City & State New York 091619

THE BRONX POWER

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RUBEN DIAZ’S BIGGEST PROBLEM IS THE OTHER RUBEN DIAZ

SON OF A PREACHER MAN

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THE

JON LENTZ Editor-in-chief

ISSUE

BRONX

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THE FIRST BIG SHOWDOWN of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s tenure was over the Kingsbridge Armory, a brick behemoth that has been vacant since 1996. After his election as borough president in 2009, Diaz came out against a plan to convert the building into a shopping mall. Diaz insisted that the developer ensure that a “living wage” of $10 an hour be paid to any employee at the site. “When a company is set to make hundreds of millions of dollars in long-term profits while collecting significant government subsidies, those new jobs should provide a decent salary,” he argued. By the end of the year, the New York City Council had killed the project.

A decade later, Diaz has flipped the narrative. There’s a flurry of construction across the borough, and developers are filling his campaign coffers as he gears up for a run for mayor. Activists who cheered the demise of the Kingsbridge mall now grumble that he’s selling out the Bronx. Meanwhile, the Kingsbridge Armory remains vacant – though the current plan, to convert it into a world-class ice center, may get done by 2021, when voters pick the next mayor.

This week, City & State contributor David Cruz explores Diaz’s record – and another factor that could play an even bigger role in the race.

CONTENTS

ROBOT TAX … 8 Is de Blasio’s presidential plan a good idea?

RUBEN DIAZ JR … 12

Does the Bronx beep have a shot at the mayor’s office?

POWER 100 … 20

The most powerful people in the boogie-down Bronx

WINNERS & LOSERS … 46 Who was up and who was down last week

CityAndStateNY.com

September 16, 2019

heads with Jay Jacobs, chairman of the state Democratic Party and a gubernatorial appointee on the commission, who opposes the practice.

A number of New York City officials – including Comptroller Scott Stringer, Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams – showed up to defend fusion voting.

9/11 REMEMBERED

STATE PUBLIC FINANCING HEARINGS

The commission on statewide public campaign financing held its first two hearings on Tuesday, one for experts to testify and the other for the public. Experts largely

agreed on a matching fund system at a ratio of 6:1, with an independent agency, analogous to New York City’s Campaign Finance Board, overseeing it. Working Families Party representatives defended fusion voting, which lets candidates run on multiple party lines, and butted

Wednesday marked the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. At the annual tribute at ground zero, all 2,977 names of those who died in the attacks were read aloud. New bills were introduced or signed into law in memory of the attacks: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation making it easier for state employees that volunteered at ground zero in the aftermath of the attacks to file claims for sick leave, while New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced a measure to make families

REMEMBERING 9/11 The Daily News commemorated the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Wednesday with a depiction of the Tribute in Light, an annual installation featuring two vertical columns of light symbolizing the twin towers rising over lower Manhattan. “It was only yesterday,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote. “It was so long ago.”

of civilian city employees – like sanitation workers and correction officers – who assisted police and firefighters eligible for health insurance benefits.

“Common sense says if you do not know what you are smoking, don’t smoke it.”

– Gov. Andrew Cuomo, amid the spread of a mysterious illness and deaths tied to vaping, via the Daily News

HELP FOR COPS

Amid a spate of suicides by current and former New York City police officers, Police Commissioner James O’Neill announced that his department would no longer automatically strip officers of their badges for seeking treatment for mental illness. The efforts aim to destigmatize mental health while encouraging cops to get help and open up about their struggles.

The City Council is also considering a bill to require the NYPD to hire clinicians for precincts to provide confidential counseling.

NEVER-ENDING TALE OF TWO CITIES

“I offered my mom to give Sean salsa lessons.”

– Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who recently hired former White House press secretary Sean Spicer – who recently competed on “Dancing With the Stars” – for her congressional campaign, via the New York Post

Despite de Blasio’s pledge as a mayoral candidate to close the gap between the richest and poorest New Yorkers, a report from the right-leaning Manhattan Institute found the city’s income disparity has remained largely unchanged throughout his time in office. Addressing income inequality – “the tale of two cities” – was a major campaign promise, along with reducing homelessness, a pledge he has similarly been criticized for failing to make good on.

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September 16, 2019

CRACKDOWN ON VAPING

Following the outbreak of a mysterious vapingrelated illness that has led to several deaths around the country, Cuomo announced a state crackdown on e-cigarettes.

He directed the state Department of Health to subpoena companies linked to black market vaping products and to issue a mandate requiring warning signs at shops that sell e-cigarettes. Cuomo also called for legislation to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, which critics say target teenagers.

President Donald Trump also took steps to address the issue, likely making Cuomo’s statewide ban moot. The FDA is outlining a plan to ban flavored e-cigarettes nationwide.

City & State New York

How public is the Public Campaign Financing Commission?

PRIMARY DATES DOA

Cuomo’s proposal to move New York’s presidential primary up to February, instead of in late April as originally planned, appears to be dead on arrival.

The governor reportedly wanted to plug in New York between Iowa and New Hampshire – while moving state legislative primaries to the same date too, instead of in June. But the Democratic National Committee warned that such a move would be “a violation of the DNC timing rules,” while Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said he and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins discussed the proposal and that there’s “no indication” they’ll alter the election calendar.

The Public Campaign Financing Commission held two hearings last week, one for expert testimony and one to hear from the public. The commission has until Dec. 1 to present findings to the state Legislature, which will take effect barring immediate action from state lawmakers. Also on the table is fusion voting, which lets candidates appear on multiple ballot lines. It’s primarily used by third parties like the Working Families and Conservative parties to cross-endorse major party candidates.

Agreement on public financing structure Experts agreed that the state should implement a small-dollar public matching fund system for state elections, as opposed to alternatives like candidate vouchers. Experts cited New York City, which has utilized such a system for decades, as a model.

They suggested either a ratio of 6:1 or 8:1 for matching funds; a lower qualifying threshold to participate in the program than Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s original proposal; lower contribution limits across the board, to incentivize candidates to opt in; and an independent campaign finance board. The Republican commissioners took issue with the very concept of public campaign financing. David Previte, state Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan’s appointee, pointedly asked whether the city’s program had eliminated corruption.

Jacobs targets fusion voting Jay Jacobs, the state Democratic Party chairman and a Cuomo appointee on the commission, blasted fusion voting. Jacobs also sought to draw a link between public financing and fusion voting, which he claimed will

THE

WEEK AHEAD

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lead to more contested primaries and therefore would cost more money under a statewide program. But John Nonna, an appointee of state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, noted the commission hadn’t even decided whether fusion voting falls under its mandate, and that dual lawsuits could make the determination for them.

Earlier in the hearing, a resolution was introduced for the commission to consider fusion voting only in the context of its impact on public campaign finance. The resolution was tabled for future discussion.

Cuomo’s commission?

At the time of the commission’s first public meeting in August, it had no website to provide New Yorkers with easily accessible information and a location to stream hearings. Press releases came directly from Cuomo’s office or the Department of State. A new commission website launched last week is hosted by the state government, not as an independent site, and the commission has no staff, raising concerns about whether it has the resources to perform analysis and research that may be necessary to make informed decisions. Instead, staffers from different departments of the Cuomo administration assisted at the hearing, although Cuomo insisted at an unrelated press conference that he has no sway over the commission.

The new website was riddled with errors, including a hearing missing from its schedule. The website also said that there are 10 commissioners, when there are only nine. Or is there a phantom 10th commissioner who is in fact Cuomo?

TUESDAY 9/17

TUESDAY 9/17

FRIDAY 9/20

The New York City Council hosts a 1 p.m.

City Hall hearing on suicides of police officers. Legislation to be considered after would boost mental health resources for the NYPD.

The state Legislature takes a look at rural broadband access. Oral testimony is by invitation only, but the doors open to all at 11 a.m. in the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

New Yorkers join the Global Climate Strike, a youth-led movement demanding action on climate change. In Manhattan, activist Greta Thunberg will host a noon march to Battery Park.

- Rebecca C. Lewis

INSIDE DOPE

It’s a worldwide movement, but New York City is in the center, with the strike planned ahead of the United Nations Climate Action Summit in Manhattan. Expect local pols to join in.

CELEBRATING LABOR 6

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September 16, 2019

ON SEPT. 4, CITY & STATE RECOGNIZED THE LABOR POWER 100 WITH AN EVENING GALA AT THE MEZZANINE IN THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT.

“When we think about labor today, it’s easy to focus on the narratives of costs, workers, company versus union, benefits, salaries, pensions, strikes, etc. These are all really important things, but we tend to forget the simplest narrative of all: the deep value and dignity of union work.”

-Andrew Gounardes, chairman, state Senate Committee on Civil Service and Pensions

“(At Héctor Figeuroa’s memorial service) there were security officers bawling their eyes out right next to low-wage workers who had just learned about the labor movement organizing with Héctor, with 32BJ. Héctor had this way of bringing people together.”

-Amity Paye, deputy communications director, 32BJ SEIU

“For us in the public sector, we got through the recent federal case that required us to sign up members – it reinvigorated us, because it said, we’ve really got to get on this. My local, we got 98% of the cards signed. We took the time to explain the value of the union.”

“Right now labor is in a struggle. We’re facing a lot of opposition, even in this union state of ours.

We’re facing opposition from people who might not necessarily be out front with their agenda. …

We have to continue to struggle, to fight.”

-Elias Husamudeen, president, Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association

RITA THOMPSON

-Arthur Cheliotes, president emeritus, Communications Workers of America Local 1180

PROUDLY SERVING City workers and labor unions are the life blood of New York. EmblemHealth is proud to support organized labor through our longstanding partnerships and quality, affordable health plans designed for workers and their families.

NEW YORK’S BACKBONE Congratulations to EmblemHealth President & CEO Karen Ignagni on being recognized by City & State’s Labor Power 100 as a leader who stands for and with the labor community.

DomoArig Mr.de Bla 8

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September 16, 2019

The mayor’s “robot tax” would tackle the very real threat of automation. So why isn’t he already doing it in New York City?

by A N N I E M c D O N O U G H

N

EW YORK CITY MAYOR (and Democratic 2020 primary candidate) Bill de Blasio has a presidential plan to combat the effects of workplace automation, and while it’s not as inspiringly named as Andrew Yang’s $1,000 monthly ”Freedom Dividend,” the proposal is aimed at the same issue that Yang has built his campaign around: the loss of jobs due to automation.

Late last week, in an op-ed in the tech magazine Wired, de Blasio unveiled a “robot tax” plan to protect workers. It’s one of just a few major policy proposals in his platform, which includes a workers’ bill of rights, a wealth tax and a guarantee of “equity of resources and pay” for women’s and men’s national sports teams.

And while de Blasio has failed to gain traction in polls and with donors – and has even suggested that his campaign could end next month – experts say that his automation plan is a welcome addition to the primary campaign. “Kudos to the mayor for tackling this,” Jonathan Bowles, executive director for the New York-based think tank Center for an Urban Future, told City & State. “This is an issue that the next president absolutely needs to get ahead of.

There’s going to be huge dislocation in jobs as a result of automation, and we need a national strategy for that.”

De Blasio’s plan consists of a few central points, one of which would establish a new national office, the Federal Automation and Worker Protection Agency, which

would create a permitting process for companies that want to increase automation in a way that would displace workers. Companies would be required to either offer displaced workers new jobs with equal pay or appropriate severance packages.

The highlight of the plan may be the socalled robot tax, a tax on large companies that automate away jobs and fail to provide workers with replacement positions. Companies that fall into that category would be required to pay five years of payroll taxes up front for each eliminated worker. De Blasio wrote that revenue from the tax would go toward creating “a new generation of labor-intensive, high-employment infrastructure projects and new jobs in areas such as health care and green energy that would provide new employment.”

In addition to the robot tax, the plan mentions closing tax loopholes that make it beneficial for some corporations to invest in automation. Companies save on payroll taxes, for example, when they replace humans with machines.

Mark Muro, a senior fellow and policy director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, said that the idea of a robot tax has garnered criticism in the past. When Bill Gates suggested a robot tax, a former economic advisor in the Obama administration dismissed it as “profoundly misguided,” as The New York Times has noted.

“Even mentioning a robot tax is usually viewed as crazy and unacceptable,” Muro said, but he suggested that if it is structured

properly, something like that could work.

“It shouldn’t be dismissed as completely beyond the pale.”

Still, the challenges of technological shifts in the workplace go beyond robots.

“It’s probably a little narrow,” Muro said of a robot tax. “Automation per se, or robots per se, are part of a whole continuum of technology that is affecting the world of work. So it may be too narrowly focused, when really it’s not just robots, but also all kinds of forms of automation, as well as the use of software in the office, and new forms of (artificial intelligence that) are all going to have tremendous advances in the next decade.”

And while Bowles commends de Blasio for being another candidate in the Democratic presidential primary to take on the issue – joining Yang and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg – he suggested that the New York City mayor’s presidential ambitions don’t need to come to fruition in order for him to lead on this front.

“I think that the mayor should start with New York City. There’s so much here in the five boroughs that the mayor can do, and I think the mayor could be a national leader in having a city strategy for preparing the workforce for automation,” Bowles said. “I have questions about a robot tax, but I think that there may be parts of the mayor’s plan that absolutely make sense.

I’d just love to see him focus on a human capital strategy and doing it in New York.”

That “human capital strategy” might involve training workers to keep up with the

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September 16, 2019

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changing economy, and it doesn’t require the mayor to introduce a new tax. Bowles said that an effort to deal with worker displacement from automation should focus not on a robot tax, but a massive investment in “upskilling” and lifelong learning.

“People are going to have to buttress their skills, they’re going to have to be adding new credentials and certificates and badges and just continuously bolstering their skills, as technology changes,” he said.

“There’s no need to wait until 2021. I think that the mayor can absolutely lead on this with a New York City automation preparation plan.”

A report by Bowles’ Center for an Urban Future found that New York City is less susceptible to automation than the nation as a whole, though by no means immune to its effects. The study reports that about 1 in 10 jobs in the city could be largely automated with existing technology. In lower- and middle-income occupations, automation is also likely to have a significant impact.

“Occupations where there’s a lot of repetitive tasks are ones that are vulnerable to automation. So certain bookkeeping functions, the kind of backend jobs at a lot of restaurants, cashier positions in retail and food service – all of those are highly automatable,” Bowles said. “Home health aides and others where there’s direct human connection, where communication is key, those I think are actually going to still stick around in a lot of ways.”

A Brookings Institution report co-authored by Muro found that 20.5% of New York City metropolitan-area jobs are considered at high risk of being eliminated through automation, compared to roughly 25% across the country. Proposals like a robot tax or Yang’s universal basic income alone are not equipped to address the coming shift, Muro said. “I think neither are as comprehensive as needed,” he said.

“And, in fact, much of what we need is not

September 16, 2019

“THIS IS SECRETLY ONE OF THE BIG ISSUES OF THE CAMPAIGN …

THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE SITTING AROUND TALKING ABOUT AROUND THE DINNER TABLE.”

– Mark Muro, policy director of the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program

so much specific, super-exotic responses to quote-unquote robots, but to rebuild education, social services and labor-market protections.”

