On the Bronx Campaign Trail: Cohen Greets Commuters in Bedford Park, Talks About Job with Espada

Cohen Campaign 2013 — Andrew Cohen, one of three candidates for the 11th District seat greets early morning commuters alongside a campaign volunteer at the Bedford Park Place 4 train stop at the intersection of Bedford Park Boulevard and Jerome Avenue.

Early morning commuters rushing through the 4 train’s Bedford Park Boulevard station were greeted Wednesday by a man in a blue button-up shirt who approached them with an outstretched hand and a smile.

“How are you? I’m Andrew Cohen, I’m a Democrat running for City Council,” said the candidate, one of three in the running for the 11th District City Council seat which represents the areas of Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Van Cortlandt Park, Norwood, Bedford Park, Wakefield, Woodlawn, and part of Kingsbridge Heights.

Cohen stood with one hand behind his back, extending a handshake to everyone who walked past. Paul Ellis, a campaign volunteer, stood beside him handing out flyers with a photograph of Cohen’s family on the front. The two men, who say they have distributed more than 10,000 flyers to date, exchanged glances as the traffic sped by. A colorful mosaic of orange peaches shimmered in the background.

“It’s really early,” one woman shot back, flashing a smile. Others waved hands, shook heads, or nodded politely. Several commuters even stopped to shake Cohen’s outstretched hand, to grab a flyer, or wish him luck. A handful of others confusedly attempted to hand over their Metro Cards.

“Have a great day!” the candidate cheered, even to those who ignored him completely.

“Never heard of you. You never came to my church,” one middle-aged man said as he rushed past. “Just want to say good morning,” Cohen replied, shaking his head.

The candidate’s rivals include Cliff Stanton, a business man who recently made tabloid headlines for accepting campaign contributions from a strip club owner, according to the Daily News, and track coach and businesswoman Cheryl Keeling, whose ballot was challenged by a Stanton volunteer and who may now be forced to bow out of the race.

Cohen has been widely endorsed by local elected officials, unions, and mayoral candidates and the district’s current council member, Oliver Koppell, who is leaving the seat due to term limits.

He is chair of Community Board 8’s Aging Committee, a member of Friends of Van Cortlandt Park and the New York State Teachers Union, is an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and practices law in Riverdale. Prior to starting his practice, Cohen worked as a court attorney for a Bronx Supreme Court judge and as legal counsel to Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz who has been an avid supporter and contributor to his campaign.

But it’s another job on his resume that is raising eye brows.

Between 1999 and 2001, Cohen said he served as legal counsel to Pedro G. Espada and was treasurer on the former District 17 City Council member’s re-election committee.

Still, some confusion remains about the extent of his role. Espada was sentenced in June to six months in prison and six months of house arrest, along with his father, Pedro Espada, Jr., former State Senator and State Senate Majority Leader who received five years for embezzling roughly $500,000 worth of funds from the Soundview Healthcare Network, a non-profit organization the elder Espada established in 1978.

Cohen said he knew nothing of Espada’s embezzlement, indicating that discussion of his former position is irrelevant to the current race. “I didn’t have a crystal ball,” he said. “I didn’t know that 12 years later he was going to commit a crime, I just didn’t,” Cohen said, clearly exasperated.

So what about his stance on the issues?

According to Cohen, his “full-time” dedication to the job sets him far apart from his competitors. “I’m going to be there every day,” he told one commuter who stopped to chat. “If you have a problem, you can come and talk to me,” he said indicating that his law practice has already begun winding down.

Cohen said he is committed to helping residents solve everyday problems before tackling larger policy issues. “As I go around meeting people, I’m realizing that it’s all about quality of life,” he said. “People have increased expectations for retail services from their council members.”

The candidate vows to start by improving life for the elderly. Cohen promises to enhance senior centers, Access-a-Ride services, and senior health and safety in addition to reforming the City Council. He plans to do away with “lulus,” stipends, which range from $4,000 to $10,000 and are given out by the Speaker to secure loyalty and support from council members.

Cohen also said he would work to improve education.

