Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. delivered his ninth State of the Bronx address before an audience of supporters, well-wishers, and fellow elected officials.

For nearly 45 minutes, Diaz stood composed as he delivered a speech that largely underscored the borough’s positives while lambasting the city’s shortcomings. But read between the lines, Diaz’s speech also showed his sights set on higher office.

“Look at how different things are in this borough today than just a decade ago,” Diaz said. “We have set the bar for the entire nation on transformative urban renewal and development. We are the new standard for revitalization.”

Indeed, the Bronx has come back, as outlined by his speech. Diaz began by stressing some of the positives. Workforce participation is at an all-time high with “110,000 more Bronx residents” holding “jobs than when I first took office,” according to Diaz. Unemployment is down by more than half, at just 5.5 percent. Crime has also taken a dive. For the fifth straight year there have been less than 100 homicides in the Bronx, aligning with the rest of overall drop across the city.

Diaz also acknowledged some persistent challenges facing the Bronx. Though the Bronx saw an increased graduation rate, math and reading scores are still at a low. Over half of students are striving to learn in overcrowded classrooms.

Urban planning and infrastructure were described as “significant issues” facing the city, given the affordable housing crunch. “We have a shortage of affordable housing and the subway is falling apart. In the Bronx, we have developed solutions, creating 21,000 units of affordable housing and rezoning for more functional, more inviting neighborhoods.”

Turning to federal matters, Diaz finally included in his speech the raging heroin and opioid crisis that’s impacted the Bronx. In 2016, the Bronx saw the most heroin-related deaths across the city with 308. There are no numbers available for 2017 as yet.

Diaz appeared to play racial politics, saying the problem was present all along, just not in suburban neighborhoods. “[N]ow that the face of opioid addiction is changing to include non-urban communities, we welcome the increased national conversation on this epidemic,” said Diaz. “When they speak of this crisis, are Republicans talking about helping the folks in our communities?”

On the subject of immigration, Diaz called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to “stay out of our courts” when it came to arresting undocumented immigrants. “It is time for our nation’s leadership to stop polarizing and speaking untruths, and to start leading. We reject any misguided, harmful, and frankly, un-American erosion of our rights. We will protect our youth who have sought refuge and made their home in this great nation from deportation.”

While issues brought about my city and federal policy were at the forefront, one glaring omissions was references to the Kingsbridge National Ice Center, a $348 million project that’s been delayed for nearly five years. “Different items and issues go into the speech every year,” said John DeSio, a spokesman for Diaz.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.