Automation could move closer to the forefront as 2020 approaches. While de Blasio has yet to take off in the presidential primary, candidates leading in the polls, including former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, have also raised the issue. And Muro said that concern over the threat to blue-collar jobs appeals to both Democrats and Republicans.

“I think that this is secretly one of the big issues of the campaign, and that this is what people are sitting around talking about around the dinner table,” he said.

Even a Fox News pundit lauded de Blasio on the effort. “My praise of you on this question is totally sincere,” Tucker Carlson told de Blasio during an appearance on his show last week. “Very few people are taking this seriously. Andrew Yang is one of them, you’re another. I can’t think of many others who are. So God bless you.”

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The

Rise of Rubéncito Ruben Diaz Jr. transformed the Bronx.

In 2021, will the rest of New York City care?

by D AV I D C R U Z

B

RONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT Ruben Diaz Jr. exits his Chevy Tahoe outside Eastchester Houses on a recent weekday afternoon. It’s the third stop on his official schedule, a visit to a senior center he’s frequented many times (and allocated thousands of dollars toward) in his 10-year run as the borough’s chief executive. He sports a light-blue collared shirt with a fitted grey vest, black jeans and brown leather shoes. Sleeves rolled up, shades on, goatee trimmed, Diaz looks like a “teenager today,” one staffer jokes as he’s ushered in.

The look pays off. Screams and chants of “wepa!” erupt as Diaz enters the center for a party celebrating August birthdays and the upcoming Labor Day holiday. With Pitbull’s “Sube Las Manos Pa’ Arriba” playing, Diaz claps and laughs his way to the dance floor, grabbing a bespectacled senior to show off his salsa skills. Others jockey for a chance to dance with the 46-year-old politico, who displays a rhythm and grace few elected officials possess. Minutes later, he takes a mic to thank the seniors for their loyalty to the borough.

“Those who have abandoned us, when people left, when they stopped

portraits by P H I L I P V U K E L I C H

CREDIT

September 16, 2019

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believing in us – hey, quite frankly, we want to be honest, we stopped believing in ourselves – you stayed here,” Diaz tells the crowd. “The best is yet to come.”

It’s the kind of scene Diaz will soon be knee-deep in as he mounts a run for mayor, a position he has eyed for years. Diaz, who is term-limited in 2021, will attempt to replicate feats last accomplished three decades ago: a borough president rising to the top spot in New York City government and the ascension of a minority mayor (David Dinkins achieved both). His likely rivals are New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, while former Council Speaker Christine Quinn may enter the fray as well.

Should he win, Diaz will achieve what no other Hispanic politician has done in city history: win citywide elected office.

The closest the city ever came was in 2005 when then-Bronx Borough President Fernando “Freddy” Ferrer became the first Hispanic candidate to win the Democratic nomination for mayor, only to lose to Michael Bloomberg. With the share of the city’s Hispanic population rising to 29%, the time may have come for a Latino to run City Hall.

“All these campaigns are job interviews, writ large, and if you didn’t handle your previous or your current job well, how do you expect people to rely on your ability to handle your job going forward, or a new job, or a job with more responsibility?”

Ferrer says in a telephone interview. “I believe (Diaz has) done a very credible job.”

A man with many names – “Rubéncito,” “Junior,” “BP” – Diaz built up the Bronx as an assemblyman but especially as borough president. For many occupants, the office of a borough president is largely ceremonial. Not for Diaz.

“He set in motion a social change in the borough and the leadership of the borough,” says Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, the Bronx Democratic Party chairman and a Diaz disciple who’s set to throw the full power of the machine behind Diaz’s candidacy. Given the city’s reputation for diversity, it’s “offensive” to Crespo that there has been no Hispanic mayor.

Yet Crespo is already hearing rumblings that Diaz is too young or inexperienced. Crespo, who once interned for Diaz, says it’s “insulting” that other candidates “who have been in government only a handful of years” or “are not even native New Yorkers” are not questioned the same way a Latino is. “Why should Ruben be the one to hear that narrative?”

Crespo asks.

“That happens,” says Michael Benjamin, a former Bronx assemblyman who’s now a New York Post editorial board mem-

September 16, 2019

“YOU COULD POUND YOUR CHEST. YOU COULD HAVE A BRILLIANT IDEA. YOU CAN HAVE THE BIGGEST PRESS CONFERENCE. BUT IF YOU DO NOT HAVE RELATIONSHIPS, THEN YOU KNOW WHAT? IT’S ALL BLUSTER.”

ber, citing Rep. Herman Badillo’s half a dozen mayoral runs between 1969 and 2001. “He wasn’t really taken seriously by, I guess at the time what we call the mainstream media,” Benjamin says. “And I think that remains Ruben’s problem as well.”

The narrative Diaz puts forward is one of economic progress, trumpeting nearly $19 billion in new or anticipated develop-

ment in the borough under his watch over the last decade, a plummeting crime rate and a reduced unemployment rate. The results: a surging population as more New Yorkers flock to the Bronx, which once was equated with working-class neighborhoods that descended into fiery wastelands. Now, it’s a new frontier, a bastion of revitalization and affordability in an increasingly expensive city. Diaz considers development

September 16, 2019

a means of stability, and that philosophy will likely be the main ingredient to a mayoral platform.

“I believe Ruben has been an effective borough leader, especially on economic and job development,” Benjamin says. “He has been a leader on the issue of expanding (gifted and talented) classes in the Bronx and bringing attention to Districts 7 and 12. I’d praise him as a leader in the mold of

City & State New York

Fernando Ferrer, who united the borough, east and west, north and south.”

For Diaz, the work goes beyond ceremonial activities typically associated with borough presidents. “We’re not here twiddling our thumbs,” he says. “I love a ribbon cutting, I love a groundbreaking. That’s not all that we’re doing. We are making sure that development is happening in the Bronx and with the Bronx.”

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Of course, it’s not a completely rosy picture, as the borough is grappling with higher levels of poverty, a devastating opioid crisis and lower test scores compared with the rest of the city. Diaz doesn’t exactly downplay the problems, but responds with his usual refrain: “Life’s not perfect.”

Still, he has chipped away at some of the borough’s nagging stereotypes, and is hoping to replicate these successes citywide.

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And you can bet he’ll use his greatest asset: a natural, affable charm. He’s a smoothtalking emissary, a man of the people, selling the merits of the borough, selling himself, and making powerful friends, including Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, while securing billions of dollars for the Bronx.

His relationships have helped seal deals on protracted projects that include the Metro-North expansion plan, Compass Residences, the Bay Plaza Shopping Center, La Central, the rehab of the Orchard Beach Pavilion, the Van Cortlandt Park Library, and, to the consternation of some, the Trump Golf Links.

Yet the borough’s most elusive project – converting the Kingsbridge Armory into the world’s largest ice skating center – has barely thawed five years after it was announced. This problem wouldn’t be in Diaz’s hands had he backed a proposed mall project that had projected the creation of 2,200 jobs at the height of the Great Recession. In his inaugural year as borough president, Diaz blasted the developers for ignoring the community’s demand for a $10 hourly living wage over the established $7.25 hourly wage the mall planned to pay its employees. With Diaz’s support, the City Council voted to kill the deal. Since that controversial episode, he has been quicker to embrace job-creating development projects.

Diaz has flirted with running for a variety of offices before – Congress, city comptroller, public advocate – but he says those offices would have had their limitations.

Being mayor, Diaz says, offers maximum reach to “create more opportunities for as many New Yorkers as possible.”

“And we’ve been able to do that in … one of the most challenging parts of the city, and I don’t want to run for any other office, and I don’t believe any other office has the resources, other than the mayor of the city of New York, in order for us to accomplish that,” he says, sounding rehearsed.

Then he concludes, “So, it’s either mayor or bust.”

Early on, he is lagging on fundraising and name recognition – but perhaps his biggest challenge is the behavior of his father, the Rev. Rubén Díaz Sr., a New York City councilman, congressional contender and firebrand whose comments over the years – that the 1994 sporting event known as the Gay Games would bring disease to the city, that New York was the “abortion capital of the world,” that the gay community controls the City Council – earned him scorn from fellow Democrats. The younger Diaz didn’t mince words when he expressed what type of support he wants from his father: “(What) I need from him is to be disciplined in his comments.”

September 16, 2019

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N HIS IPHONE 7, the younger Diaz shows me photos capturing key points from his life. In one, he’s a young man, with a full head of hair, white Nautica shirt and shades. Huddled around him are his friends, “the fellas,” as Diaz calls them, who have stuck by him for decades.

and helped jump-start his political career.

The fellas – White Boy Steve, Joe Key, Gene, Polo – formed a crew, watching out for their block and trekking to Starlight Park for some cliff jumping into the Bronx River, then a dumping ground for cars and raw sewage. This meant running into boys from blocks that weren’t too friendly with them. I ask whether brawls were the norm.

Ruben Diaz Jr. says his biggest supporters are “extremely concerned about” the name he shares with his father, the controversial New York City councilman and Pentecostal minister.

“Every morning, we have a thread, a group chat. That’s how we say good morning to each other. Three of them in California. One in Pennsylvania. The rest in the Bronx,” he says, as a traffic jam keeps us from Starlight Park, our first stop of the day.

In the Bronx, surviving the streets isn’t easy. The same can be applied to politics, and Diaz is acutely aware of it: You can’t go at anything alone. It’s a mantra he learned while growing up.

Diaz was born in the Bronx in April 1973, the youngest of three. They lived in Moore Houses in Mott Haven when the South Bronx was plagued by blight. His father later bought a home on St. Lawrence Avenue in Soundview, a neighborhood that was gritty but nowhere near as troubled as Mott Haven. The fellas lived on the same block,

Diaz smirks, saying only, “We knew how to defend ourselves.”

By age 21, Diaz was already wrapped up in public service and politics. While working as a messenger for the New York City Council, he asked his father, then working for the Civilian Complaint Review Board, to put him on the slate for male district leader for the 85th Assembly District, against Gumercindo Martinez. His friends papered Monroe Houses with fliers in exchange for pizza, and Diaz beat Martinez.

A couple years later, in November 1996, the 23-year-old Diaz won the 85th Assembly District seat, defeating Pedro Gautier Espada, son of the now-disgraced former state Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. In Albany, Diaz was the prime sponsor of 19 bills that became law, including one that provided tax

September 16, 2019

abatements to green roofs. He co-sponsored some 160 bills that included passing mayoral control of city schools and a state 9/11 victim compensation fund.

His ability to connect with others in the Assembly served him well. He was the popular kid, at least by Assembly standards. Inside the chamber, he sat next to Heastie, finding a confidante in an institution where lawmakers of color were rare. Heastie became like family, and the future speaker dubbed the pair Batman and Robin – though which was the Caped Crusader was a constant source of debate. Heastie settled it in his interview with City & State: Diaz was Batman.

“He had more seniority,” Heastie says in a telephone interview.

“By saying that we’re Batman and Robin, that means we worked together, we fought together, and we always had each other’s back.”

But the dynamic duo needed a bigger team to take on Assemblyman José Rivera, then the leader of the Bronx Democratic Party. In the early 2000s, the party was split into factions operating like the seven realms in Game of Thrones.

Trust was nonexistent. Resentment brewed. But the realms had a common enemy: Rivera, whose penchant for cliques and nepotism alienated lawmakers. Working together on anything seemed impossible.

Diaz and Heastie eventually allied themselves with other spurned poli-

SHANNON DECELLE

“IF I HAD IT MY WAY, MY FATHER WOULD NOT BE RUNNING FOR CONGRESS. BUT HE IS.” ticians across the Bronx, along with party attorney and fixer Stanley Schlein, to form the now-famous “Rainbow Rebellion” of 2008, a defining moment in Bronx politics that reintroduced stability to the party – even if its reputation for backroom decision-making, resistance to outsiders and a tendency to elevate male candidates largely remains.

The following year, Diaz succeeded Adolfo Carrión as borough president, who had relinquished his seat for a cabinet position with the Obama administration. Diaz’s friendship-building turned to cultivating coalitions to get big projects off the ground.

City & State New York

The Bronx began getting attention it hadn’t received in years.

“Relationships determine outcomes,” Diaz tells me. “It determines results. You could pound your chest. You could have a brilliant idea. You can have the biggest press conference, with all the media and television cameras there. But if you do not have relationships – and I’m speaking at every level of government – in order to be able to implement those ideas, then you know what? It’s all bluster.”

We’re walking along a path in Starlight Park, a riverfront green space sandwiched between the Bronx River and the Sheridan Expressway, the latter of which is undergoing a massive $1.8 billion overhaul that will turn the freeway into a boulevard. The freeway also abuts Compass Residences, an eight-story project also under construction. Talk of remaking the expressway was raised as far back as 2002. It would take 15 years to get it done.

“You must have relationships, and for whatever reason there’s been – you see many cases where people frown upon leadership or people in positions of government having those relationships and negotiations, but that’s how you make it all happen. That’s how you create all of the development that you see here,” Diaz says, pointing to the work underway on the expressway.

Heastie, who took over as Assembly speaker in 2015, acknowledges the problems that still plague the borough, but credits his longtime ally for helping turn things around. “The Bronx is the borough with the lowest median income,” he says, “a lot of struggles amongst different communities, and if Ruben is able to help lessen those challenges in the borough, I just say imagine what he could do for the other four boroughs.

The Bronx (was) first in worst things, and last in the best things. And those things have now changed, and it’s really because of Ruben’s leadership and him working with elected officials in the Bronx.”

Of course, running citywide will require Diaz to broaden his focus, both in terms of geography and ethnic politics. “People will try to define him and categorize him, by ethnicity, by language, by the Bronx,” Ferrer says.

In recent months, Diaz has crossed the Throgs Neck and Whitestone bridges for some meet and greets with tenant, civic, and merchant associations outside the borough. He joined a rally for his Queens counterpart, Melinda Katz, who narrowly won the primary for Queens district attorney. Diaz, along with Heastie and Cuomo, got behind Katz, a party-backed candidate, suggesting Katz – and perhaps the Queens Democratic Party – could return the favor.

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Diaz has cozied up to New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who stood with Diaz when he was endorsed by the Bronx Democrats in April. Williams’ Brooklyn connections could help siphon votes away from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, another mayoral contender. Both Williams and Katz were on hand at a Bronx Democratic Party dinner in July, stirring speculation over a team-up among the boroughs.

“Will Corey and Scott Stringer sort of split Manhattan-type, certain parts of Brooklyn, certain parts of Queens? They might split those votes,” says Christina Greer, a political science professor at Fordham University. “You could say Adams will probably get a significant portion of the Brooklyn votes. So, you could sort of start chopping up the city, but that will definitely mean that Diaz will need the Bronx to really come through, and Queens, right?

So, it’ll be interesting to see like a BronxQueens coalition happening so that Bronx and Queens feel like they can finally get a mayor.”

D

IAZ IS SITTING in a boxy office trailer getting an update on the status of a state-ofthe-art YMCA in Edenwald, a $60 million project that’s been talked about for years.