“School’s are run like a dictatorship,” he said. “I believe with a new mayor and my track record of working with people, there is an opportunity to make real changes although it has to be school-specific,” he said.

The candidate said he will also ensure that funding is distributed equally throughout the district via a participatory budgeting program. “I’m campaigning in every district … I’m going to serve every district,” Cohen said in response to inquiries about the disproportionate amount of funding allocated to areas like Riverdale that often have a higher voter turnout than other neighborhoods in the district.

Wednesday afternoon, Cohen was scheduled to visit a local senior center but planned to stop off at home first to see his five-year-old daughter Sarah before she left for day care. Yesterday, before a debate later on at the Bedford Park Senior Center, the campaigning continued with another early morning visit to a subway or bus stop where Cohen distributed flyers and greeted commuters. He made a lunchtime stop at the Bedford Park Senior Center.

Bronx Voter

August 2, 2013 at 8:41 pm

Cohen can’t seem to keep his story straight.

On July 11th, Cohen was specifically asked about working for Espada at a debate at Lehman College. That night, he clearly stated he was “Counsel” to Espada “in 1999 and 2000.” Watch it for yourself starting at the 1:31:30 mark: http://www.bronxnet.org/index.php?option=com_hwdvideoshare&task=viewvideo&Itemid=30&video_id=2972

But now he has changed his story. Now the story goes: “Between 1999 and 2001, Cohen said he served as legal counsel to Pedro G. Espada and was treasurer on the former District 17 City Council member’s re-election committee.”

Put on the spot by the Norwood News, he now admits to working another year for Espada and also working as his campaign treasurer.

But wait, there’s more!
He’s still not telling the whole truth!
He was really Espada’s Chief of Staff.
He publicly defended questionable spending by Espada, and campaign violations on Espada’s campaign were addressed directly to him.

Let’s check the historical record… There is no evidence he ever worked as his legal counsel, but news articles from the period consistently identified him as chief of staff. Big difference: rather than taking a detached role dealing with legal matters, he was responsible for running Espada’s day to day operations, where he would have had a full view of any corruption.
(The New York Times identified him as Espada’s “chief of staff” on December 26, 1999 http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/26/nyregion/neighborhood-report-soundview-update-sought-riverfront-park-likely-be-parking.html. So did the Bronx Beat out of the Columbia School of Journalism on April 9, 2001 http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/bronxbeat/2001/040901/park0409_01.html.)

When questions were raised about Espada’s extravagent personal expenses as Councilman, Cohen publicly defended the ridiculous luxuries. Cohen made the absurd claim that a camera that cost more than $900 (in 1999) was necessary for Espada to produce a newsletter for his constituents (as though a $300 camera wouldn’t have been more than sufficient.) And then, like something out of an episode of the Sopranos, the evidence disappeared and was reported “stolen” only days after the Post reported on the questionable expense (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/item_K3mTrqHsav9pl05u9iJk4I).

But it wasn’t just questionable expenses. Cohen was directly cited for campaign finance violations:
http://www.nyccfb.info/reports/FA_pdf/FA-2001-pespada-YA.pdf
He lied then, too. In the findings, they clearly documented false statements about funneling campaign money to the father’s campaign under the table.

The Espadas already had a well-established reputation for campaign violations and diverting money through Soundview. The first charges were filed after the 1996 campaigns of both Espadas. Unfortunately for all of us, they didn’t put together enough evidence back then for convictions. Yet Cohen decided to go work for Espada in 1998. Soundview workers went to jail after the father’s 2001 campaign (which was intermingled with the son’s campaign, where Cohen was treasurer…).

Since Cohen was running Espada’s office every day, since we know he was involved with the camera and campaign violations back then, it is just impossible to believe his statements today that “he knew nothing of Espada’s embezzlement.”

Still, you have to give him a little credit for trying so hard to spin this thing.

“I didn’t have a crystal ball,” he said. “I didn’t know that 12 years later he was going to commit a crime, I just didn’t.” Right! Like Espada just now broke the law in 2013! Forget the fact there has been a clear, uninterrupted pattern of accusations of the same fraud at Soundview going back to 1996, through the time Cohen worked for him, and including the full 2005-2008 period of the indictment that finally documented enough evidence to send Espada to prison.

