Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, the community activist who led the local fight to defeat the mayor's plans to build a mall in the Kingsbridge Armory, told the Norwood News on Tuesday that she was ending her candidacy for state Senate in the 33rd District.

Community groups and elected officials rallied at the Bronx County Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon to underscore the overcrowding problems in Bronx schools and renew the push for new schools at the Kingsbridge Armory's annex buildings.

Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, a Bronx activist who became the face of last year's strong community push for living wage jobs at the Kingsbridge Armory, is exploring the possibility of making a run at the state Senate seat occupied by Pedro Espada, Jr.

Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, a Bronx activist who became the face of last year's strong community push for living wage jobs at the Kingsbridge Armory, is exploring the possibility of making a run at the state Senate seat occupied by Pedro Espada, Jr.

Fernando Cabrera didn't wait until Jan. 1 to become the councilman for the 14th District. Right after the November general election, without an office, a Council salary or a paid staff, Cabrera attended community meetings and events, met with community leaders, and helped lead the charge for the Bronx delegation in defeating the Bloomberg administration's plans to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall.

The hard work and passion he has exhibited thus far is promising and fills a giant gap left by his predecessor, Maria Baez, who had the worst City Council attendance record and was rarely seen at important community meetings.

We do worry he will be spread thin by other substantial professional obligations. He is pastor of New Life Outreach International Church on Morris Avenue and he still plans to teach courses on-line for Mercy College, where he has been a professor of counseling. Only time will tell if he can handle it all, but we hope he prioritizes the position he was just elected to. His constituents are counting on him.

During the holiday season on Kingsbridge Road, colorful, festive items from local mom and pop shops spill out onto the sidewalk as passersby cheerfully make their purchases. However, many feet above the holiday crowds, the empty towers of the Kingsbridge Armory loom over the street like an eerie castle-and they will remain that way for the foreseeable future.

Despite meeting face-to-face on at least two recent Saturdays, the Bronx City Council delegation and the Related Companies are not budging on the issue of living wage in the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment project. This standstill might just be the kiss of death for the development, which could be voted on by two Council committees as early as Thursday, Dec. 3.