Amid the whir of excavators outside, a project manager says there are 83 Bronxites working at the site today, a figure that seems to please Diaz. A YMCA executive, Joseph Chan, tells Diaz that the organization has delivered on its pledge to have the project built by Bronxites, thanks to job fairs targeting local residents. The project includes an aquatic center, teaching kitchen and rooftop farm, requests Diaz made during the negotiation phase.

“How are you doing with contractors that are from the city or from the Bronx?”

Diaz asks.

“Very well,” Chan says. “I think we should be able to report soon on our numbers, but locally we found a lot of contractors both from the city. Our general conditions contractor, Classico, is committed. They’re not based far away from here.”

“That’s Maria Rios. And Louis Rios,” Diaz says, turning to me. “See? From the Bronx. Latinos. Puerto Ricans. Write that down.”

They certainly come recommended.

It doesn’t hurt that they’ve contributed $4,150 to Diaz’s campaign coffers.

Diaz has gotten to know developers all across the borough, and they have largely bankrolled his campaign to date. An analysis of his latest filing shows roughly half of it originates from those in or tied to the real estate industry, which may not sit well with progressives.

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CityAndStateNY.com

And while Diaz’s positions include added gifted and talented seats (despite de Blasio’s call to end such programs), improving public housing conditions, and investing in green technology, development will likely define his platform.

Land use is an area where he has a role – and a record – and it helps that Bronx Councilman Rafael Salamanca, an ally, chairs the City Council’s powerful Land Use Committee.

Everywhere Diaz takes me, from neighborhoods abutting the Bruckner Expressway, the I-95 and the Sheridan Expressway, there are clangs and bangs of construction – the “sounds of opportunity,” Diaz says.

One Democratic consultant tells me, “If you go out and ask a real estate developer, not just in the Bronx but anywhere in New York, and say, who’s your candidate for mayor in 2021, they at least in my experience say Ruben Diaz.”

The warm relationship with developers, however, has angered activists and anti-gentrifiers, inspiring a familiar chant from community groups: “The Bronx is not for sale.”

“It’s basically like saying, ‘We have a price tag, and for the right price you too can do business here,’” says Ed Conde Garcia, founder and editor of the blog Welcome2TheBronx, who criticized Diaz’s now-retired phrase, the “New Bronx.” “It’s always at the cost of the people who live here. It’s no different than a real estate person in trying to whitewash our history.”

Gregory Jost, a professor of urban planning at Fordham University, says the question is whether construction projects are helping the borough’s current residents.

“This model of development that he’s a cheerleader for leaves a lot to be desired,” Jost says. “My question would be, where has he taken a bold stand on gentrification or displacement? … And there’s a lot of different models out there. We’re doing a lot of work trying to base it around community land trust and community-ownership models, limited equity co-ops, mutual housing associations, I don’t see him really in any of those spaces. Is he being a cheerleader for those types of models that are really community-driven?”

Diaz shrugs at the criticism. A self-described pragmatic progressive Democrat, he waves off the all-or-nothing attitude of many progressives. He isn’t shy about convincing developers to do business in the Bronx. How else can a borough bring about housing and jobs without negotiating with developers? And he doesn’t rubber-stamp, he says, citing Kingsbridge as an example.

“We’re fixing the beach, the parks, playgrounds, waterfront, we’re building a children’s museum. I’m not apologetic about any of it. I’m proud of it,” he says,

September 16, 2019

later telling me, “You got to have some level of communication and conversation.

It’s not all going to be nice. I don’t always have great conversations. Sometimes it gets ugly. Sometimes the fight is real.”

The real estate industry hasn’t completely emptied its pockets for Diaz. The most recent campaign filing shows he has $931,228 on hand, trailing Stringer and Adams. About 5% came from the same donors who have supported his father. He may have to press allies for support, chief among them Cuomo. Of all the mayoral contenders, Diaz has had the most fruitful relationship with the governor.

“Scott Stringer knows how to raise money, he’s been doing it very well for a very long time. He went up against (former New York Gov. Eliot) Spitzer,” says Greer.

“Diaz is going to need to expand his circles in very substantive and pretty expeditious ways, and so is this Cuomo calling in favors and, you know, putting his thumb on the scale for Diaz? Or is this something where Cuomo sort of reads the tea leaves and says, ‘You know what? I’m just going to stay out of this one’?”

Diaz says that he can turn things around in the next filing, given the number of fundraisers he’s lined up to secure small-dollar donations to qualify for the city’s campaign finance matching funds.

As for Cuomo – Diaz hasn’t asked him yet. But he will. He just doesn’t want to assume he has Cuomo’s backing. “I don’t want him to read or his folks to read an article saying, ‘Yeah, I got Cuomo in the bag.’

I’m trying to gain as much support from as many people as possible,” he says.

As for Diaz’s dad? That’s a different story.

Díaz Sr. His reputation for incendiary remarks and actions toward the gay community include filing a lawsuit to block the expansion of Harvey Milk High School in 2003, a public school that aimed to enroll LGBTQ kids; an anti-same-sex marriage rally at Bronx Borough Hall in 2005; opposing his fellow Democrat and mayoral candidate Freddy Ferrer for supporting same-sex marriage; and being the sole Democrat in the state Senate to reject the same-sex marriage bill in 2011. “The majority is not always

“AS (THE RACE GETS CLOSER), MORE AND MORE NEW YORKERS WILL SEE THAT THERE ARE TWO RUBEN DIAZES.”

A

S WE RODE TO our last stop, Diaz chatted about the Bronx’s political elders, offering an easy segue to his father, City Councilman Rubén Díaz Sr., the controversial Pentecostal minister and the other half of a paradoxical political dynasty. Diaz knew this would come up. It’s the inevitable buzzkill to this nearly five-hour trek across the Bronx.

Their father-son relationship, inextricably linked, remains a source of political intrigue, a contradiction: How could Diaz Jr. live in the same house as Díaz Sr.? What do they agree on? Where do they differ? How can Diaz Jr. be mayor if his father keeps getting in the way?

Controversy has always surrounded

right. Two thousand years ago the majority chose the rabbi and rejected Jesus,” Díaz Sr. said in 2013. “I could be only one in the whole world and I would not change my view.”

Empowered by election victories and emboldened by the #MeToo movement, progressives have reshaped the political landscape. For Diaz Jr., the trick is finding a balance between being a loyal son and a candidate who can’t afford alienating any bloc that has been hurt by the councilman’s comments.

“I try to impress that upon him all the time. I try to tell him there’s – again, running for mayor is monumental. It’s even that much more when you come from the Bronx, when you come from my background. And so, it’s not about not making errors. It’s about how you bounce back from the errors as a candidate,” Diaz Jr. says, adding that any lapse “is much more

September 16, 2019

intensified when you have somebody with your namesake doing the things that my father does.”

One of Díaz Sr.’s most recent comments – that the gay community controls the City Council – cast him as a pariah among fel-

low council members. Diaz Jr. was returning from Puerto Rico when he got the call from Corey Johnson, alerting him of his father’s gaffe.

Díaz Sr. remains unashamed in his religious beliefs about gays. “I cannot go back on that, and I will not go back on that,” he tells me. He ignores my question over whether those beliefs could come at a cost for his son, simply saying

City & State New York

he will pray for him.

“I don’t hate anyone,” he says. “The same belief, the same Bible teach me that I cannot hate anybody, that we have to love everyone. We do not have to agree, we do not have to agree with everyone, but we have to love everyone. ... Any opportunity that I get to help anyone – gay, straight, whatever it is, black, Spanish, white, whatever – any opportunity that I get to help anyone, I will use it to help that person. That doesn’t mean that I have to agree with what a person does.”

None of this is new to Diaz Jr. Yet, in a way, it is. He’s now running for the highest office in the city. And there are more eyes on him, including from his rivals, who may hold up Díaz Sr.’s faults in the months leading to the June 2021 primary.

“They’re going to want him to denounce his dad in the most straightforward ways,” Benjamin says. “I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.”

Diaz Jr. says he won’t denounce his father. Blood is thicker than politics, and he is able to separate his father from the conservative Democrat he disagrees with. He loves his father. In many ways, he owes his career to his father. After all, he put him on that slate all those years ago.

Whether as a means of contrition, damage control or a rebuttal against rivals, Diaz Jr. has gone out of his way to demonstrate he’s a friend to the LGBT community, allocating funds for an LGBT senior affordable housing development in May 2018, regularly attending the Pride March parade, and convincing the Bronx Democrats in June to honor the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City, a citywide club that endorses candidates who support LGBT rights. “They appreciate the support I give to the LGBT community, and they don’t hold my father against me,” Diaz says.

The efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. “I guess it seems genuine,” says Garcia, who is openly gay. “He does a little way too much for it to not be authentic.”

Back inside his SUV, Diaz says he wishes his father would reconsider a run for the 15th Congressional District, a race getting national attention for pitting a social conservative against a young progressive candi-

19

date in City Councilman Ritchie Torres, the borough’s first openly gay elected official.

“If I had it my way, my father would not be running for Congress,” Diaz Jr. says, gazing pensively at the Bruckner Expressway, another roadway under construction. After an awkward pause, he adds, “but he is.”

It doesn’t help that the son shares his name with his father. “And that’s a challenge I would hope that my father would be mindful of, and I asked him to be mindful of. And that’s a challenge … my biggest supporters are extremely concerned about.

And I’m not trivializing that.”

Endorsing a candidate in the 15th District – be it his father, Assemblyman Michael Blake or Torres – is far from Diaz Jr.’s mind.

Díaz Sr. knows that he could be a liability for his son, and has tried to keep himself out of the race. “My presence will hurt him with some groups,” Díaz Sr. says. “When the time comes, I’m afraid people will take it out on him what they have against me.”

Greer says the best strategy may be for Diaz Jr. to venture out of the Bronx. “Diaz’s challenge will be to introduce himself to a wider audience,” she says. “A lot of New Yorkers don’t know who he is because he represents the Bronx. They don’t know who he is, but they do know who is father is.”

Diaz Jr. says he has faith in the city’s voters. “And I think that as we get closer to it, more and more New Yorkers will see that there are two Ruben Diazes,” he says.

“And that will come from the attention both of the races will get.”

O

UR TREK ACROSS the Bronx ends at Zona de Cuba, a rooftop restaurant atop the historic Bronx General Post Office.

The Cuban eatery – complete with a skyline view of the Bronx and parts of Manhattan – opened early this year, with palm trees, Regency sofas and vintage Havana chandeliers. Sitting down after what seemed like a marathon day, he orders a summer ale draft prepared by Bronx Brewery. He wants that on the record.

I can’t help but ask what happens if the road to Gracie Mansion ends instead in a dead end.

But Diaz says there is a singular plan: winning this election.

“You want me to be pessimistic?” he says, laughing. “There’s a plan, and that’s it. If you’ve just made it to the Final Four, and the job is coming, what’s your plan B? No. You gotta be optimistic that you’re gonna make it to the NBA.”

■

David Cruz is editor-in-chief of Norwood News.

BRONX 20 CityAndStateNY.com

September 16, 2019

STUART STUART MONK/SHUTTERSTOCK MONK/SHUTTERSTOCK

J

ENNIFER LOPEZ, one of the biggest stars to come out of the Bronx, is back in the spotlight with a new film, “Hustlers.” Sharing the screen with Lopez is Cardi B, another crossover performer who grew up in the Bronx. And like other Bronx celebrities who have hit the big time – from the rapper Fat Joe to the talk show hosts Desus & Mero – they haven’t forgotten their home borough, which is enjoying a renaissance of its own.

At the same time, there’s also been a remarkable political resurgence in the Bronx. Ruben Diaz Jr., the borough president, could become the first Latino mayor of New York City. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is already one of the most influential politicians in the state. And of course, there’s Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a former bartender from the Bronx whose 2018 upset victory has transformed her into one of the most recognizable figures in the country. In City & State’s Bronx Power 100, we identify all of the borough’s political movers and shakers – and how they stack up against one another.

September 16, 2019

City & State New York

1 CARL HEASTIE

ASSEMBLY SPEAKER

ASSEMBLY

WHEN CARL Heastie took control of the Bronx Democratic Party in 2008, this was the plan. The county machine would no longer be run (poorly) by Assemblyman José Rivera and his family. Instead, Heastie and his compatriots would usher the Bronx into a new era of prominence and prosperity.

In the decade-plus since the “Rainbow Rebellion” – so called for its racial diversity compared with Rivera’s Puerto Rican coalition – Heastie became the first African-American speaker of the Assembly and helped position his longtime ally, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., for a run at Gracie Mansion in 2021. Despite losing fellow Bronxite Jeff Klein from the state Senate leadership, Heastie was quick to embrace the new state Senate majority under the leadership of Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

Heastie and Stewart-Cousins orchestrated one of the most successful sessions in New York legislative history.

Next year is an election year and members may be more cautious, particularly as serious primary challengers become more common.

Among the Bronx delegation, only Assemblyman Michael Benedetto has a serious challenger.

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22 CityAndStateNY.com

September 16, 2019

2 RUBEN DIAZ JR.

BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT WHEN MARCOS Crespo first met Ruben Diaz Jr. in 2002 as an intern in the state Legislature, the lanky and mustachioed assemblyman left Crespo in awe with his ability to debate sports and hip-hop with the son of a house painter and then put on a suit and outsmart Harvardeducated lawyers.

From the moment Diaz Jr. became the youngest assemblyman since Theodore Roosevelt, he’s been an ambassador for the Bronx of his birth and the Bronx he hoped to build. He’s partnered with celebrities like Fat Joe and Desus & Mero to boost the cultural brand of the Bronx while working with business leaders like JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon to generate billions for the borough.

Diaz oversaw a decade of unprecedented development in the Bronx, thanks in part to his allies in Albany and a cultivated friendship with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In a city where nearly a third of the population is Hispanic, Diaz Jr. could be New York’s first Latino mayor and first mayor from the Bronx since 1932.

3 MARCOS CRESPO

CHAIRMAN BRONX DEMOCRATIC PARTY counterpart Joe Crowley and Alessandra Biaggi’s upset of Jeff Klein, the Bronx boss got to work. He negotiated a truce with Biaggi, and the two even co-chaired the historic sexual harassment hearings together. For now, Crespo has righted the ship, but stormy seas are on the horizon.

Crespo stepped back from the Assembly’s Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force – charged with organizing the yearly Somos conferences – and instead chaired the Labor Committee. He led the charge on the Green Light NY bill, which will allow undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses. And he continued to walk back his previous conservative views on same-sex marriage in floor speeches and in a speech honoring the Stonewall Democrats at the Bronx Democrats’ annual dinner.

The peace that settled over the Bronx after last year’s election is likely temporary. The races in 2020 and 2021 will cause rifts and elected officials will stop playing nice.

But Crespo’s a fighter, and, unlike in 2018, he knows a fight is coming this time.