He wants us to believe “his former position is irrelevant to the current race.” Not true! His failure to do the right thing as a public servant when he saw fraud in the past has everything to do with his qualifications to serve as our representative.

One thought on “On the Bronx Campaign Trail: Cohen Greets Commuters in Bedford Park, Talks About Job with Espada”

Bronx Voter

August 2, 2013 at 8:41 pm

Cohen can’t seem to keep his story straight.

On July 11th, Cohen was specifically asked about working for Espada at a debate at Lehman College. That night, he clearly stated he was “Counsel” to Espada “in 1999 and 2000.” Watch it for yourself starting at the 1:31:30 mark: http://www.bronxnet.org/index.php?option=com_hwdvideoshare&task=viewvideo&Itemid=30&video_id=2972

But now he has changed his story. Now the story goes: “Between 1999 and 2001, Cohen said he served as legal counsel to Pedro G. Espada and was treasurer on the former District 17 City Council member’s re-election committee.”

Put on the spot by the Norwood News, he now admits to working another year for Espada and also working as his campaign treasurer.

But wait, there’s more!
He’s still not telling the whole truth!
He was really Espada’s Chief of Staff.
He publicly defended questionable spending by Espada, and campaign violations on Espada’s campaign were addressed directly to him.

Let’s check the historical record… There is no evidence he ever worked as his legal counsel, but news articles from the period consistently identified him as chief of staff. Big difference: rather than taking a detached role dealing with legal matters, he was responsible for running Espada’s day to day operations, where he would have had a full view of any corruption.
(The New York Times identified him as Espada’s “chief of staff” on December 26, 1999 http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/26/nyregion/neighborhood-report-soundview-update-sought-riverfront-park-likely-be-parking.html. So did the Bronx Beat out of the Columbia School of Journalism on April 9, 2001 http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/bronxbeat/2001/040901/park0409_01.html.)

When questions were raised about Espada’s extravagent personal expenses as Councilman, Cohen publicly defended the ridiculous luxuries. Cohen made the absurd claim that a camera that cost more than $900 (in 1999) was necessary for Espada to produce a newsletter for his constituents (as though a $300 camera wouldn’t have been more than sufficient.) And then, like something out of an episode of the Sopranos, the evidence disappeared and was reported “stolen” only days after the Post reported on the questionable expense (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/item_K3mTrqHsav9pl05u9iJk4I).

But it wasn’t just questionable expenses. Cohen was directly cited for campaign finance violations:
http://www.nyccfb.info/reports/FA_pdf/FA-2001-pespada-YA.pdf
He lied then, too. In the findings, they clearly documented false statements about funneling campaign money to the father’s campaign under the table.

The Espadas already had a well-established reputation for campaign violations and diverting money through Soundview. The first charges were filed after the 1996 campaigns of both Espadas. Unfortunately for all of us, they didn’t put together enough evidence back then for convictions. Yet Cohen decided to go work for Espada in 1998. Soundview workers went to jail after the father’s 2001 campaign (which was intermingled with the son’s campaign, where Cohen was treasurer…).

Since Cohen was running Espada’s office every day, since we know he was involved with the camera and campaign violations back then, it is just impossible to believe his statements today that “he knew nothing of Espada’s embezzlement.”

Still, you have to give him a little credit for trying so hard to spin this thing.

“I didn’t have a crystal ball,” he said. “I didn’t know that 12 years later he was going to commit a crime, I just didn’t.” Right! Like Espada just now broke the law in 2013! Forget the fact there has been a clear, uninterrupted pattern of accusations of the same fraud at Soundview going back to 1996, through the time Cohen worked for him, and including the full 2005-2008 period of the indictment that finally documented enough evidence to send Espada to prison.

He wants us to believe “his former position is irrelevant to the current race.” Not true! His failure to do the right thing as a public servant when he saw fraud in the past has everything to do with his qualifications to serve as our representative.

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