In yesterday's Democratic Primary, Carlina Rivera handily won the District 2 race to succeed City Council member Rosie Mendez.
Rivera, a former Mendez staff member who grew up on the Lower East Side, received nearly 61 percent of the vote, according to election information published by NY1.
The seemingly runaway race wasn't without its last-minute drama. In a rare political turn, former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter reportedly threw his weight behind Ronnie Cho with an endorsement released Monday night.
Turns out that while Jeter may have nice things to say about Cho, he wasn't endorsing him. As the Post followed up: "There was a communications mix-up and a draft release was sent out prematurely."
In addition, supporters of Rivera's opponents on Monday were also peddling since-deleted Facebook photos of her husband, CB3 chair Jamie Rogers, sailing on his father's yacht during races in recent years. Other critics questioned why/how they were living in Section 8 housing. The Villager explores that angle here. Rivera and Rogers both said that "it’s perfectly legal for them to live in the apartment and that their incomes were fully vetted under the requirements of the Section 8 program."
Finally, as The Lo-Down reported, developer Gregg Singer, who owns the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center on East Ninth Street, began campaigning against the District 2 candidates, including Rivera, who might try to force his hand at returning the property for community use.
In other election news, Mayor de Blasio won big.
The Villager has other local election results here. According to the Daily News, there was "terrible voter turnout" yesterday.
30 comments:
Let's see if Carlina Rivera will stay off her yacht long enough to do something about the noise from East Village bars. Her mentor, Rosie Mendez, refused to do anything about Spiegel, a dive biker bar on 1st Av & 2nd St. It runs an illegal Two Wheel Tuesday event that brings 30-50 bikers to the neighborhood every week. What fun trying to sleep while listening to bikes revving their engines and circling the block all night. Drinking on the sidewalk, double parking and noise doesn't seem to bother local politicians or 9th Pct. As Sgt Shultz says, "I see noth-ing!"
"Wins big"? With possibly the lowest turnout in years; it was just the sort of primary the power brokers like. I was interested in how the NY Times avoided any mention of District 2. While I didn't support C. Rivera, I think she has been made aware that in politics everything in one's history can become fodder to attacks. Thank the Gods for term limits.
@8:50 a.m.: I suggest you and your neighbors chip in to hire a lawyer to sue the bar owner for creating a nuisance.
I did not vote for Carlina mostly because of her cozy relationship with Mendez and the establishment of city hall. I will keep a close eye on how she votes when I assume she wins the spot in November, talk is cheap rents are expensive Carlina, except for yours apparently.
I removed the second part of the headline that mentioned de Blasio's win because the piece focuses on District 2... the de Blasio mention is one sentence at the end of the post. Most media outlets in the city have more news and analysis on the mayoral race.
CB3 isn't a very caring group. At least not about the community. They continue to hand out approval for bars that only bring out the worst of their patrons who urinate, defecate, masticate, and regurgitate the alcoholic contents of their intake all over our streets and doorways.
CB3 does nothing about the overflowing garbage cans on every street corner of Second Avenue between Houston and 14th Street, which are overflowing by 4pm. CB3 does nothing about working with shop owners to try and have them set up some type of security patrol or clean up schedules. CB3 does nothing about the homeless lining the avenue, camping out by the NYlink Towers. Instead of having an outreach program CB3 does nothing. CB3 needs a good housecleaning and having this rich kid from Bronxville pretending he is a poor boy, vacate the slot will only be a good thing.
If every keyboard warrior had gotten off his/her ass and voted, we wouldn't have such low voter turnout. Low voter turnout is an embarrassment.
Just how effin' lazy is everyone, that they have time to bitch about how things are run, but they don't have 10 minutes to go vote? That inertia and disinterest is what gets you the government you hate. Enjoy!
Lol @ 8:50.
What a hoot. I can always count on the EV grieve comments section for the crankiest people in the whole neighborhood to step up on the soapbox. I got a kick out of the Post hit piece littered around the neighborhood. I cant believe anyone cared that someone else was on a boat on facebook once?
Carlina Has done great work on affordability with GOLES... personally i can deal with a little noise in the city that never sleeps if it means keeping more people in their apartments.
I am really disappointed in the DeBlasio results. Apparently people are really happy with him. Really? Everyone I know voted, and none of us voted for DeBlasio (we all did the first time). I guess the majority feel the city is doing just great as it is, or else they don't care enough to vote. My faith in my fellow citizens and humanity in general has taken a real nosedive this last year.
@ Anon 8:50 AM:
I walked by that "gathering" last night; what a nightmare! Had no idea it was a weekly thing.
I agree with the other poster not voting voids your right to bitch and complain about anything our Mayor or city council do going forward. I want to complain when I see fit so I took myself to my polling place (I was the only one there) penciled in my picks (there are only 3 categories) and was on my way in 3 minutes. People will stand in line to get into a foodie establishment but not to pick the people who will put policies in place which affect our livelihoods, homes and neighborhood's. What's wrong with your people?