PHILIP VUKELICH; AMY LOMBARD

AFTER THE shocking loss of Marcos Crespo’s Queens

CONGRATULATES OUR CLIENTS FOR BEING NAMED TO THE CITY & STATE BRONX POWER 100 LIST Speaker carl e. heastie

Senator jamaal bailey www.patrickbjenkins.com 5 Penn Plaza 19th Floor NY, NY 10001 119 Washington Ave 2nd Floor Albany, NY 12210

24 CityAndStateNY.com

September 16, 2019

4 ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

CONGRESSWOMAN

IT TOOK less than a year for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

to transition from bartender to one of the most powerful Democrats in the country. She speaks – or tweets – and the world listens. In Washington, when she’s not going round-for-round with Nancy Pelosi or Donald Trump, she’s championing policies like the Green New Deal, moving them from leftist pipe dreams into the mainstream of Democratic politics.

Back in the Bronx, Ocasio-Cortez has yet to flex her muscles much. Last summer she endorsed Alessandra Biaggi in the primary against Jeff Klein, and in May she endorsed longshot Queens district attorney candidate Tiffany Cabán, providing Cabán with much-needed national attention and an infusion of cash from nationwide donors.

There will be no shortage of 2020 races for OcasioCortez to get involved in. Two of the Bronx’s four congressional seats will have competitive primaries, including the 16th Congressional District. In that race, Ocasio-Cortez’s earliest boosters, Justice Democrats, are backing middle school principal Jamaal Bowman against Eliot Engel in the 15-term congressman’s first competitive primary in two decades.

5 STANLEY SCHLEIN

THE EMBODIMENT of the Bronx machine, Stanley Schlein commands unparalleled respect among allies and ire from his enemies. The longtime fixer helped orchestrate Carl Heastie and Ruben Diaz Jr.’s ascension to power, solidifying his influence for as long as they reign.

A largely private figure without an official party title, Schlein’s network of relationships across the city and immense institutional knowledge factor him significantly into Bronx Democrats’ electoral strategy and internal party machinations. There’s not a judge in the borough who got to the bench without Schlein’s blessing.

When Melinda Katz needed an all-star team of election attorneys, Schlein was called. When the Yankees needed a new stadium, Schlein was their sherpa. When a clerical error was going to kick Bill de Blasio off the ballot in the 2009 public advocate race, Schlein was the one who got him back on.

Schlein is also a well-compensated lobbyist. Between 2012 and 2018, Schlein collected $120,000 from the Catholic Conference to lobby the Assembly and state Senate on bills regarding the prosecution of sex offenses.

ASCHWAPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK; STANLEY SCHLEIN

ATTORNEY

MCNY MPA ALUMNI ARE POWERFUL LEADERS IN THE BRONX! Metropolitan College of New York congratulates our City and State Bronx Power 100 award recipients!

EDUCATIONAL AND NON-PROFIT LEADER JOHN EDWARDS | MPA ‘13 For more than 20-years, John Edwards has commanded large-scale complex programs and workforce development initiatives. Now, as the Executive Director of the MCNY Bronx Campus and College-Wide Career Development, he impacts our students and our Bronx business and non-profi t community as a leader and educator.

PUBLIC SERVICE LEADER MARRICKA SCOTT-McFADDEN | MPA ‘13 Marricka Scott-McFadden currently serves as Deputy Bronx Borough President, implementing a positive agenda for the advancement of the Borough’s 1.4 million+ residents. Marricka was named one of City Hall News “40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Politics” and City & State’s “2016 Bronx Most Influential Persons”, as a testament of her dedication to public service.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNITY LEADER LARRY SCOTT BLACKMON | MPA ‘07 Larry Scott Blackmon has held several impactful positions in public service and affairs for a variety of organizations. He currently serves as Vice President, Community and Government Affairs at FreshDirect. Blackmon was recognized for many awards including “40 under 40” People to Watch in both City and State News and the Network Journal in 2016.

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26 CityAndStateNY.com

September 16, 2019

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CHAIRMAN HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

PRESIDENT 1199SEIU

BRONX DISTRICT ATTORNEY

CHAIRMAN NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON LAND USE

ELIOT ENGEL

ELIOT ENGEL is no

Joe Crowley. Sure, the soft-spoken foreign policy wonk hasn’t had a competitive race in 20 years and he’s not as progressive as some want, but he shows up in district frequently and is well-liked.

Engel’s challengers in the Democratic primary are running at him from the left, but Engel is hardly a moderate. He wants to impeach President Donald Trump and uses his chairmanship to investigate the president.

GEORGE GRESHAM

The leader of New York’s largest union has the war chest and manpower political machines only dream of. Gresham is influential in the Bronx, a borough where more people work in health care than anywhere else.

An early supporter of Mayor Bill de Blasio and a close ally of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Gresham is a particularly skilled political operator.

When Republicans were in power, he directed donations their way, even while championing progressive causes.

DARCEL CLARK

THE FIRST

African-American woman elected district attorney in New York, Darcel Clark is cruising to re-election after an unopposed primary and with no one else on the ballot for the general election. Clark isn’t the darling of criminal justice reform circles, but she has the full backing of Bronx Democrats. Clark publicly supported reforms like closing Rikers and ending cash bail – and she has four more years to enact them.

RAFAEL SALAMANCA

RAFAEL SALAMANCA

is a “county guy,” and isn’t afraid to say so. The former district manager of Community Board 2 was the party-backed candidate to replace Maria del Carmen Arroyo in a 2016 special election.

When Corey Johnson ascended to the City Council speakership with the support of the Bronx delegation, Salamanca was named Land Use Committee chairman.

During his chairmanship, Salamanca oversaw rezonings in the Garment District, Inwood, and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx.

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BETTY ROSA

CHANCELLOR STATE BOARD OF REGENTS THE STATE’S top education policymaker

spent the early part of her career serving in various positions within the New York City Department of Education. Betty Rosa, who represents the Bronx on the Board of Regents, was unanimously reelected to a second term as chancellor by her colleagues on the board.

She recently began floating the possibility of changing the Regents exam requirement, a staple of New York state high school education for over a century.

Leaders are always, first and foremost, believers.

Spectrum is proud to support City & State’s Bronx Power 100.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT; ASSEMBLY

Congratulations to NY1’s Amy Yensi and all the honorees for their achievements.

September 16, 2019

City & State New York

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NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMAN

ASSEMBLYMAN

NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMAN

STATE SENATOR

THE RISING

fourth in a crowded public advocate race, Michael Blake jumped into the race for New York’s 15th Congressional District. Fundraising won’t be an issue for Blake – his vice chair position with the Democratic National Committee brings in plenty of money and, in the public advocate race, an endorsement from actor Ethan Hawke.

Blake’s connections could help if the race starts to get messy and the national party puts a finger on the scale.

RUBÉN DÍAZ Sr.

state Sen. Jeff Klein last fall catapulted Alessandra Biaggi into the spotlight, and she capitalized. The freshman state senator chaired marathon sexual harassment hearings and led the charge on the Child Victims Act. Despite staff turnover and complaints about time spent in-district, Biaggi does not lack friends. Hillary Clinton administered vows at her wedding and she is close with Senate leadership and the phalanx of progressive women driving the conversation in Albany.

RITCHIE TORRES

star has risen.

Ritchie Torres has long been a media darling with a promising future, but the future is now. The first openly gay elected official from the Bronx is a favorite for New York’s 15th Congressional District. A clever politician, Torres used his role as chairman of the Council’s Committee on Oversight and Investigations to delve into the activities of NYCHA and Jared Kushner.

MICHAEL BLAKE

AFTER FINISHING

RUBÉN DÍAZ SR.

barely missed a beat after making a series of homophobic remarks and a refusing to “rat” out sexual harrassers, which drew nearly universal outcry, including from his son. Though his proclivity for insensitivity cost him a committee chairmanship, he’s a top contender to replace the retiring José Serrano in Congress. His strong constituent services and consistent procurement of in-district funding go a long way in the South Bronx.

ALESSANDRA BIAGGI

THE TOPPLING of

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JEFFREY DINOWITZ

ASSEMBLYMAN

AN ALLY of Carl Heastie and Ruben Diaz Jr. in the socalled Rainbow Rebellion about a decade ago, Jeffrey Dinowitz has consolidated power in the Northwest Bronx. The local political club, the Ben Franklin Reform Democratic Club, is firmly in Dinowitz’s control even with a recent influx of Alessandra Biaggi supporters. Andrew Cohen is his close ally, and Dinowitz hopes his own son, Eric, will win the 2021 race to succeed the term-limited councilman.

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CONGRESSMAN

CHAIRMAN STATE SENATE CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION COMMITTEE

STATE SENATOR

NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMAN

ADRIANO ESPAILLAT

THOUGH HE only

LUIS SEPÚLVEDA

represents a sliver of the Bronx, Adriano Espaillat commands tremendous respect in a borough where a large portion of the population is of Dominican descent.

The first Dominican-American congressman and a former undocumented immigrant, Espaillat is known for his opposition to President Donald Trump, especially on immigration issues. Last year, an anti-white-supremacy rally organized by Espaillat in Inwood was monitored by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

GUSTAVO RIVERA

MARK GJONAJ

THE PROGRESSIVE,

anti-Cuomo state senator declined to run for the open 15th Congressional DisLUIS SEPÚLVEDA trict seat, an oddity doesn’t always back considering half of the right horse, but he the Bronx is running always backs the left for the gig. Gustavo horse. After being the Rivera is staying put first Bronx official to for a number of reaendorse Bill de Blasio in sons, unfinished busiboth his mayoral races, ness in Albany being STATE SENATOR Sepúlveda again enchief among them. dorsed him for president.

A CARL HEASTIE protege and the youngSince taking office, A month before Alexest state senator after his 2016 election, the chairman of the 19-DEVL-06012-0021 Empire City Ad v00 andria Ocasio-Cortez Bailey was the promising, young progresstate Senate Health backed Tiffany4/0: Cabán, CMYK sive in the state Senate until a small army Coddy Committee has Sepúlveda endorsed the of promising, younger progressives showed sought to address 7.25” x 4.75” progressive district attorDEVL up this year. Now as chairman of the Codes health inequity and ney candidate. Don’t be Committee, Bailey will play an integral role Print wants to make New surprised if Sepúlveda in the balancing act between left-wing polYork the first state to TBD runs for Bronx 100% district at- 300 icy demands and the realities of navigating pass universal health torney in 2023 – he was an upstate-downstate coalition through care. talked out of running in criminal justice reforms like eliminating 2015 by Marcos Crespo. cash bail and legalizing marijuana.

MARK GJONAJ

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JAMAAL T. BAILEY

=

reportedly spent $1 million to win his council seat in 2017, so don’t be surprised if he spends $2 million in 2021.

The pro-business Democrat was the first Albanian-American elected to the state Legislature and the New York City Council, scoring a monumental victory for the Albanian community in the Bronx.

He uses his Small Business Committee chairmanship to challenge Mayor Bill de Blasio’s employee benefit proposals and tech companies like trim–DO NOT PRINT Grubhub and Airbnb.

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MORE JOBS

September 16, 2019

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PRESIDENT NEW YORK YANKEES

PRESIDENT BRONX OVERALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESIDENT AND CEO MONTEFIORE HEALTH SYSTEM

THOUGH MARLENE

THE NEW York Police

Department’s top uniformed cop is a Bronxite through and through.

Born and raised in Parkchester in a family of cops, Terence Monahan started out as a patrolman at the 41st Precinct, whose station house was infamously dubbed “Fort Apache.”

Monahan worked his way through the ranks, eventually promoted to executive officer of Patrol Borough Bronx.

The brain behind the NYPD’s neighborhood policing initiative, Monahan oversees 40,000 uniformed cops.

STEVEN SAFYER is

RANDY LEVINE

IN DECEMBER, Ran-

dy Levine was on the shortlist for one of the most powerful jobs on the planet: chief of staff to the president of the United States.

He declined, telling reporters he was happy to remain president of the New York Yankees. Since 2000, Levine has overseen the construction of Yankee Stadium, built YES Network into a $3.5 billion property, and brought Major League Soccer’s 20th expansion team to the Bronx.

MARLENE CINTRON

Cintron hasn’t held elected office, she’s among the most experienced candidates for the 15th Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. José Serrano. Born and raised in the South Bronx, Cintron led Mayor David Dinkins’ Latino outreach efforts, ran the district office of Serrano’s predecessor, and directed the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration.

Since 2010, Cintron has helped Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. bring billions in private investment to the Bronx.

TERENCE MONAHAN

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STEVEN SAFYER

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PATRICK JENKINS

FOUNDER PATRICK B. JENKINS & ASSOCIATES WHILE PATRICK Jenkins is a Queens

guy, he has plenty of friends in the Bronx.

Jenkins was well established as a New York City power broker and campaign consultant before his Stony Brook University roommate Carl Heastie became speaker of the Assembly, but Heastie’s ascension certainly didn’t hurt. Jenkins’ list of clients includes Heastie, state Sen. Jamaal Bailey, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto and Uber. Jenkins personally donates thousands to Bronx campaigns each cycle.

retiring after 40 years at Montefiore, but he will continue leading one of the borough’s largest employers and health care providers (a third of Bronx babies are born in a Montefiore facility) until a successor is named. Social justice in health care is important to Safyer, who led an initiative to combat HIV at Rikers in the 1990s. When Sayfer speaks, people listen, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. once said.

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CHARLES MOERDLER

CRISTIÁN SAMPER & JOHN F. CALVELLI

PARTNER STROOCK

ONE OF the first city

officials to have a car phone, Charles Moerdler has been a fixture of New York City politics for six decades. He serves on influential boards and committees, including the New York Law Journal’s editorial board and the board of the city’s Housing Development Corporation, which oversees billions in affordable housing investment.

In Riverdale, Moerdler frequently clashes with city officials as chair of Community Board 8’s land use committee.

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PAUL DEL DUCA

CHIEF OF STAFF BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT PERHAPS BOROUGH President Ruben

Diaz Jr.’s most valued ally, Paul Del Duca has worked alongside Diaz since his days in the Assembly. In 2013, Diaz announced his support of same-sex marriage and cited Del Duca, who is gay, as an influence on why he changed his mind. With the borough president gearing up for a mayoral run, Del Duca is undoubtedly crafting strategy and finding away to get his friend to Gracie Mansion.

PRESIDENT AND CEO; EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY JOHN CALVELLI was knight-

ed by Italy in 1999, when he ran Rep. Eliot Engel’s legislative shop. A vice chairman with the National Italian American Foundation, he joined the Wildlife Conservation Society in 2000. Cristián Samper arrived in 2012 to oversee the world’s largest collection of urban parks – including the Bronx Zoo – and a global conservation operation. A former advisor to Barack Obama and director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Samper is a renowned environmental expert.

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CO-CHAIRMAN MERCURY

DIRECTOR JAMES J. PETERS VA MEDICAL CENTER

FERNANDO FERRER

LAST NOVEMBER,

Fernando Ferrer was named acting chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board.

Although Gov. Andrew Cuomo later removed him, the former Bronx borough president and two-time candidate for mayor still has plenty of friends in the Bronx and beyond.

An expert on the revitalization of cities, Ferrer serves on the board of trustees for the City University of New York and on the board of directors for Sterling Bancorp, a regional bank.

We congratulate Chuck Moerdler and all of this year’s Bronx Power 100 honorees.

