Political leaders in the 80th Assembly District, which includes Van Cortlandt Village,
have been drifting apart ever since state Sen. Efrain Gonzalez Jr. lost his re-election bid to Pedro Espada Jr. in the primaries. We cover that this week in Political Arena — our online edition should go up soon — but in the meantime, here's some video to explain what we mean.
We talked with Kenny Agosto on Sunday after political operative Anthony Rivieccio angrily confronted Robert Press, of the Committee of 100 Democrats and an unpaid staffer for Mr. Gonzalez, just outside the auditorium at the Utopia Paradise Theater on Sunday.
We asked him to explain what had just happened. Here's what he had to say:
Bronx Dems meeting - Kenny Agosto on hurt feelings from N. Clark Judd on Vimeo.
Afterwards, Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera — who worked closely with Mr. Agosto until Mr. Gonzalez's loss encouraged him to change sides — came up to us to respond:
Bronx Dems meeting - Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera on the 80th AD from N. Clark Judd on Vimeo.
Members of the Democratic faction backing Assemblyman Carl Heastie against current party leader Jose Rivera say that on Sunday night, they had more voting members of the county committee there, and by rights they should have been able to vote him out. What Ms. Rivera, Jose's daughter, is saying is that Mr. Agosto was partly to blame for that.
Mr. Agosto countered, after Ms. Rivera left, that she was present and working with him when he was deciding who to run for county committee seats.
Her allegation that people who had been brought there weren't sure what was going on were echoed, repeatedly, by Heastie supporters. They say the Rivera faction packed the house with non-voters who weren't sure what they were doing there. So fingers are pointing on both sides.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
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4 comments:
Jay Savino (Bronx GOP Absentee Leader) has put up a candidate against Assemblymember Naomi Rivera, the candidate's name is Louise DeLucia, she owns a bridal salon in the Bronx and her husband Dennis DeLucia is a made member/felon of a mafia crime family, Dennis DeLucia became a wiseguy after setting up his best friend to be murdered. see links:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE1DE1E3CF93AA25753C1A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
http://www.americanmafia.com/mob_report/11-18-02_Mob_Report.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2000/09/29/2000-09-29__a_big_rat_in_the_underworld.html
Even so, anyone has got to be better than the absentee assembly member Rivera. The new saying should be Naomi who?
Anonymous said...
As a proud Puerto Rican,I am very sad to say, I am ashamed of Jose Rivera. He has conducted himself without honor.
No one can deny Mr. Rivera's impressive progresive record, and all of his brave accomplishments of the last 3 decades. From keeping our hospitals and community colleges open to helping rebuild our communities,to fighting for the rights of the people of the Bronx, South Africa and Vieques.
However, in the last six years, we saw a tragic departure of those priciples that has defined a man and his movement.
Now, the future of all Bronxites and of the Democratic Party of the Bronx lies in turmoil.
Jose Rivera's selfishness that has led us to this abyss, has made a veiled attempt to give the perception that all Puerto Ricans and Latinos are in sympathy with this mockery of a democratic convention. This embarassing demostration only proves, that smoking mirrors and violence is the only way Puerto Ricans know how to conduct ourselves. This is wrong.
The vast majority of us are decent, hardworking people. We are not thugs. We are in struggle for real heathcare, education, and true economic opportunities.
The majority of the people of the Bronx question Jose Rivera's leaderhip. Nepotism and cronyism that rivals Jimmy Stewart's Mr. Smith goes to Washington must not be allowed to continue.
We have all seen the product of the last six years:Yankee Stadium over the people and their parks; a contraversial filtration plant and the lack of real permanant jobs; the abuse of emminent domain and the monoply of overzealous developers and greedy landlords keeping Blacks, Latinos and poor whites in perpetual poverty.
Nature abhores a vaccum. Although, I would perfer a Puerto Rican, I cannot stay with a poor latino leader just because he is latino.
We must pick the best leader who will deliver for all of the people. We all have to eat. That's the American dream.
Today, our nation's economy may be literally destroyed due to selfishness and a failure of true leadership, just as last night,when I witnessed that very same level of selfishness that led us to a critical failure of leadership.
These are very serious times for our borough of The Bronx. We desprately need change at all levels of government.
We cannot and will not capitulate to what transpired lastnight. We must not let it end this way.
- A VERY PROUD
PUERTO RICAN DEMOCRATIC BRONXITE!!!
PS Tranquilo Bobi Tranquilo! Soy Boricua de pura sepa para que lo sepa! Cuando nosotros apprenda conportarnos como latinos unidos puerdemos a rescatar nuestro posicion otravez.
Una Boricua orgulloso!
Naomi Naomi Naomi..stop the damn whining. You sound so foolish. I too am a County Committee Member of the 78th AD and I had no idea nor was ever asked to be apart of the county committee. I just mysteriously appear there. So sweetie, it looks like what you were just rating and raving about being so wrong is the exact same thing that your daddy does. That is why I voted against him. He's sneaky and lies to people telling them they were going to a show. Anyway, Miss Thing grow up and take defeat like a grown woman!!!!!! Think about it is obvious your district leaders do not trust you, you must not have done right by them.
There are more important issues to be worrying about or are you just afraid that without daddy there, they will whoop your ass in next round. You will have to be lucky to survive that one. Again, learn how to not be whiny bitch and take it like a woman.
My God, I never realized what a spoiled selfish brat you sound like. Well I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all.
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