Anon 10.04 AM. The political power structure in this city and in this country will continue to have voting done on a Tuesday as a means of suppressing the vote. If voting were done on a Saturday and Sunday, I wonder if the turnout would be larger. If voting could be done by mail, as it is in some states, I wonder what would happen in NY. Don't hold your breath waiting for any politician to raise such issues. It is to his or her advantage to keep the turn out low. The same issue applies to national elections. There is nothing sacred (in the constitution) about Tuesday voting.
One party rule. And the beat goes on and on andonandonand...
I was really surprised to see all the headlines yesterday on the morning of the election . In fact I see there is another piece in today's NY post too about Carlina Rivera and her husband James Rogers. I think that this couple are likely not bad people, but if you have to do that much explaining about your section 8 claim then more than likely you should not be in section 8 and accepting that taxpayer credit against your rent. I am still really confused with the fact that they are admitting to owning a completely separate apartment they collect rental income from? Why not just live in the apartment you own rather than live somewhere else paying section 8? I do wonder about the people on that housing waiting list who may need that section 8 status more. I am also pretty certain none on that section 8 wait list can claim to have "a small family trust" as they admit to in the Post article. Guess most people still don't read what's in front of them and prefer to just march to the music being played.
The reason why DeBlasio "won" and turnout was low is there were no other good choices because is the incumbent and that's how our so-called Democracy works. None of the other big name Democrats would step up to challenge him unless there was a major scandal. There were longer lines for the openings of Empire Biscuit and that crazy ice cream donut place on 1st Avenue than there were at the polls, so don't complain if you didn't go out and at least register a protest vote.
I say eveyone should write in EV Greve for Mayor in the general election. Lets see how many votes we can get. If Grieve loses at least we registered a protest vote. If Grieve wins, get ready for a City Hall campaign against mysterious stains on the sidewalks, year-round Christmas Tree stands, a Joey Ramone statue in every park, and free rat lunches for all the hawks.
Here's the campaign slogan: "Are you sick of politics as usual? Don't heave, vote for Grieve!"
I too was the only one voting at my polling place. Whatever you say about Carly, she works with the people, Cooper Square Committee and GOLES and was very helpful to our Tenant's Association when ICON (or rather I CON) bought our building. Would rather have someone with experience who works with for neighborhood people and knows her way around City Hall.
How many people showed up to CB3s hearing on over saturation of liquor licenses last night? How many people knew about it from the extremely oblique listing on the calendar which CB3 they changed at the last minute? (To the much clearer "Link between alcohol outlet density and public health/safety." Before it was changed the listing was unintelligible.) The only way I knew about it was EVG and Bedford and and Bowery. If they had listed it more clearly and perhaps put the notice on the front of their site more people would of shown up. Not cool at all.
12:53
Rivera/Roger probably are within the letter of the law. But they exhibit no sense of conscience and/or any sense of morality. That's who we deal with today. Add to that they have no shame. None whatsoever. Even if her Section 8 is legal, the optics are bad. How will anybody trust her?! In the real world she would be shunned. But today, corruption and arrogance is so pervasive that very few care. Look at Mayor Bill! Look at Trump!! Welcome to the alternate universe.
EV Heave for Mayor!
@ Anon 12:53 PM:
Go back and reread the original article (on which you also posted this comment). If they moved to the apartment he bought, Carlina would not be able to represent our district, as the other apt is in another district. She has lived all her life in this district, worked for Rosie & with organizations in this district, and this is the district it makes sense for her to represent. They're clear that they'll give up the apartment now so someone in more need can take it (although they'd be eligible to keep living there and pay market rent). This is really blown out of proportion.
2:53
To River's flak...
If you read my post I said it was probably legal. What I was talking about goes beyond the law. Obviously you ride the same sail boat as Rivera/Rogers! Don't waste our time.
Carlina is a real lower east sider. She has lived in the district in that very apartment her entire life. She grew up there with a single mom. Who cares if her husband's father has money? It isn't her money. And section 8 housing has units for poor and middle income residents. You've got to show the paperwork they ask for to stay. There is no rule about owning other property. People there own homes in other states and other countries. They can stay as long as this is where they live most of the time.
12:13pm voter suppression already exists statewide with closed primaries which prohibit independents from voting because the powers that be automatically assume independents are primary raiders i.e. an independent who votes in a Democratic primary is a Republican while an independent who votes in a Republican primary is a Democrat with zero evidence.
NY should take a cue from NJ which has a "hybrid primary" which allows an independent to vote in either primary. What's even more embarrassing about NY is WEST VIRGINIA (yes, Trumpland Personified) has a hybrid primary. Their elections are more progressive than ours!