New York • Los Angeles • Miami • Washington, DC www.stroock.com

ERIK LANGHOFF

ERIK LANGHOFF

has led the James J. Peters VA Medical Center, one of the largest health care providers and employers in the Bronx, since 2012, overseeing nearly 2,000 staff members, 37,600 veterans, and a $280 million budget. The Bronx VA draws millions in private and public investment. Langhoff also is dean for Bronx VA affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

OFFICE OF THE BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT; ANGELA FERNANDEZ

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PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WAVE HILL

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THIRD AVENUE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NORTHWEST BRONX COMMUNITY AND CLERGY COALITION

CO-FOUNDER SOUTH BRONX UNITE

AMONG THE most

moved to Mott Haven about 15 years ago and has been fighting for his community ever since. Central to his cause is combating the pollution that plagues the South Bronx thanks to a confluence of highways, bridges, industry and neglect.

Johnson and South Bronx Unite also got behind the No New Jails movement, opposing the mayor’s community jails plan.

He also serves on the city’s Waterfront Management Advisory Board.

KAREN MEYERHOFF

THE LONGTIME

head of the Guggenheim went north in 2015 and took a gig running a 28-acre public garden on the Hudson River. Now Karen Meyerhoff oversees Wave Hill’s daily workshops, art exhibits and tours.

The Riverdale estate has been a vacation home for both a preteen Theodore Roosevelt and an aging Mark Twain. Wave Hill was named New York City’s “Most-Loved Cultural Institution”

by Time Out New York last year.

MICHAEL BRADY

MICHAEL BRADY

won’t compromise – not when it comes to the South Bronx. He said as much when he was encouraged to back the city’s community jail plan in exchange for more resources for his community. The BID has grown under his leadership, and he’s planning on more.

Business is not yet booming in the South Bronx, but it will be and Brady will be there to encourage it along the way.

SANDRA LOBO

respected and accomplished community organizers in the Bronx, Sandra Lobo and the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition helped lead the charge on rent reform.

After years of combating the Bronx’s worst slumlords and imploring Albany to do something, the coalition’s efforts finally paid off. Lobo also played a key role in securing the unprecedented community benefits agreement from the developers of the long-delayed Kingsbridge National Ice Center project.

is proud to call the Bronx its home.

Congratulations Larry Scott Blackmon and his fellow honorees for being champions of the Bronx.

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MYCHAL JOHNSON

MYCHAL JOHNSON

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ANGELA FERNANDEZ

COMMISSIONER STATE DIVISION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ANGELA FERNANDEZ is the state’s newest

commissioner of the Division of Human Rights, headquartered at 1 Fordham Plaza.

Prior to her nomination by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in February, she was the executive director of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights and a mayoral appointee to the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Fernandez previously served in the office of then-U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley and as district chief of staff for Rep. José E. Serrano.

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BRUCE REINGOLD

GENERAL MANAGER HUNTS POINT COOPERATIVE MARKET EACH YEAR, 2

billion pounds of meat comes through the Hunts Point Meat Market. Bruce Reingold, the general manager of the market’s cooperative and its chief advocate, has kept a watchful eye over the meat market since the 1990s. He’s secured hundreds of millions in funding for the 60acre market that supplies meat to many of the city’s restaurants and supermarkets.

The meat market generates $3.2 billion in sales annually.

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JUDY SHERIDANGONZALEZ

PRESIDENT NEW YORK STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION

JUDY SHERIDAN-

Gonzalez spent the last 30 years as an emergency room nurse at Montefiore Medical Center in Norwood. In March, she led the nurses at Montefiore Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and Mount Sinai hospital systems in protests to demand better pay and staffing levels. The four-year deal they reached required the hospitals to hire more nurses and establish nurse-to-patient ratios for shifts.

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VICE PRESIDENT OF COLLECTIVE IMPACT CHILDREN’S AID

CHAIRMAN CITYWIDE COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS

THROUGH CHILDREN’S Aid, Abe

DANIEL BARBER

ABE FERNANDEZ

Fernandez helped start South Bronx Rising Together in 2014. With a focus on the area served by Community Board 3, the nonprofit works on cradle-to-career programs and coordinates organizations, businesses, schools and agencies with an overarching goal: a healthier, more prosperous South Bronx.

Fernandez also serves as director of the Children’s Aid National Center for Community Schools.

DANIEL BARBER

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GUS CHRISTENSEN

CHIEF STRATEGIST NO IDC NY

AFTER A monumental victory in 2018, nearly

sweeping the old Independent Democratic Conference out of Albany, Gus Christensen moved operations to the Bronx, the site of perhaps the anti-IDC movement’s greatest victory: Alessandra Biaggi’s upset victory over IDC architect Jeff Klein. Now Christensen is turning his efforts to the Assembly, with grand plans to primary centrist Democrats. His first candidate already announced: Puerto Rican activist Jonathan Soto will challenge Assemblyman Michael Benedetto.

lived his whole life at the Jackson Houses in Melrose and spent much of that time trying to hold the New York City Housing Authority to account. He and other tenant leaders sued NYCHA in 2018 so a judge would appoint an independent monitor. Barber reportedly has the ear of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and stood beside him in 2018 as Cuomo allocated $250 million in emergency funding for NYCHA.

Bronx Power 100 The Children’s Aid Board of Trustees and staff congratulate

Abe Fernández

Vice President of Collective Impact Director of National Center for Community Schools

for his unwavering commitment to providing New York City’s children and youth with opportunities to succeed and thrive.

www.ChildrensAidNYC.org

KRISTY MAY; OFFICE OF THE BOROUGH PRESIDENT; SIMONE DEVELOPMENT

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JOHN DOYLE

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS/JACOBI OUTSIDE HIS work for the city’s hospital system, John Doyle is a political operative who worked for Jeff Klein, Ritchie Torres and David Carlucci.

One of City Island’s biggest advocates, he finished third in a 2017 Democratic City Council primary, and is a young face for the Bronx’s Irish population. In 2019, he helped found a local community organization and signed on to run Assemblyman Michael Benedetto’s re-election campaign.

City & State New York

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BRONX COMMISSIONER NYC PARKS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FORDHAM ROAD BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EN FOCO

IRIS RODRIGUEZROSA

WILMA ALONSO

IRIS RODRIGUEZ-ROSA oversees

thousands of acres of parkland, including two of New York City’s three biggest parks, Pelham Bay Park and Van Cortlandt Park. Cumulatively, Bronx parks make up nearly a quarter of the borough’s land. Before she started the Bronx’s top parks job in 2015, Rodriguez-Rosa worked as chief of recreation in Queens and the Bronx for several decades, overseeing upgrades to recreation centers and the addition of new facilities.

WILMA ALONSO

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MARRICKA SCOTT-McFADDEN

DEPUTY BOROUGH PRESIDENT A FAMILIAR face in Bronx politics, Marricka

Scott-McFadden once helped oversee the borough’s elections. Her day job now is to appear at events and testify at hearings on behalf of the borough president, but she spent a decade running Carl Heastie’s office.

A veteran of the political fight that elevated her current and former bosses to power in the Bronx, Scott-McFadden will likely play a role in the fights to come.

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PRESIDENT AND CEO NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN most important plant research and conservation institutions, the New York Botanical Garden attracts over 1 million visitors every year. Under the direction of Carrie Rebora Barratt, who came over in 2018 after a 34-year career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, art exhibits have become even more daring and intertwined with the horticulture. In June, the NYBG debuted its largest exhibit yet: a tribute to Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx.

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JOSEPH SIMONE

PRESIDENT SIMONE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES JOSEPH SIMONE is responsible for millions of square feet of Bronx real estate, including the 42-acre Hutchinson Metro Center, which houses Bronx institutions like the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and a Montefiore Medical Center campus. Simone started the business in 1988 with money he and his father earned from their Morris Park auto parts shop. A frequent donor to both parties, Simone has given tens of thousands to Bronx elected officials’ war chests.

AFTER 30 years as the director of the Bronx Council of the Arts, Bill Aguado continued to be a major booster for the arts at the helm of En Foco, a nonprofit that supports minority photographers.

Aguado is the Bronx representative on the Taxi and Limousine Commission, nominated by the Bronx Council delegation in 2015 for a term ending in 2022. At Hostos Community College, Aguado is an emeritus board member.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BRONX CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER THE POINT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

EXECUTIVE OFFICER BRONXMANHATTAN NORTH ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

WHILE ITS new

ONE OF the world’s

BILL AGUADO

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CARLA PRECHT

CARRIE REBORA BARRATT

oversees the Bronx’s biggest business improvement district, with more than 300 businesses and an operating budget of over $1 million a year. The incoming $34 million Fordham Plaza project will be a boost to the region, even though a deal for the BID to manage the plaza’s shops fell through.

Under Alonso’s leadership, the BID expanded to include 1 Fordham Plaza and helped organize the Bronx Night Market, a citywide hit.

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building won’t open until next year, the “museum without walls” has been a tremendous success under the leadership of Carla Precht, who has raised millions and secured support from high-profile investors.

The museum hosted Kerry Washington and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor this year.

ABC’s Sunny Hostin and Roc Nation Vice President of Brand Development Shawn “Pecas” Costner are on the board.

MARIA TORRES

MARIA TORRES

co-founded The Point in 1993. Through the lens of environmental justice and youth development, The Point provides after-school and summer programming for 500 children every year. She worked to create a free WiFi network in Hunts Point.

Much of her work is dedicated to preparing the peninsula community for extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy.

ELIEZER RODRIGUEZ

OUTSIDE OF his

work leading the influential realtor trade association, Eliezer Rodriguez is a civil servant with a long track record. An Army veteran, Rodriguez moved to New York in 1986 and began working at the Department of Sanitation, where he would spearhead the city’s recycling program within community boards. Rodriguez is a longtime member of Community Board 11’s Public Safety Committee.

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CARY GOODMAN

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 161ST STREET BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

THE CONSTRUCTION

of the new Yankee Stadium and the 161st Street rezoning in 2009 revitalized the dormant business improvement district. Cary Goodman was the man tasked with the job, and he has led the BID ever since. Goodman capitalizes on his BID’s proximity to Yankee Stadium. He advocated for the construction of a soccer stadium for New York City Football Club and in 2017 ran against Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal.

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MICHAEL MAX KNOBBE & GARY AXELBANK

THOMAS A. ISEKENEGBE

PRESIDENT BRONX COMMUNITY COLLEGE

LIKE HALF of Bronx Community College’s 11,000 students, Thomas A. Isekenegbe was the first in his family to go to college. And like 1,000 of those students, Isekenegbe is an immigrant from Africa. He sees himself as an example for new immigrants who are part of the Bronx’s exploding West African population. Isekenegbe expanded the college’s Accelerate Studies Associate Program to provide educational and financial resources for students to finish their degrees.

ASSOCIATE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR NEW YORK POST

FOUNDER LOVING THE BRONX

UNLIKE MANY

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PHILIP MARINO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BELMONT BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT THROUGHOUT HIS 30-year career

Philip Marino worked his way up the ranks of the New York City Department of Sanitation, retiring in 2011 as chief of operations. He served in a variety of roles, including Bronx borough chief and the department’s liaison to the Office of Emergency Management following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Now, Marino uses his connections to oversee Arthur Avenue and promote the historic neighborhood as it evolves into a new era.

critics of the Bronx Democratic Party, Michael Benjamin can speak from experience. A longtime county and state committeeman, Benjamin served as deputy chief clerk of the Bronx Board of Elections before representing District 79 in the Assembly from 2003 to 2010.

A professional opinion-haver, Benjamin writes scathing columns and contributes to New York Post editorials.

NILKA MARTELL

PARKS ADVOCATE

Nilka Martell made a name for herself cleaning up Parkchester and fighting for the Bronx River Greenway, a 23-mile bike and pedestrian trail that stretches from Soundview Park to the Kensico Dam in Valhalla. Martell is the president of Friends of Pelham Bay Park, an advocacy group for the city’s largest park.

Martell also serves on the boards of other groups, including the Bronx River Alliance and the Bronx Council for Environmental Equality.

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PRESIDENT MONROE COLLEGE

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVICES CATHOLIC CHARITIES COMMUNITY SERVICES

RABBI YESHIVAT CHOVEVEI TORAH

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT BRONX JEWISH COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MARC JEROME

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MICHAEL BENJAMIN

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; HOST BRONXNET

SINCE 2002, Michael Max Knobbe has driven Bronx-centric content for the indispensable public access channel. Headquartered at Lehman College since its creation, in 2015 BronxNet expanded to a studio space at the Hutchinson Metro Center. Knobbe plans to open a third studio in the La Central development in Melrose later this year.

The Bronx’s own Edward R. Murrow, Gary Axelbank spent the last quarter century muckraking and championing his borough on his BronxNet shows, “BronxTalk” and “The Bronx Buzz.”

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THE JEROME family has led Monroe College for three generations, but only in recent years has the institution been so existentially challenged. Marc Jerome’s power has less to do with influential friends and more to do with the enemies he keeps at bay. A loud and proud advocate for responsible for-profit colleges, Jerome did battle with the Obama administration’s Department of Education and continues to fight the anti-private college proposals of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

DIANNE R. JOHNSON

DIANNE JOHNSON

is the public face of Catholic Charities, an organ of the Archdiocese of New York that does significant work in the South Bronx.

The Bronx resident oversaw the opening of a food hub at the organization’s community center in Melrose in 2016, which distributes food to pantries across the borough. Since 2017, Catholic Charities partnered with Councilman Rubén Díaz Sr. on a diaper drive in the 18th Council District.

AVI WEISS

ONE OF the nation’s

most prominent rabbis, Avi Weiss founded Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, an “open Orthodox” yeshiva, and Yeshivat Maharat, a yeshiva for women – both located in Riverdale.

Weiss repeatedly clashed with other prominent Orthodox rabbis over his more progressive views on gender. In the 1980s, he advocated heavily for Soviet Jews and in 1992, Weiss led a “truth squad” at David Duke and Pat Robertson’s presidential rallies, exposing their anti-Semitism.

BRAD SILVER

SINCE 1984, Brad Silver

has led the Bronx Jewish Community Council in feeding and housing the borough’s needy.

The council operates one of the Bronx’s largest food pantries, serving 12,000 meals a year.

A lifelong resident of the Amalgamated and Park Reservoir Houses in Van Cortlandt Village, Silver helped introduce Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities supportive services for the co-op’s seniors. The council also provides mental health care, case management, advocacy and housing assistance.

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PRESIDENT HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

PRINCIPAL GETO & DE MILLY

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FRESHDIRECT

PRESIDENT SANDRA ERICKSON REAL ESTATE

DAVID GÓMEZ

DAVID GOMEZ leads

the institution founded in 1968 to serve the Bronx’s Puerto Rican population. Located on the Bronx’s Grand Concourse, Hostos Community College is well-connected with the surrounding South Bronx neighborhood; Gomez, a 40-year veteran of the City University of New York system, took the helm in 2015. He was honored at Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s Puerto Rican Heritage celebration in December.

