Crain's New York is reporting that Councilwoman Carmen Arroyo might be in a bit of hot water over trying to steer the award of a building with a HUD mortgage to an organization in the Bronx with close ties to her. The article reports that "Ms. Arroyo apparently reached out numerous times to City Hall, Bronx Borough Hall and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's regional office in New York—run by former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr.—to make her own case. She pressured officials to instead hand over the building to a Bronx-based team made up of real estate services firm Foxy Management Ltd. and the Neighborhood Association for Inter-Cultural Affairs, according to a dozen sources familiar with the situation. Executives and family members from Foxy donated at least $10,875 to Ms. Arroyo's two City Council campaigns, according to filings with the Campaign Finance Board. The councilwoman had previously pressed for the installation of South Bronx Community Corp., a nonprofit organization run by her nephew, as managing agent, according to Bronx political insiders. But that effort died last year when he pleaded guilty to stealing $115,000 from the group and was sentenced to a year in jail."
Seems like Adolfo Carrion is knee deep in this too. Wonder why you didn't mention that?
ReplyDeleteWith these low-level pols the problem always seems to come down to funneling slush funds to non-profit groups controlled by their families or close supporters!
ReplyDeleteAnon at 7:02--I believe the quote listed on the blog includes reference to Adolfo Carrion--what I left out was that current BP Diaz initially supported the application so let me clarify that now. Thanks
ReplyDeleteTypical liberal to place blame...Instead of looking for a solution....
ReplyDeleteAdolfo Carrion, Jr....now there's a name from the past. Ten years ago it seemed like he could actually run for mayor. But now nobody mentions what he's doing unless they are reviewing ancient history. Still, I wish he was our borough president rather than that empty suit known as Bady Diaz Jr.
ReplyDeleteAm I correct to assume that the Bronx delegation to the city council is nothing more than a collection of lying filth?
ReplyDeleteDon't judge a person before knowing the whole story. Maybe there are some issues that are too sensitive to reveal.
ReplyDeleteVisit and relax... Affordable Housing Bronx
Adolfo certainly did a better job that Diaz working a crowd but he certainly didn't fill out the suit any better.
ReplyDeleteShuck + Jive = Baby Diaz
ReplyDeleteK'bridge Armory + Ruben Diaz Jr. = FAILURE!
ReplyDeleteThe Kingsbridge Armory fiasco shows that Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz is a killer of opportunities for those seeking entry-level jobs.
ReplyDeleteYou consider working at a retail store an entry level job? Maybe for a kid in high school but not for an adult. I am glad the proposed mall was killed. Hopefully now the city and the borough can come up with a better use for the building. The Bronx already has a mall at the Gateway center near Yankee stadium and a mall on W.225th street. The proposed mall made no sense to have another target, Best buy, etc, etc, etc in the Bronx.
ReplyDeleteThe Kingsbridge Armory was a great plan and Ruben Diaz Junior killed it.
ReplyDeleteThe armory disaster is a good reason why Diaz will never rise higher than the ceremonial post he now holds.
Rubén Díaz Jr. is a political lightweight. If the city's main newspapers have their way, he will always be mentioned as the main culprit in that grim predicament known as the Kingsbridge Armory.
ReplyDeleteMore hilarity from the Baghdad Bob peanut gallery. Ruben Diaz should be and will be praised for his role in putting a stop to what would have been a catastrophe for the taxpayer. The direct and indirect subsidies for the project were wildly and wastefully expensive (lots of payoffs to the politically connected hidden in there). The mall was destined to fail due to its off-the-beaten track location and impoverished surroundings. And the jobs it created would have been crappy minimum wage no-benefit jobs that would haven't helped people improve their lives OR reduce the burden on social services.
ReplyDeleteSort of like this project, brokered by Adolfo Carrion and the NYC Economic Development Corporation: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110313/REAL_ESTATE/303139993#
What's a quarter billion dollars between friends, though, right?
Former Bx Boro Prez Adolfo Carrion, Jr. has really fallen off the radar screen, BUT current Bx Boro Prez Ruben Diaz, Jr. hasn't even made it onto the radar screen, except for being the politico responsible for the armory fiasco!
ReplyDeleteWHAT'S WRONG WITH RUBEN DIAZ JR.? . . . Well this editorial from the Daily News sums it up nicely:
ReplyDelete_
NY Daily News
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Editorial
BOROUGH PRESIDENT REBEN DIAZ JR. LET DOWN THE BRONX WHEN HE KILLED THE KINGSBRIDGE ARMORY MALL
One year ago today, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. killed a project that would have brought more than 1,000 construction jobs and 1,200 permanent jobs to a borough with the city's highest unemployment rate.
He declared he would rather have no jobs than the jobs that would have come along with renovation of the sprawling Kingsbridge Armory into a retail mall. And that is exactly what Diaz produced: No jobs.
Plus no prospects for jobs at the site.
Plus a hulking, cavernous building that is going to ruin after the city invested millions in fixing it up enough to get a developer to consider investing hundreds of millions more in the property.
Diaz to this day insists that he was right to send the armory plan to its death. He argues that the city should provide taxpayer assistance only to economic development projects whose jobs pay a so-called living wage.
_
Link:
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-12-14/news/27084303_1_kingsbridge-armory-young-black-men-jobs
Baby Diaz's record in killing the Kingsbridge Armory Mall shows why he'll never get elected to any citywide office. Failure doesn't play well on the citywide stage.
ReplyDeleteWow, no job, and Rubencito thinks it's a good thing ... phew!
ReplyDelete