A hybrid primary would be a good first step towards an open primary.
If people who are eligible to vote would bother to ACTUALLY VOTE, that would be a good first step toward better government here!
How lazy is everyone, that the overall voter turnout in NYC was about 15%? WHY would you throw away your vote? Even if you just showed up to write in "Mickey Mouse" as a protest vote, that would mean something.
If they prohibited voting, there'd be marches and people would be beating down the door at their polling place. But because voting is "optional" most people can't bestir themselves. Color me completely confused. But if you didn't vote, IMO you have forfeited any right to whine about our local government.
And that persistent lack of voting, ladies & gentlemen, is how we have the politicians who are in office right this minute. If you want different or better, you need to show up for primaries and regular elections.
Did any of these new transients or "pioneers" even bother to register?
Oh yes JQ LLC, Blame the "new comers" to the EV for the low voter turnout--they don't register (how do you know this?). The typical mantra on EV Grieve is that nothing is ever about the "real" true residents. They are exemplars of perfection as citizens and members of the community. Let's face it, the political power structure doesn't want people to vote. As someone in this thread pointed out, primary elections and regular elections are held on a weekday when many people don't have the time to go to vote. Mail ballots and weekend voting!!
@8:40pm: How many tenants in Icon/Croman type buildings do you think register to vote? They're only going to be living here for a year or two, so they have no deep interest in local governance.
How many NYU students living in the dorms register to vote here? I don't know, but it would be interesting to find out! When an NYU dorm was my voting place awhile back, the students looked at us "old fogies" like we were from another planet when we arrived to vote.
On my block, I used to know several dozen of people on a first-name basis. Now it's down to a small handful, b/c so many have moved away (or been harassed out); a few have died. My point is that the new people living on my block & in my neighborhood are, by and large, NOT long-term residents and they are (from what I can see) far more interested in their phone screens than in who's running for political office.
Like our prez likes to say: SAD.
JQ LLC is correct. The newbies tend not to vote. According to a 2012 study by the NYC Campaign Finance Board, neighborhoods with young male adults with a high turnover have lower turnout. Neighborhoods with older, long term resident have a higher voter turnout. New York City in general has lower turnout than upstate and other big cities, but the young male transients are too busy playing beer pong in their dot-com incubators to bother to vote. Here are the facts:
Across the city, census tracts with low voter turnout had certain characteristics in common:
* A higher proportion of men
* A higher proportion of young adults
* Higher residential turnover
* Lower educational attainment
* A higher proportion of naturalized citizens (as opposed to citizens born in the U.S.)
Voter engagement is a significant and persistent challenge in New York City. In recent years, voter turnout in the city has been historically low: in the 2009 general election for mayor, fewer than one in five New Yorkers of voting age cast a ballot (18.4 percent). In the November 2010 federal midterm and New York state election, turnout in the city was significantly lower (28 percent) than in the rest of the state (53 percent) and nationally (46 percent). Even among other large urban areas, New York consistently ranks lower in voter turnout. A greater portion of registered voters cast ballots in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia during the 2008 presidential and 2010 Congressional elections.
Well Giovanni, I am sure the factual information at the basis of your post didn't saying anything about young men "playing beer pong." It is that kind of comment thrown in comment that makes one question what you are saying. I return to the issue of voter suppression. NYC makes it extremely hard to register to vote and then to vote. Ask public officials why we don't have same day registration? Ask them why they object to mail voting? Ask them why there is no early voting in NYC? Ask them why we hold to Tuesday voting instead of weekend voting? But please stop this blame game which always leads to the young drunken male students that seem to be the bogey man of most posters on EV Grieve.
Can anyone say nice things on the chat. Every comment is so negative. Why can't anyone embrace something!
Thanks for confirming my suspicions Giovanni and anon 10:03. You can trace the horrendous change of the city from citizens to transients right there in the last lowest voter turnout in 2009, and Bloomberger nearly lost that one.
This is probably why the city has been building towers, hotels and enabling landlords to turn apts. into dorms and displacing people that can't keep up with the cost of living and the fabricated market rates. It's a new form of disenfranchisement and the gradual disintegration of constituencies so the same elected hacks and approved ones, like the deceptive Carlina and this neoliberal named Moya in Jackson Heights who pulled the same stunt by living in his parents home there when he has a luxury apt in L.I.C.
What Carlina and her hapless husband did was dispicable and only reacted when they got caught, but were fortunate enough to have a base that thinks that they are the victim. They could have got any apt. they wanted in their district, but it would have meant scrimping a little bit and cutting down on posh artisinal dining or whatever they do to still be able to afford section 8 housing. Christ, they have enough expensive coffee to get by thanks to her husband's ventures.
and @ 8:40. I didn't know, that's why my comment was punctuated with a ?
Post a Comment