Some Thoughts on the Ousting of Pedro

Much of the Bronx is breathing a huge sigh of relief today and hoping for good things to come as Pedro is on his way out and Gustavo Rivera is (most likely) on his way in.

A BD Reader sent in the following points, and we couldn't agree more with each of them:

Well, what a morning! I was excited to be voting in my first real competitive race ever (let's face it, most national and state elections are not really like this around here) and happy for the result.

Just a few quick thoughts-
1. The only person who actually grew up in the 33rd, went to school here, and still lives here was Padernacht. It's a bit sad when truly local residents are kind of brushed aside in favor of people whose ties to the community are not as strong...I am not suggesting he would have won by a long shot, but I hope races like this encourage more local persons to take a stand. Gustavo is a very nice guy, but I know of NO ONE who had even met him until November and even then, he seemed like a long shot because, well, NO ONE HAD EVER HEARD OF HIM. He had not been involved in any local races, was not present on the Armory issue, was not at any local community board meetings, school meetings, etc. So I think we all felt a little surprised when he appeared.

2. And....money is a huge factor. If Rivera did not have the New Roosevelts, would we have this result? Pedro has oodles of illegal gained cash on hand but Samuels (an upstater!) pledged a quarter of a million to this race. So, if you are say a local person, want to run, and hold a few rubber chicken dinner's around the neighborhood, do you get in? It seems the answer is no.

In the end though, this was way way more about rejecting Pedro than Rivera (similar to how Obama won...he was not Bush!). Good luck to him, I think he will do fine and we can return to the real work of the Bronx-smart development, better funded schools, and the creation of jobs and housing that make it an attractive place again.

The Bronx truly lived up to its motto last night-Ne Cede Malis (Do NOT GIVE WAY TO EVIL).

Nicely put, BD Reader!

~ErLu

Espada Concedes Primary to Rivera

The reign of terror is OVER!

Click here for the Daily News update.

Can't wait to bring you a Listing of the Day for 325 E. 201st Street, #4B, Espada's "residence" here in Bainbridge House. I'd imagine it's in pristine condition because it's barely been used!

Congratulations to Gustavo Rivera - don't let us down!

~ErLu

Primary Day: Vote for Rivera

Primary Day is finally here. Get out there and vote for Gustavo Rivera. Be vigilant and make sure that your vote counts with the new machines...If you don't understand how to use them, ASK FOR HELP. If the person who comes over to help you doesn't know what he/she is doing, ASK SOMEONE ELSE FOR HELP. That is unless you're voting for Espada...in that case there's no need to be so assertive about making sure your vote is cast correctly. Ha!

Some updates from the field from BD Readers...

• It still amazes me that our most important Democratic process is entrusted to such unimpressive (and untrained!) poll workers. They were just opening when I got here at 6:40am, even though polls officially open at 6am. I was voter #1. I took me a few different tries to find an English speaking poll worker for help. Connie Espada was there just hanging out.

• From a Facebook status update: "BD Reader" just voted, and HOPES it counted... poll workers aren't trained, and new machines are giving error messages.

Feel free to leave your poll experiences (good or bad) in the comments section.

~ErLu

Senator Espada Feeling "Very, Very Good" About Tuesday

We were just coming back from a walk to New York Botanical Garden to see the newly renovated Snuff Mill (or Stone Mill, as they are now calling it), and we bumped into Senator Espada by the mailboxes of our building.

He was looking especially smurfish in his favorite khaki "Kim Jong Il" leisure wear (as one BxNN commenter recently referred to it), and seemed a bit sheepish/distant/aloof - maybe actually being in the Bronx so much lately to campaign is beginning to stress him out. I think bucolic Mamaroneck is probably a lot quieter and peaceful than the good ol' BoogieDown.

We asked Senator Espada how he was feeling about Tuesday, and he mumbled quietly, "Very, very good." Although Pedro's words seem confident, his demeanor did not. He avoided eye contact by looking down at his keys and seemed much more intent on just getting his mail and getting the hell out of here than glad-handing or in any way working for our vote.