ETHAN GETO

ETHAN GETO and partner Michele de Milly consistently rank among the highest-paid lobbyists in New York City for good reason. The duo have been politicking New York electeds for half a century. In 2017, Geto was Corey Johnson’s biggest bundler. For decades, liberal Democrats running for president would tap Geto for their New York offices: McGovern, Bayh, Humphrey, Carter, Dean. A bisexual Jew from the Bronx, Geto spent a career fighting for LGBTQ causes.

LARRY SCOTT SANDRA BLACKMON ERICKSON

THE ARRIVAL of a

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VIVIANA BIANCHI

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BRONX COUNCIL ON THE ARTS UNDER VIVIANA Bianchi’s leadership since 2017, the Bronx Council on the Arts has curated artwork by Bronx immigrants, LGBTQ Bronxites and hundreds of others. In 2019, Bianchi saw the completion of the organization’s long-planned Westchester Square headquarters. In her role, Bianchi is responsible for the Longwood Art Gallery, the Bronx Memoir Project, and the Bronx Recognizes Its Own grant program. The self-described “advocate for cultural equity” funds everything from coloring books to block parties.

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A LONGTIME

FreshDirect facility in the Port Morris did not go smoothly. But Larry Scott Blackmon was there to help the online grocer and Bronx officials engage with local stakeholders. The onetime City Council candidate ran the Manhattan borough office for Hillary Clinton’s first Senate campaign and worked for Sen. Chuck Schumer. Blackmon is a veteran of the Bloomberg administration and handled public affairs for the New York Jets.

property manager who transitioned to development 20 years ago, Sandra Erickson is a staple of the Bronx real estate community. She once served as president of the Bronx-Manhattan North Association of Realtors and is a governor-appointed representative on the New York State Board of Real Estate.

Erickson is also a vice president of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and a member of Community Board 7.

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CEO STAGG GROUP

PRESIDENT BRONX CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BRONX MUSEUM OF THE ARTS

INTERIM PRESIDENT LEHMAN COLLEGE

MARK STAGG

SINCE 1998, Mark Stagg built an $800 million development portfolio in the North Bronx. The Stagg Group manages over 3,000 affordable housing units in the borough and opened a homeless shelter in Kingsbridge in 2018. A frequent donor to Westchester candidates, Stagg gave $17,000 to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and $1,500 to Ruben Diaz Jr.’s nascent mayoral campaign. Stagg counts former Borough President Adolfo Carrión among his chief advisors.

LISA SORIN

DEBORAH CULLEN

DURING HER six

years as the founding executive director of the Westchester Square Business Improvement District, Lisa Sorin helped revitalize the transit hub into a bustling retail center. Now she’s advocating for the Bronx’s entire business community. She plans to incorporate business improvement districts into the Chamber of Commerce’s initiatives. At the Bronx Democrats’ annual dinner this year, she was honored for her service.

DEBORAH CULLEN

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NICK GJELAJ

PARTNER MULLANEY AND GJELAJ NICK GJELAJ is a first-generation Alba-

nian American and the pride of the Bronx Albanian community. A labor lawyer who specializes in workplace injury cases, Gjelaj serves on the board of directors for the Bronx County Bar Association and as vice chairman of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association’s Labor Law Committee.

A frequent donor to judicial campaigns and Bronx Democrats, Gjelaj was also honored at their annual dinner this year.

arrived at the Bronx Museum of the Arts in 2018 after six years at Columbia University and another 15 at El Museo del Barrio.

Though the museum was financially stable, years of leadership tumult ended with Cullen’s appointment.

The museum now has an increased focus on social justice, even landing legendary hip-hop producer and native Bronxite Swizz Beatz to present a social justice award at the museum’s annual gala.

DANIEL LEMONS

AFTER 30 years in the City University of New York system, Daniel Lemons was named interim president of the Bronx’s only fouryear CUNY institution in July. Over the course of his career, Lemons revamped CUNY’s doctoral science programs, helped found the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center’s animal care program, and invented a mechanical heart simulator used in graduate programs nationwide. Lemons is also on the Board of Trustees for the Westchester village of Hastings-on-Hudson.

Congratulations to

FADIL BERISHA; KAREN ARGENTI; JONATHAN CUSTODIO/NORWOOD NEWS

President Charles L. Flynn, Jr. for his recognition on

City & State’s Bronx Power 100 celebrating

the Bronx’s most influential leaders

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FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BRONX DOCUMENTARY CENTER

EDITOR MOTT HAVEN HERALD AND HUNTS POINT EXPRESS

PUBLISHER BRONX TIMES

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR YOUTH MINISTRIES FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

MICHAEL KAMBER,

a former war photographer for The New York Times, returned to the Bronx from Afghanistan in 2011 and opened the Bronx Documentary Center.

The center runs after-school programs for middle- and highschool students and is the home to the Bronx Photo League, a group founded to give improved access and instruction to traditionally underrepresented photographers.

legion of students in the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and Hunter College provide consistently in-depth coverage of the South Bronx.

Over their 13-year history, the nonprofit newspapers delivered exceptional reporting on the opioid crisis, NYCHA, politics, the arts and Rikers Island.

The papers have a circulation of 4,000, but Hirsch hopes to expand as the South Bronx grows.

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PRESIDENT SUNY MARITIME COLLEGE

CHAIRWOMAN HERE TO HERE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DESTINATION TOMORROW

MICHAEL KAMBER

MAGGIE SCOTT GREENFIELD

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BRONX RIVER ALLIANCE

WITH A master’s in

city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Maggie Scott Greenfield is no lightweight. She only took the top job at the alliance – and as New York City Parks’ Bronx River administrator – in 2017, but Greenfield started fighting for the Bronx River and its greenway in 2005.

Under Greenfield, the nonprofit introduced the Bronx River Foodway, a sustainable foraging program.

JOE HIRSCH

LAURA GUERRIERO

JOE HIRSCH and a

MICHAEL ALFULTIS

A RETIRED U.S.

Coast Guard Captain, Michael Alfultis was appointed president of SUNY Maritime College in 2014 and made a Rear Admiral U.S. Maritime Service by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. Under his leadership, the Maritime College ranks among the top schools for postgraduate pay. In March, Alfultis testified to Congress on the importance of maritime academies to national security.

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KAREN ARGENTI

BOARD MEMBER BRONX COUNCIL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY KAREN ARGENTI has been part of nearly every major environmental fight in the Bronx since the 1980s. A ferocious opponent of the Croton Water Filtration Plant, Argenti is still battling the city’s Department of Environmental Protection over the project’s continued fallout.

Argenti is a founding member of the Fort Independence Park Neighborhood Association, the Friends of the Jerome Park Reservoir, and the Jerome Park Conservancy.

AS LOCAL newspapers continue to struggle in the media capital of the world, Laura Guerriero runs the last borough-wide papers in the Bronx.

Started by Assemblyman Michael Benedetto and his chief of staff John Colazzi in 1981, the Bronx Times chronicles the Bronx’s political, business, and nonprofit sectors. Each year, the Bronx Times honors the 25 most influential women in the Bronx, an initiative that Guerriero spearheads.

AN IMMIGRANT kid who is the product of Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice’s teen leadership program, David Shuffler expanded the organization’s environmental and immigrant relations efforts since he became executive director in 2010.

Youth Ministries runs several community development and organizing operations, including assisting immigrant communities with attaining citizenship.

SEAN COLEMAN

JUDY DIMON

IN 2015, the James and Judith K. Dimon Foundation founded HERE to HERE, a nonprofit focused on creating career pipelines for Bronxites aging into the workforce. Through the organization, Judy Dimon developed a close relationship with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Earlier this year, the two announced the creation of the Bronx Private Industry Council to connect Bronx students with employers.

Dimon’s husband, Jamie, runs JPMorgan Chase.

DAVID SHUFFLER

SEAN COLEMAN

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DAVID CRUZ

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NORWOOD NEWS

A ONE-MAN reporting machine, David Cruz is

one of the few reporters left working the Bronx beat full-time. Out of the landmark Keeper’s House at Williamsbridge Oval, Cruz takes on toxic landlords, amplifies community concerns, and scrutinizes the Bronx Democratic machine. With next year’s open race in the 15th Congressional District – the first in the Bronx in decades – Cruz is hitting the pavement and printing his findings in the 30-year-old nonprofit newspaper.

is the executive director of Destination Tomorrow, a LGBTQ community organization in the Bronx. Coleman founded it in 2009 to fill a gap in services he saw during his work with the Bronx AIDS Service and the Bronx Community Pride Center. Destination Tomorrow sets out to ensure every LGBTQ Bronxite has access to services in their neighborhood, through the agency’s or other nonprofits’ programs.

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September 16, 2019

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PRESIDENT BLACK LIVES MATTER OF GREATER NEW YORK

DIRECTOR COMMUNITY ACTION FOR SAFE APARTMENTS

WHEN THE De-

SHEILA GARCIA is the borough’s leading tenant organizer.

Community Action for Safe Apartments originated out of the New Settlement Houses in the Mount Eden neighborhood, but now fights for tenants across the Bronx.

Garcia and her 500 members rally for rent freezes on rent-controlled apartments, help tenants organize against abusive landlords, and deliver “eviction notices” to landlords who abuse eviction laws.

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER RIVERSPRING HEALTH

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER DIEGO BEEKMAN MUTUAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION

DAN REINGOLD

ARLINE PARKS

HAWK NEWSOME

partment of Justice announced it would not prosecute the cop who killed Eric Garner, Hawk Newsome leaped into action.

There were protests, but also an op-ed in USA Today. Within hours of the decision, Newsweek quoted him slamming Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – Newsome was an early ally – for prioritizing lives at the border over the lives of black men. A few days later, Newsome shut down FDR Drive, a common tactic of his.

SHEILA GARCIA

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AMY YENSI

BRONX REPORTER NY1 ON HER one-year anniversary of starting at

NY1, Amy Yensi tweeted a childhood photo of her and her siblings at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn. After making her bones at News 12 The Bronx and earning a couple Emmy nominations at a Baltimore news station, Yensi returned to cover the Bronx in April 2018. Yensi reports exposed dilapidated conditions at NYCHA buildings and provided extensive coverage of the Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz murder.

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BRUCE & ELLEN FELD

CHARLES FLYNN JR.

VICE CHAIRMAN, BRONX DEMOCRATIC PARTY BOARD PRESIDENT, BRONX MANHATTAN NORTH ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

NEIL VAN NIEKERK

THE FELDS have

been a power couple in Bronx politics for decades. Bruce Feld, a former district leader, holds leadership positions with the Bronx Democrats and the Ben Franklin Reform Democratic Club. Ellen Feld, an award-winning Riverdale Realtor, was a staffer for a U.S. senator, and is board president of the Bronx Manhattan North Association of Realtors and a member of REBNY.

PRESIDENT COLLEGE OF MOUNT SAINT VINCENT UNDER CHARLES Fly-

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PAUL THOMAS

PARTNER PARKSIDE GROUP

BEFORE HE joined one of the state’s top consulting firms, Paul Thomas worked for two of the most powerful men in the state.

The Bronxite served as chief of staff to fellow Stony Brook University alumnus Carl Heastie, who’s now the Assembly speaker, and also headed up then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s intergovernmental affairs department. Though his focus is nonprofit government relations, Thomas also consults for several Fortune 500 companies.

nn Jr.’s leadership since 2000, the College of Mount Saint Vincent has nearly doubled enrollment and revamped its palatial North Riverdale campus. A historian with expertise on race relations in the American South, Flynn helped found the Charter High School for Law and Social Justice in University Heights.

Flynn is a climate change advocate within the Catholic higher education community, sending letters on the subject to President Donald Trump.

DANIEL REINGOLD

runs the Hebrew Home nursing home and rehabilitation in Riverdale and is considered one of the nation’s leading experts on elder care. In 2005, Reingold opened the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder Justice, the first elder abuse shelter in the country. Nancy Pelosi toured the facility last year. Reingold testified in front of the U.S. Senate and was invited to a 2015 White House Conference on Aging.

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RAUL RUSSI

PRESIDENT AND CEO ACACIA NETWORK A WELL-CONNECTED former commis-

sioner of the New York City Department of Probation, Raul Russi secured $1 billion in contracts since 2010 for his Bronx-based homeless services nonprofit. Russi recently added Maria del Carmen Arroyo, the three-term Bronx councilwoman, and Ronald Rosado Abad, a former assistant commissioner for the New York City Department of Homeless Services, to his executive team. After Hurricane Maria, he helped raise millions to aid relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

ARLINE PARKS

invested a lifetime of effort and money into improving Mott Haven.

Then Mayor Bill de Blasio tried to put a jail smack in the middle of her neighborhood.

City officials asked Parks to collaborate on a housing complex near the proposed site.

She said she would, as long as there was no jail. As chairwoman of Bronx Community Board 1’s land use committee, Parks led her fellow members in resoundingly rejecting the plan.

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LINDA BERK

PRESIDENT RIVERBAY CORPORATION

LINDA BERK first

moved into Co-Op City in 1969. Fifty years later, Berk is the president of the board of directors for the massive development’s management company.

Berk represents Co-Op City’s 50,000 residents and advises Riverbay’s property managers on how to utilize their 1,000 employees and $250 million budget. Berk served as City Councilman Andy King’s communication’s director when he was first elected and now works for the U.S. Census Bureau.

September 16, 2019

City & State New York

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ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE BRONX SUPREME COURT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR METROPOLITAN COLLEGE OF NEW YORK, BRONX CAMPUS

FOUNDER BRONX PROGRESSIVES

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BRONX DEFENDERS

SAMELYS LOPEZ

JUSTINE OLDERMAN

DORIS GONZALEZ

JOHN EDWARDS

THE FIRST woman and

Latina judge to serve in the Bronx Supreme Court civil term’s top job, Doris Gonzalez is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the trial courts and assigning judges to cases. A judge on the Bronx bench since 2007, Gonzalez was the president of the Latino Judges Association and encouraged judicial service through a committee she chaired on behalf of the New York City Bar Association.

JOHN EDWARDS was

tapped to lead Metropolitan College of New York’s Bronx campus in January and continues to lead MCNY’s career development programs.

A graduate of MCNY’s master of public administration program, Edwards worked at the college from 2009-2015 before a stint as the executive director of workforce development at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Edwards is responsible for the college’s 26,000-squarefoot campus and its 500 students.

SAMELYS LOPEZ

founded Bronx Progressives after organizing for Bernie Sanders in the Bronx in 2016. The group quickly gained a foothold with the election of one of their members to Congress: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Lopez is the group’s leader and a rising star in reformer circles with an eye for public office. When Rep. José E. Serrano announced his retirement, activists encouraged her to run, though she has yet to get in the race.

An advocacy campaign including CITY & STATE FIRST READ provides a targeted way to reach decision makers in NEW YORK GOVERNMENT and POLITICS. CAMPAIGNS INCLUDE

NY1; PARKSIDE GROUP; RICHARD ROSARIO

ADVOCACY NEW HIRE OPEN-HOUSE MESSAGING ANNOUNCEMENTS PROMOTIONS

Contact us at advertising@cityandstateny.com for advertising and sponsorship opportunities.

