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Volume XIX • Number 26 • July 12 - 18, 2012 •
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State official to probe PS 24 music cuts By MIAWLING LAM and PAULETTE SCHNEIDER Dr. Betty A. Rosa, who represents The Bronx on the New York State Board of Regents, has agreed to look into the actions surrounding the elimination of the music program at P.S. 24. “I was shocked to read that this wonderful program, a program which should be replicated at other schools rather than be eliminated at any school, is at risk. I see no budgetary reason why this should be done, and I intend to ask the staff of the State Education Department to make sure that P.S. 24 remains in compliance with regard to arts education. This is a high priority for me,” said Dr. Rosa. She noted that state spending for the schools increased this year, “so I can’t see why this program should be cut.”
“I am proud that we have programs like this in my own neighborhood, and will do all that I can to ensure that my neighbors here in Riverdale, as well as in the rest of The Bronx, get a complete education and that includes the arts. Where things work, as in P.S. 24, we must insure that there is no backsliding. She said that she is looking into the matter at the behest of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. For his part, Dinowitz stated “every child deserves a music education, and every school should have a great music program. This year we in the State Legislature successfully fought to increase state funding for NYC public schools by 4%, so it’s hard to understand why at any of our schools important programs should be eliminated. I strongly urge Department of Education
officials, Dr. Connelly and anyone else who has any influence to revisit the decision to excess PS 24’s two music teachers. I’m sure they want to do what’s right for the children of our community.” Dinowitz said that he hopes that Dr. Rosa can bring her expertise and leadership to the effort to save the music program at P.S. 24. Meanwhile, P.S. 24 School Leadership Team member Eugenia Zakharov said communication was the key to moving forward and that in-depth conversations were necessary to repair morale. She strongly advocated dialogue among parents, P.S. 24 principal Donna Connelly and interim acting assistant principal Emanuele Verdi. Continued on Page 18
Espaillat concedes congressional race to Rangel; plans next move
By MIAWLING LAM The battle for the 13th Congressional District is over, once again, and the Lion of Harlem is heading back to Washington D.C. State Sen. Adriano Espaillat officially dropped his congressional bid and conceded to veteran politico Rep. Charles Rangel during a press conference outside his campaign headquarters in Inwood on Monday. The Dominican-American said he would withdraw a lawsuit
against the city’s Board of Elections that challenged the result, and he admitted that Rangel’s 987-vote lead was virtually insurmountable. “I am here to acknowledge that we came up short by 2 percent,” he said. “My attorneys have advised me that even though there are close to 2,000 invalid affidavit ballots, the math just doesn’t work, and in fact, it is virtually impossible for the results to be different.
“Everybody from Nancy Pelosi on down supported the incumbent, and so I am very proud to have run a very strong race. I think I come out of this process stronger, and I look forward to the future.” What that future entails, however, remains unclear. Espaillat, who currently represents parts of Riverdale in the state Senate, refused to say whether he would mount a new campaign to retain his state Legislature seat. However, he revealed he
State Senator Adriano Espaillat concedes defeat outside his campaign headquarters in Inwood on Monday. He remained mum on whether he would seek reelection for his state Senate seat.
authorized district leaders to circulate petitions on his behalf after the June 26 primary. “I will be considering my personal situation as to whether I am accepting those signatures in 48 hours,” he said on Monday. State Senate candidates who want to be on the ballot in September’s primary have until Thursday, July 12, to file their petitions. Candidates, who were invited to begin filing their petitions on Monday, are required to submit at least 1,000 Democratic signatures. Results for the 13th Congressional District remained unresolved for nearly two weeks, amid claims of voter suppression, irregular tally counts and ballots not being counted. Espaillat, 57, initially conceded to Rangel on election night after preliminary tallies showed the 21term incumbent leading by 1,900 votes in the five-candidate field. But revised numbers released days later showed the race had taken a dramatic turn and that Rangel’s lead had shrunk to a razorthin margin of 802 votes, with more than 3,000 absentee and affidavit ballots still to be counted. As Espaillat asked the courts to intervene, the Board of Elections counted the remaining votes and eventually found that Rangel’s lead had increased to 987. The board was slated to certify the results on Tuesday. In his second concession speech in less than two weeks, Espaillat said his campaign staff ran a historic campaign, and he reiterated his concerns about Board of Elections transparency.
“There needs to be very deep, very deep electoral reform in New York state,” he said. “Is the Board of Elections a reliable entity that thousands of millions of voters across the state of New York, and particularly New York City, should feel is accountable and transparent in its everyday operations? I feel not.” Espaillat cited a lack of funds for dropping his legal challenge but said lawsuits brought forth by several nonprofit organizations, including Latino Justice, would proceed as planned. He also said he would now throw his support behind Rep. Rangel. “I look forward to working with him as we move forward in the 13th Congressional District to ensure that the issues that are pertinent to every resident—from the southern part of the district all the way to the northern part of the district and now parts of The Bronx—are addressed and taken care of.” In a brief statement, Rangel said he planned to maintain a working relationship with Espaillat. “I look forward to working with him to uncovering any possibility of voter suppression or fraud as well as to foster reconciliation and unity across the communities that became divided during the campaign.” Under newly drawn political boundaries, the 13th District will now stretch from Harlem in Manhattan to the northwest Bronx neighborhoods of Bedford Park, Norwood, Kingsbridge Heights, and parts of Kingsbridge and University Heights in The Bronx.