We didn't stick around to see if he received the Gustavo Rivera mailer that we received today which featured out favorite photo of him (below), which was taken by John DeSio, Village Voice reporter cum Ruben Diaz Jr. flack.
Anyway, can't wait for this primary to be over and done with with hopefully favorable results for Rivera. We're really, really sick of all the flyers, mailers, and volunteer door knockers associated with this heated race. A Rivera volunteer just buzzed our door and woke Pearl up from a much-needed nap - DISLIKE.

~ErLu

Rivera/Padernacht Debate (Updated)

BxNN has posted a link to the Gustavo Rivera/Dan Padernacht debate which aired on BronxTalk this past Monday. Here's the clip in case you missed it:


There were a bunch of interesting comments left on the post suggesting that although Padernacht hasn't received the political endorsements or generated as much of a buzz in the media as Rivera, he's actually the stronger candidate of the two. Commenters opine that Rivera is receiving the support of the Bronx political establishment simply because he is Hispanic and Padernacht doesn't stand a chance because he's white and his family is involved in real estate. What do you all think?

I personally felt like Rivera actually wasted my valuable time during the debate. I only get a small window of opportunity where Sesame Street will capture Pearl's attention, and I can't believe I just spent it listening to someone name drop and rattle off endorsements that I already knew he had. Booooo!

While I'm at it, I have another bone to pick with Rivera. I was taking the kiddos out for a walk yesterday and my lovely super, Sam, was working hard outside in the 95 degree heat tending to the plants around our building. Another one of his tasks for the day? Cleaning up Gustavo Rivera campaign flyers left behind by New Roosevelt Initiative's volunteers' little rally outside our building Saturday.
I'm all for coming to Espada's supposed place of residence to organize and do community outreach, but really - where do the volunteers think the campaign literature they hand out ends up? I'm sick of politicians littering the streets with their campaign crap. That means you too, Senator Espada! BD reader Jo sent in the below photo of Espada's flyers on a pole on the Grand Concourse. Talk about overkill. I can't wait for those to be torn down and end up as litter in my neighborhood.
An update from BD Reader Jo regarding the campaign posters:

So as follow-up to the picture I sent you yesterday of Pedro's awful posters: I have since called 3-1-1 and reported his posters that are ILLEGALLY posted on city property. Dept of Sanitation will take the complaint, and within 3 days go out to remove the posts and issue a fine to the individual or company owning the poster. So I encourage everyone to call 3-1-1 to report any of his posters illegally hung and hope that you spread the word to do so as well!

I am also happy to report that the pole on Bedford Park Blvd and Grand Concourse that yesterday had ten front and back posters of Espada’s face (20 in total) now have been decreased to 7 front and back (14 awful faces)—and I can’t take credit for the removal of any of those. So it makes me feel good that there are others in this neighborhood that dislike him as much as I do and are willing to take action. But I am now advocating the report of the posters to 3-1-1 instead of just ripping them down and creating litter.

Thanks Jo!!

~ErLu

Gustavo Rivera Endorsed By New Roosevelt Initiative and Other 33rd Tidbits

Sorry it has taken so long to post something today. A newborn and a 2.5 year old complicate blogging sometimes (let's be honest, they're kicking our asses today).

Kind of big news just breaking in the 33rd state senate race. The New Roosevelt Initiative has endorsed Gustavo Rivera. The Initiative, formed by Bill Samuels, is dedicated to remaking and reforming Albany. A press release and previous media stories make mention of $250K dedicated to ousting scandal-ridden and ethics-averse incumbent, Pedro Espada, Jr. That's a lot of cash. Mr. Samuels and the Initiative are even asking the other three challengers to step down:

"[...]I respectfully ask Ms. Pilgrim-Hunter, Mr. Padernacht and Mr. Tirado to make this sacrifice for the benefit of the residents of the Bronx and all of New York State. Together, unified, we can right this wrong and remove Pedro Espada from power.”

In other 33rd news:

Fernando Tirado is holding a fundraiser tonight (it actually just started at 7pm) at the Identity Bar and Lounge in Manhattan. We'll reach out to the campaign to let you know how it went.

And Westchester Pete was spotted in the Bronx. No linkage, just an eye witness sighting from the Missus, who saw Pedro rocking a dapper power suit in the lobby of our building (the same building in which he pretends to live). Just thought it was interesting to note because of the infrequency of Espada sightings in his primary residence.

~ErLu