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JUSTINE OLDERMAN

started at the Bronx Defenders two years after law school and ascended to the public defense nonprofit’s top job 18 years later.

For eight years, Olderman led its criminal defense practice, expanding it from a team of 40 handling 12,500 cases a year to 100 staffers handling 30,000 cases annually – half of all cases in the borough.

Olderman continues to fight U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence in courtrooms.

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APRIL HORTON

DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS VERIZON APRIL HORTON is responsible for Verizon’s

legislative and government agenda in the Bronx, Northern Manhattan and New York’s Midstate region. An alumnus of Cardinal Spellman High School and Fordham University, Horton is a vice president for the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of directors for the Hostos Community College Foundation and the Bronx Children’s Museum. Horton is close with Bronx Democrats, who honored her at an annual dinner in 2011.

C R I S TI Á N S A M P E R & J O H N F. C A LV E LLI Congratulate their fellow honorees on the Bronx Power 100 list

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September 16, 2019

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PRESIDENT NYC LGBTQS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

CHAIRMAN COMMUNITY BOARD 11

CHAIRWOMAN COMMUNITY BOARD 8

ATTORNEY PADERNACHT LAW

THROUGH HIS dual

REV. CARMEN

role as Community Board 11 chairman and Morris Park Community Association president, Al D’Angelo is synonymous with the East Bronx. The longtime community leader is a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the city over the Vision Zero redesign of Morris Park Avenue.

D’Angelo is also on the advisory council for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and once worked in labor relations for the Archdiocese of New York.

ROSEMARY GINTY

waited his turn. When party leaders wanted Pedro Espada gone in 2010, Padernacht bowed out of the state Senate race and backed Gustavo Rivera. Nearly a decade later, Padernacht is seeking the open 11th New York City Council District seat and Bronx Democrats are tacitly backing Eric Dinowitz, son of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. A real estate attorney, Padernacht chaired Bronx Community Board 8 and currently serves as its traffic and transportation chair.

CARMEN HERNANDEZ

Hernandez is a player in the Bronx business world and its LGBTQ community.

In 2001, Hernandez co-founded the Bronx Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and later served as its executive director. An ordained street evangelist, Hernandez has assisted single mothers and children in Soundview since the 1990s and is a critic of the Bronx Democratic Party. Hernandez is also the president of her NYCHA building’s tenants association.

AL D’ANGELO

ROSEMARY GINTY

earned her law degree at night while serving as Mayor Ed Koch’s representative on the Board of Estimate.

Koch then promoted her to director of intergovernmental relations. After working in private practice, Ginty joined the New York Botanical Garden’s governmental relations team and was named the first director of the Catholic Community Relations Council in 2008. Now Ginty chairs Community Board 8, battling on behalf of Riverdale and Kingsbridge.

DANIEL PADERNACHT

DAN PADERNACHT

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ROCKY BUCANO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UNIVERSAL HIP HOP MUSEUM HIP-HOP WAS born in the Boogie Down Bronx, and Rocky Bucano doesn’t plan on letting anyone forget it. The driving force behind the Bronx’s Universal Hip Hop Museum, Bucano partnered with hip-hop legends like Chuck D, Kurtis Blow and Rakim to raise millions for the planned 60,000 square foot monument to hip-hop. Just blocks away from Yankee Stadium, the museum is scheduled to open in 2023, the 50th birthday of hip-hop.

Congratulations Daniel Reingold for being named to the Bronx 100 Power List.

We are grateful for your leadership, vision and commitment to care.

www.apc-colleges.org

@APCColleges

/APCColleges

RONNIE WRIGHT

Congratulations to Marc Jerome, President, Monroe College from your friends and colleagues at the Association of Proprietary Colleges.

The team at RiverSpring Health and the Hebrew Home at Riverdale

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

September 16, 2019

September 16, 2019 For more info.

212-268-0442 Ext.2039

Email

legalnotices@cityandstateny.com Notice of Formation of Grandstar Original LLC filed with SSNY on June 12, 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 115 4th Avenue, Apt 4A, NY, NY 10003. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of THE DOVEL GROUP, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/19. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/06/16. Princ. office of LLC: 7901 Jones Branch Dr., Ste. 600, McLean, VA 22102. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

NOTICE OF FORMATION of TRAVEL PLANZ, LLC. Arts. Of Organization filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/28/2019. Office location: BX County.

SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to 1565 Fulton Ave. Bronx, NY 10457.

Purpose any lawful act Notice of Formation of Tick Tock VII LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 2/16/18. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Pat Rubino, Lazard, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY, NY 10112. Purpose: any lawful activity.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

TCB 667 STANLEY AVE LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/26/2019. Office loc: Kings County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Zaheer A Bukhari, 667 Stanley Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11207.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS, WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT AS TRUSTEE FOR PRETIUM MORTGAGE ACQUISITION TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. YOELLY RODRIGUEZ, ET AL., Defendant(s).

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as Trustee for Option One Mortgage Loan Trust 2007-5, Asset-Backed Certificates, Series 20075, Plaintiff AGAINST June P. Isaac a/k/a June P. Isaac-Goodridge; et al., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee’s Report, and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly filed on June 14, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY on August 8, 2019 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 282 Hemlock Street, Brooklyn, NY. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, Block 4147 and Lot 53. Approximate amount of judgment is $485,489.15 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 501581/2016.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated November 30, 2018 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, NY 11201 on September 12, 2019 at 2:30PM, premises known as 326 92nd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11212. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of NY, Block:4646 Lot:25.

Approximate amount of judgment $372,701.31 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 515931/2016.

Jeffrey Miller, Esq., Referee Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff Cash will not be accepted.

Notice of Qualification of C-Bridge Capital LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/22/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/12/19. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 450 Lexington Ave Ste. 39B, NY, NY 10017, Attn: Fu, Wei. Address to be maintained in DE: Corp2000, 838 Walker Rd., Ste. 21-2, Dover, DE 19904. Arts of Org. filed with the Secy. of State of the State of DE, Division of Corporations, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Jeffrey Dinowitz, Esq., Referee Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: July 30, 2019 Notice of Qualification of BLANCHE INDUSTRIES, LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/19. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/05/17. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 16133 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 545, Encino, CA 91436, Attn: Daniel Frattali. Address to be maintained in DE: 2140 S Dupont Hwy, Camden, DE 19934. Arts of Org. filed with the DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Qualification of SO - Hubbards Commons LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/29/19. Office location: NY County.

Princ. bus. addr.: c/o ShopOne Centers REIT, Inc., 10100 Waterville St., Whitehouse, OH 43571.

LLC formed in DE on 9/25/18. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc. (CGI), 10 E. 40th St., 10th Fl., NY, NY 10016. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CGI, 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Qual. of Paintbox Madison LLC, filed with the SSNY on 7/24/19. Office loc: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 7/22/19. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served and shall mail process to: Attn: Paintbox, 154 Grand St, 3rd Fl, NY, NY 10013. Address required to be maintained in DE: c/o Corporation Service Company, 251 Little Falls Dr, Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert of Formation filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful act.

Tiger Digital LLC Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 4/18/2019. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to United Corporation Agent, Inc., 7014 13th Ave, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of 514 Herkimer LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 8/1/19.

Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 514 Herkimer St., Brooklyn, NY 11213. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 525 7th Ave., Ste. 1406, NY, NY 10018. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

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Notice of Formation of Leeza Garber Esq Consulting LLC filed with SSNY on June 21, 2019.

Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 252 W 76th Street, NY, NY 10023.

Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

BREGS REALTY, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/13/19.

Office: Kings County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 26 Delavan Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of DOVEL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/19. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/06/16. Princ. office of LLC: 7901 Jones Branch Dr., Ste. 600, McLean, VA 22102. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of QMB 2 Energy Storage, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 8/8/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 1/25/19. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc. (CGI), 10 E. 40th St., 10th Fl., NY, NY 10016. DE address of LLC: CGI, 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

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CityAndStateNY.com / PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS, DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS CERTIFICATE TRUSTEE ON BEHALF OF BOSCO CREDIT II TRUST SERIES 20101, Plaintiff, vs. JASON PALMER, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly filed on June 14, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY on August 22, 2019 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 1962 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, Block 1453 and Lot 18. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 515601/2016.

Leo Salzman, Esq., Referee Berkman, Henoch, Peterson, Peddy & Fenchel, P.C., 100 Garden City Plaza, Garden City, NY 11530, Attorneys for Plaintiff Notice of Qualification of SIERRA HEALTH GROUP LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/12/19.

Office location: Kings County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/25/18. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of Launch Servicing, LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/09/19. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/27/18. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 402 West Broadway, 20th Fl., San Diego, CA 92101. Address to be maintained in DE: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Arts of Org. filed with the Secy. of State of DE, 401 Federal St #4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

VR IMMERSION LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 7/12/2019. Off. Loc.: Richmond Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The LLC, 55 Richmond Ter, Ste 306 Staten Island, NY 10301.

Purpose: Any lawful act or activity NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Inbox Collective LLC Arts of Org filed with the SSNY (SSNY) on July 11, 2019.

Office loc: NY Co. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to The LLC, Attn: 400 East 55th Street apt. 12d, New York, NY 10022.

Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

605 BARBEY ST, LLC Arts of Org. filed with SSNY 7/22/2019.

OFFICE: NY COUNTY. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to The LLC, Attn: Madeline Perry, 978 Sterling PL, Brooklyn , NY 11213. Purpose: Any lawful Purpose.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

September 16, 2019

Berger812 LLC. Art. of Org. filed with SSNY 8-1319.

Office Location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to c/o Dentons US LLP, Attn: Brian E. Rafferty, 1221 6th Ave., NY, NY 10020.

Purpose: Any lawful act or activity. otice of formation of limited liability company (LLC). Name: AREP UTICA AVENUE LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 07/16/2019. NY office location: Kings County.

SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

The post office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is The LLC 315 Flatbush Avenue, Box 433 Brooklyn, NY, 11217. Purpose/character of LLC: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Qualification of QMB 3 Energy Storage, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 8/8/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 1/25/19. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc. (CGI), 10 E. 40th St., 10th Fl., NY, NY 10016. DE address of LLC: CGI, 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM DRIFTWOOD PECONIC BAY LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/07/2019. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, Unit First Floor, The Gramercy, 25 East 21st Street, NY, NY 10010.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF KINGS SRP 2012-4, LLC, Plaintiff, Against

Index No.: 520351/2016

EZEKIEL AKANDE, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 12/11/2018, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, in Room 224 of Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 on 9/26/2019 at 2:30 pm, premises known as 34 Jackson Place, Brooklyn, NY 11215, and described as follows: ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, Block 1055 and Lot 42.

The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $376,471.69 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 520351/2016.

Leonard Spector, Esq., Referee.

Richland & Falkowski, PLLC, 35-37 36th Street, 2nd Floor, ASTORIA, NY 11106 Dated: 8/8/2019 PB Notice of Qualification of GAMBLIT GAMING, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/2019.

Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/06/11.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o CT Corporation, 28 Liberty St., NY, NY 10005. DE addr. of LLC: c/o The Corporation Trust Company, 1209 Orange St, Corp Trust Center, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, Div. of Corps., P.O. Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 268 East 7th Street Owner LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/13/19.

Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 64 2nd Ave., 2nd Fl., NY, NY 10003.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

Notice of Qualification of CGS REDMOND TECHNOLOGIES, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/19. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/16/06. Princ. office of LLC: 200 Vesey St., NY, NY 10281-1017.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Security Resources NY, LLC n/k/a Security Resources, LLC (through merger). Arts. of Org. filed w/ Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/13/19.

Office in NY County.

SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o CSC, 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207, registered agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: Any lawful act/activity.

Notice of Qualification of Horizon Big, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 3/20/19.

Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 75 Varick St., NY, NY 10013.

LLC formed in DE on 3/13/19. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 10 E. 40th St., 10th Fl., NY, NY 10016. DE addr. of LLC: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Hip Hop Ventures, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 8/26/19.

Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 131 W. 35th St., 8th Fl., NY, NY 10001, principal business address. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Diane Nelson CPA LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York on 8/19/19. Office location: Kings County, NY. Secretary of State of NY has been designated as agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. Secretary of State shall mail process to : The LLC Attn: Diane Nelson 225 4th Avenue 8a Brooklyn NY 11215 Purpose: Any lawful purpose Notice of Formation of FON CONSULTING, LLC filed with SSNY on June 21 2019. Office: Westchester County.

SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 2804 Gateway Oaks Dr # 100 Sacramento, CA 95833. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

September 16, 2019

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS, WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT AS TRUSTEE FOR PRETIUM MORTGAGE ACQUISITION TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. COLLETTE BARHAM, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Amending the Caption, Confirming Referee’s Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly filed on July 29, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY on October 3, 2019 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 1055 East 40th Street, Brooklyn, NY. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, Block 7766 and Lot 38. Approximate amount of judgment is $733,899.10 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 15121/2011.

Cheryl J. Kinch, Esq., Referee Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff Cash will not be accepted.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT FOR THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF BROOKLYN CROSBY CAPITAL USA, LLC; Plaintiff v. WAHEED EGBO, et al; Defendants Attorney for Plaintiff: Hasbani & Light, P.C., 450 7th Ave, Suite 1408, NY, NY 10123; (212) 643-6677Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale granted herein on 05/29/19, I will sell at Public Auction to the highest bidder in the Supreme Court of the State Of New York, County of Kings - 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

On September 26, 2019 at 2:30 pm.

Premises known as 107 Harman Street, Brooklyn, NY 11221, Block: 3275 Lot: 62 All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York.

As more particularly described in the judgment of foreclosure and sale.

Sold subject to all of the terms and conditions contained in said judgment and terms of sale.

Approximate amount of judgment: $963,987.79 plus interest and costs.

Index Number: 502722/2014 Aaron Maslow, Esq., Referee

NOTICE OF FORMATION of 959 PARK STERLING LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/19/19. Off. Loc.: NY County. SSNY has been desig. as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy to is: NRAI, 28 Liberty St, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful act Notice of Formation of Salon Nyki Elle, LLC filed with SSNY on 2/28/19. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 229 West 115th St., 1D, New York, NY 10026. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

NOTICE Auth for Scharff PLLC (formed in AZ 2/9/18) filed w/NYDOS on7/24/19.

Loc:NYCty. SSNY=ProcessAgt & shall mail to 43W.43rdSt #24 NY,NY10036. AZ Addr: 502W.RooseveltSt PhoenixAZ85003.

OrgCertFiled w/AZCC @ 1300W.WashingtonSt Pho e ni x A Z 8 5 0 0 7. L aw firm.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

Notice of Qualification of CONSTANTIA VENTURES LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/23/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 06/21/19. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 95 Worth Street, Apartment 8E, New York, NY 10013.

DE addr. of LLC: Harvard Business Services, Inc., 16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, DE 19958. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal Street - Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

PROMOTE THE LUV, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 7/24/2019. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: PROMOTE THE LUV, LLC, 337 W. 138th Street, Apt 3G New York, NY 10030. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Qualification of CGS REDMOND TECHNOLOGIES, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/25/19. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/16/06. Princ. office of LLC: 200 Vesey St., NY, NY 10281-1017.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of The Love Of Flowers NYC LLC, filed with SSNY on August 20th, 2019. Office: NY County.

SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whim process against it may be serve. SSNY shall mail copy of processs to LLC. 27 Maple Street, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL NUMBER PENDING, FOR LIQUOR, WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL IN A RESTAURANT UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 380 VAN BRUNT STREET, BROOKLYN, NY 11231, KINGS COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. SOMTUMDER REDHOOK INC. dba SOMTUM DER Notice of Formation of DROMOS STUDIO LLC, filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 08/19/2019. Office location: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, Attn: Jacqueline Yu-Si Lung, 49 Flatbush Ave, PMB #1091, Brooklyn, NY 11217. Purpose: Any Lawful Act or Activity.

MNYS 300 GENESEE LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/23/19. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 475 Riverside Drive, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10115. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

LEAGUE REAL ESTATE GROUP LLC, Arts of Org. filed SSNY 08/30/18. Office: NY Co. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process may be served & mail to League Real Estate Group LLC, 261 Madison Ave, 9th Fl, NY, NY 10016. General Purpose.

RAUSA RUSSO LAW, PLLC, Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 08/02/2019.

Office loc: NY County.

SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC: 30 Broad Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

PUBLIC NOTICE OF REGISTERED ASSUMED NAME Assumed Name: EDDISA MIRANDA Principal Place of Business: c/o 330 Hudson Walk, Apartment 3C, Brooklyn, New York [11201] United States of America NameHolder: Miranda, Eddisa c/o 330 Hudson Walk, Apartment 3C, Brooklyn, New York [11201] United States of America Filing Date: 08/04/2019 File Number: 1095081300020 Home Jurisdiction: Minnesota, Chapter: 333 Status: Active/ In Good Standing Notice of Formation of THEATRE NERD PRODUCTIONS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/29/19. Office location: NY County.

Princ. office of LLC: 67 E. 82nd St., NY, NY 10028.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SARDIS DEVELOPMENTS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/23/19. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/22/19. Princ. office of LLC: 84 Wooster St., Ste. #603, NY, NY 10012. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808.

Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Corp. Div., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Investment management.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

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Notice of Qualification of Arrow Payments, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 8/29/19.

Office location: NY County. LLC organized in IL on 3/6/12. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 10 E. 40th St., 10th Fl., NY, NY 10016. IL and principal business address: 20 W. Kinzle St., 17th Fl., Chicago, IL 60654. Cert. of Org. filed with IL Sec. of State, 501 S. 2nd St., Springfield, IL 62756. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

NOTICE OF SALE Supreme Court — County Of Kings US Bank National Association , Plaintiff, vs. Denise Charles, et al, Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 224 of the Kings County Courthouse, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. on October 25, 2019 at 2:30 P.M.; the premises described as follows: All that parcel of land, being in the County of Kings, City and State of New York; known as 1138 Lafayette Avenue; Block 3273, Lot 21. Approximate amount of lien $715,632.95, plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the Judgment, Index No. 508083-17.

Aaron Tyk. Esq. Referee Shapiro Dicaro & Barak Attorney for Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester NY 14624 585770-2108

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

Notice of Formation of Salon Nyki Elle, LLC filed with SSNY on 2/28/19. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 229 West 115th St., 1D, New York, NY 10026. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

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CityAndStateNY.com / PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES

CARE AND PROTECTION, TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS, SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION, DOCKET NUMBER 19CP0164NE Trial Court of Massachusetts, Juvenile Court Department, COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, Bristol County Juvenile Court, 75 No. Sixth Street, New Bedford, MA 02740 TO: Rose Mary Colon-Rivera: A petition has been presented to this court by DCF (New Bedford), seeking, as to the following child: David Carrasquillo, that said child be found in need of care and protection and committed to the Department of Children and Families. The court may dispense the rights of the person(s) named herein to receive notice of or to consent to any legal proceeding affecting the adoption, custody, or guardianship or any other disposition of the child named herein, if it finds that the child is in need of care and protection and that the best interests of the child would be served by said disposition. You are hereby ORDERED to appear in this court, at the court address set forth above, on the following date and time: 01/16/2020 at 09:00 AM Pre Trial Conference (CR/CV) You may bring an attorney with you. If you have a right to an attorney and if the court determines that you are indigent, the court will appoint an attorney to represent you. If you fail to appear, the court may proceed on that date and any date thereafter with a trial on the merits of the petition and an adjudication of this matter. For further information call the Office of the Clerk-Magistrate at 508-999-9700.

WITNESS: John S. Spinale, FIRST JUSTICE, Roger J. Oliveira, Acting Clerk Magistrate, DATE ISSUED: 09/04/2019 Notice of Formation of Red Arrow Advisors, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/14/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Richard P. Altieri, Carnelutti & Altieri Esposito Minoli PLLC, 551 Madison Ave., Ste. 450, NY, NY 10022.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

Airborne HVAC LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 04/26/2019 Office loc: Bronx County. Anderson Registered Agents has been designated as agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to LLC: 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 210 Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

JOHN DICHIARA & ASSOCIATES LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/01/2018. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Legalinc Corp. Svcs Inc., 1967 Wehrle Dr., Ste 1 #086, Buffalo, NY 14221. Reg Agent: Legalinc Corp.

Svcs Inc., 1967 Wehrle Dr., Ste 1 #086, Buffalo, NY 14221. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1320782 FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 83 MAIDEN LN NEW YORK, NY 10038. NEW YORK COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION. PADRE LLC.

September 16, 2019

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

AT&T proposes to modify an existing facility (new tip heights 77.5 & 79.5’) on the building at 235 Fort Washington Ave, New York, NY (20191476).

Interested parties may contact Scott Horn (856809-1202) (1012 Industrial Dr., West Berlin, NJ 08091) with comments regarding potential effects on historic properties.

Cellco Partnership a n d its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless) proposes to collocate wireless communications antennas at four locations. Antennas will be installed at a top height of 44 feet on a building with an overall height of 38 feet at the approx. vicinity of 31-18 Broadway, Astoria, Queens County, NY 11106. Antennas will be installed at a top height of 111 feet on a building with an overall height of 114 feet at the approx. vicinity of 547 Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn, Kings County, NY 11238. Antennas will be installed at a top height of 78-feet on a building with an overall height of 75 feet at the approx. vicinity of 6610 149th Street, Flushing, Queens County, NY 11367. Antennas will be installed at a top height of 36 feet on a building with an overall height of 29-feet at the approx. vicinity of 968 Meeker Avenue, Brooklyn, Kings County, NY 11222. Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Laura Elston, l.elston@trileaf.com, 1395 South Marietta Parkway, Building 400, Suite 209, Marietta, GA 30067, 314997-6111

AT&T Mobility Services (AT&T) proposes the modification of an existing AT&T facility installed atop an existing building at 333 River Street in Hoboken, Hudson County, New York (Job #45252).

YOGI TEA BAR LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 7/24/19. Off. Loc. : New York Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The LLC, c/o Gurdip Singh Josan, 193 Fredrick Street, Paramus, NJ 07652. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of WILLIAMSBURG PRESERVATION DEVELOPERS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/26/19.

Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Omni New York LLC, 909 Third Ave., 21st Fl., NY, NY 10022.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

BATTERY PARK GOURMET CAFE, LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 5/16/19. Off. Loc. : New York Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served & shall mail proc.: c/o Gieto Nicaj, 17 Battery Place, New York, NY 10004. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

FRASHON COMMUNICATIONS LLC filed with SSNY 9/11/2019. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, Attn: Vashon Smith 523 West 143rd street Apt 5B New York, NY 10031.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

PROSPERITY ESTATES, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 04/19/2019.

Office loc: Bronx County. Anderson Registered Agents has been designated as agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC,7014 13th Avenue, Suite 210 Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Formation of Salon Nyki Elle, LLC filed with SSNY on 2/28/19. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 229 West 115th St., 1D, New York, NY 10026. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

AT&T Mobility Services (AT&T) proposes the modification of an existing AT&T facility installed atop an existing building at 1400 Grand Concourse in Bronx, Bronx County, New York (Job #45253).

AT&T Mobility Services (AT&T) proposes the modification of an existing AT&T facility installed atop an existing building at 626 Trinity Avenue in Bronx, Bronx County, New York (Job #45221).

In accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the 2005 Nationwide Programmatic Agreement, AT&T is hereby notifying the public of the proposed undertaking and soliciting comments on Historic Properties which may be affected by the proposed undertaking. If you would like to provide specific information regarding potential effects that the proposed undertaking might have to properties that are listed on or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and located within 3/4 mile of the site, please submit the comments (with project number) to: RAMAKER, Contractor for AT&T, 855 Community Dr. Sauk City, WI 53583 or via e-mail to history@ramaker.com within 30 days of this notice.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

Notice of Qualification of JAYADIT BUILDERS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/24/2019. Office location: Richmond County, NY. LLC formed in New Jersey (NJ) on 01/29/2015.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. NJ addr. of LLC: JayAdit Builders, Limited Liability Company, 47 Rosewood Rd, Edison, NJ 08817. Cert. of Form. filed with State Treasurer of the State of NJ, Div. of Revenue and Enterprise Services, 33 W State St, #5th, Trenton, NJ 08608. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of WILLIAMSBURG PRESERVATION DEVELOPERS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/26/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Omni New York LLC, 909 Third Ave., 21st Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Formation of VIRIDIAN SKYFALL LLC filed with SSNY on July 22, 2019. Office: Richmond County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: Attn: US Corporation Agents, 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Torch Music Group, LLC filed with SSNY on March 27, 2019. Office: Westchester County, NY. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: C/O United States Corporation Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Avenue Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

September 16, 2019

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

NOTICE OF SALE Supreme Court — County Of Kings US Bank National Association , Plaintiff, vs. Denise Charles, et al, Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction in Room 224 of the Kings County Courthouse, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. on October 25, 2019 at 2:30 P.M.; the premises described as follows: All that parcel of land, being in the County of Kings, City and State of New York; known as 1138 Lafayette Avenue; Block 3273, Lot 21. Approximate amount of lien $715,632.95, plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the Judgment, Index No. 508083-17.

Aaron Tyk. Esq. Referee Shapiro Dicaro & Barak Attorney for Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester NY 14624 585770-2108 Notice of Qualification of 11 OUNCES, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/19/19. Office location: Kings County. LLC formed in Ohio (OH) on 12/26/18. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to The LLC, c/o Cummins Law LLC, 312 Walnut Street, Suite 1530, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. OH addr. of LLC: 11 Ounces LLC, c/o Cummins Law LLC, 312 Walnut Street, Suite 1530, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Copy of Articles of Organization filed with Secy. of State of OH, 180 East Broad Street, 16th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

UNCLAIMED FUNDS! Insurance companies We can publish unclaimed funds for you quickly, easily and efficiently.

WANT MORE INFO? EMAIL: LEGALNOTICES@CITYANDSTATENY.COM

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September 16, 2019

CITY & STATE NEW YORK MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING CEO Steve Farbman, President & Publisher Tom Allon tallon@cityandstateny.com, Comptroller David Pirozzi, Business & Operations Manager Patrea Patterson, Administrative Assistant Lauren Mauro

Who was up and who was down last week

LOSERS ANDREW GOUNARDES The Brooklyn state senator, who chairs the Civil Service and Pensions Committee, never forgot to make sure that several 9/11-related bills passed the Legislature this year. Now that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed them into law, public employees and their families will get some much needed help dealing with the health problems that resulted from their work at ground zero 18 years ago.

OUR PICK

OUR PICK

WINNERS

Campaign funds can be used to cover child care, so why not payments to everyday Americans? Presidential candidate Andrew Yang announced during Thursday night’s debate that he’ll distribute $1,000 a month to 10 lucky people in order to sell his idea of universal basic income. Less fortunate are all those robots that the other New Yorker in the race (but not on stage) wants to tax. Which, you know, is probably easier than taxing millionaires. To see who else broke through – or bottomed out – read on.

EDITORIAL editor@cityandstateny.com Editor-in-Chief Jon Lentz jlentz@cityandstateny.com, Managing Editor Ryan Somers, Senior Editor Ben Adler badler@cityandstateny.com, Special Projects Editor Alice Popovici, Copy Editor Eric Holmberg, Staff Reporter Jeff Coltin jcoltin@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Zach Williams zwilliams@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Rebecca C. Lewis rlewis@cityandstateny.com, Tech & Policy Reporter Annie McDonough amcdonough@ cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Kay Dervishi CREATIVE Art Director Andrew Horton, Senior Graphic Designer Alex Law, Graphic Designer Aaron Aniton DIGITAL Digital Marketing Director Maria Cruz Lee, Digital Content Coordinator Michael Filippi, Social Media Editor/ Content Producer Amanda Luz Henning Santiago

CARL HEASTIE The buck stops with unidentified individuals in the office of the Assembly speaker, whose taxpayer-funded vehicle has no problem speeding past traffic cameras – including twice already this year. This has happened seven times since 2016, and each time the drivers – whom a spokesman refused to identify – supposedly had to pay the resulting fines for Heastie’s hastiness.

ADVERTISING Vice President of Advertising Jim Katocin jkatocin@ cityandstateny.com, Account/Business Development Executive Scott Augustine saugustine@cityandstateny.com, Event Sponsorship Strategist Danielle Koza dkoza@ cityandstateny.com, Sales Associate Cydney McQuillanGrace cydney@cityandstateny.com, Junior Sales Executive Caitlin Dorman, Legal Advertising Executive Shakirah Gittens legalnotices@cityandstateny.com, Junior Sales Associate Chris Hogan EVENTS events@cityandstateny.com Sales Director Lissa Blake, Events Manager Alexis Arsenault, Event Coordinator Amanda Cortez, Editorial Research Associate Evan Solomon

Vol. 8 Issue 35 September 16, 2019 THE BRONX POWER

100

RONNIE HAKIM

Close enough for government work. The MTA honcho is heading out on a high note of 84% on-time performance.

ALISON HIRSH

Who said anything about a lame duck?

BdB’s labor ally is entering his inner circle.

CARLOS MENCHACA

The councilman/part-time model is keeping Sunset Park hot, hot, hot by brokering a deal to rezone Industry City.

JAMES O’NEILL

NYC’s top cop called out his critics on their B.S. in a snappy, sneering Post op-ed.

THE REST OF THE WORST THE CHARGING BULL

The Wall Street icon got pummeled. Let’s hope the stock market isn’t next.

DUSTIN CZARNY

Driving for Uber as a side job: good. ... while on the government clock: bad.

RUBEN DIAZ’S BIGGEST PROBLEM IS THE OTHER RUBEN DIAZ

SON OF A PREACHER MAN

CIT YANDSTATENY.COM

@CIT YANDSTATENY

September 16, 2019

Cover photo Philip Vukelich

BRIAN NICCOL

Chipotle has “food with integrity,” but a lawsuit from de Blasio’s administeration says their labor practices have none.

PETER VITO

Vito got vetoed, and the Buffalonian withdrew his candidacy for U.S. marshall in Western New York.

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RITA THOMPSON; SHANNON DECELLE

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