will arrive in his stead. But BMCA brass didn’t buy that, pressing Rivera to personally stop by the group’s monthly meetings. “I wish I went back in the New York City Council when we only met once a month,” said Rivera.

Golden Age of Politics?

The Bronx Beltway mused whether we’ve settled in a Golden Age of Bronx politics. It’s been evident in Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s outlook, thanks to some political juice in Albany.

In recent comments, Diaz pegged the Bronx’s new Albany influence on Speaker Carl Heastie and Independent Democratic Conference leader and state Senator Jeff Klein, who doled out a combined $4 million needed for the long-awaited pedestrian bridge over the Major Deegan Expressway in Van Cortlandt Park.

“We no longer beg, now we are where in the political situation in the Bronx where we ask,” said Diaz Jr., suggesting this project wouldn’t have advanced quickly without them. “What we asked, they gave us everything.”

Diaz Jr.’s take on Heastie certainly runs counter to an intriguing piece in City & State that chronicled Heastie’s rise in politics through some behind-the-curtain workings of the Bronx Democratic County Committee. One operative refuted the piece, calling it an article instead of report. “A report states facts.”

And the Numbers Are In…
Councilman Ritchie Torres’ exercise in handing over a fraction budgetary power to his constituents, commonly known as Participatory Budgeting, ended with five projects listing what $1 million in capital funds would be allocated towards. The less costly, $80,000 for security cameras in public schools, garnered the most votes, 1,352. Runner-ups included $450,000 for Bronx park improvements, grabbing 1,323 votes, NYPD security cameras, netting $315,000 and 1,288 votes, air conditioning for public schools, earmarked for $145,000 and 1,236 votes, and bus countdown clocks, costing $80,000 and earning 935 votes.

Councilman Andrew Cohen also tallied his PB numbers:

• $200,000 for renovating MS/HS 141
• $120,000 for bus countdown clocks
• $70,000 for technology expansion at PS 24
• $400,000 for Spuyten Duyvil Playground
• $300,000 for Van Cortlandt Library

Sadly, there were not enough PB votes for Norwood or Bedford Park projects, but Cohen threw $450,000 towards auditorium repairs at PS 8 in Norwood and $350,000 for Mosholu Library’s Window Replacement. Capital funds tend to be earmarked for projects that can see shovels on the ground by 2019. Hopefully that’s not the case.

DEP’s Slap in the Face

One would think that the city’s near completion of its largest project would come with cartwheels, balloons and plenty of political speechifying. But the Croton Water Filtration Plant, which finally went online May 7 after years of delay, was given nothing more than a press release sneaked in by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

The plant, which cleans up to 290 million gallons of drinking water daily, has been tied with an avalanche of outrage since the start of its construction, which went $3 billion overbudget. Nice timing that the press release by the DEP was released on a Friday—way to contain the attention.

Activists who have followed the filtration plant’s exhaustive saga couldn’t help but feel slighted by the news. Fr. Richard Gorman, Community Board 12 chair, called the lack of notice “incredibly rude” while Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, a staunch critic of the plant, said, “to me, there’s nothing to celebrate.”

Editor’s Note: The print version of this article misstated the maximum number of gallons the Croton Water Filtration Plant filters daily.