When you’re the local political boss (so reminds me of Tammany Hall), and have called the shots for as long as [Assemblyman] Jeff Dinowitz [A.D. 81] has, you may forget that it is “We the people.” I read with great concern the claims by Ira Bigeleisen in last week’s Riverdale Press that “Team Dinowitz” got U.S. President Joe Biden on the ballot this year.

 

Let’s be clear – the efforts of every Democrat throughout the country who has helped President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election efforts have been critical, and will continue to be critical through November. But Dinowitz’ claim that his political club, “put Joe and Kamala on the ballot” is a whole other level of hubris, and leaves out the average people in neighborhoods outside of Riverdale like mine, Norwood.

 

I am disappointed, but I’m not surprised. One-time reformer Jeff Dinowitz is exhibiting bully tendencies that I can only attribute to “power corrupts.” (Maybe we need to start talking about term limits for assembly members.) Dinowitz might personally take credit for the Biden campaign’s success, and everything else under the sun, but when I researched Dinowitz’s career, I found a growing abuse of his power in his role as a public servant.

Here is just a sample:

• Several years ago, Dinowitz [allegedly] admitted in a 2018 deposition that he had never hiredan African-American staffer in his entire career. It is shameful that someone who considers himself a leader in the Democratic Party in The Bronx refused to hire any Black people to work in his office.
• That same year, the City paid $230,000 to settlea lawsuit that claimed Jeff Dinowitz [allegedly] tried to stop children of color from enrolling in P.S. 24 in South Riverdale.
• In 2021, Jeff Dinowitz [allegedly] engineereda special election for City Council to make it easier for his son, Eric Dinowitz, to get elected.
• Soon after that, son Eric Dinowitz began allocatinga total of $15,000 in public funds to a local nonprofit. This year, Dinowitz used that nonprofit’s offices as a pseudo election headquarters to collect signatures to get “Team Dinowitz” candidates on the ballot. It’s a classic pay-to-play scheme.

 

I care about The Democratic Party, I care about our community, I care about The Bronx and all of her residents. I know that for our democracy to survive, it is going to take all neighborhoods, all Democratic organizations, and more voter engagement.

Editor’s Note: According to Wikipedia, Tammany Hall was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local political machine of the Democratic Party and played a major role in controlling New York City and New York State politics.

 

Norwood News reached out to the assemblyman’s team for comment on this op-ed and will share any feedback we receive. 

 

Election Day is Tuesday, June 25, and polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. To find your polling site, as well as additional information on the election and candidates, visit the New York City Board of Elections website at: www.vote.nyc/elections.

 

We put Joe Biden on the ballot