The new Senate district being proposed by the state GOP Senate would eliminate the current configuration of three Senators representing Riverdale and would have just one Senator representing the area and much of Kingsbridge Heights. That Senator would be Jeff Klein. So while most residents may be thrilled to see the area consolidated into the hands of one very competent and hard working elected official, there is probably one other elected official who is not happy about this proposal even though he might pick up some new areas of Kingsbridge Heights.
The "other elected official who is not happy" has to be Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who spent so much effort to get Gustavo Rivera and Ariano Espaillat elected to those senate seats and who basically owns them.
ReplyDeleteNow, if the proposed new district lines are adopted, the northwest Bronx will be unified under the powerful Senator Jeffrey Klein, whom Mr. Dinowitz is said to despise. Poor, poor Mr. Dinowitz.
Not that most Riverdalians even know who Gustavo and Espaillat are, but soon the few who do will not even remember them. Their Riverdale experience was short and uneventful.
DeleteI think that this redistricting would reduce Jeff Dinowitz to a political nonentity in his own district.
DeleteThis is ridiculous political porn. All that's missing is a pole.
DeleteThe idea that Jeff Klein is about to become the dominant elected official in Riverdale & Kingsbidge must be a terrible blow for Dinowitz and his Ben Franklin Club. It's like they just lost two elections they previously thought they had won!
ReplyDeleteActually, Assemblyman Dinowitz has played a very weak hand patiently.
DeleteVERY INTERESTING ... As Paul Harvey used to say, "And now you know the rest of the story"
ReplyDeleteIt's not a done deal YET.
DeleteRevenge tastes sweet
DeleteKlein seems to have all the right moves!
ReplyDeletethat's just how power is
DeleteWho says romance is dead!
Deletestylish & spry
DeleteCruising along nicely!
DeleteJeff Klein is kind of Machiavellian.
DeleteIt's no mere coincidence that Anthony Perez Cassino and friends are so giddy about the likely unification of Riverdale under State Senator Jeff Klein. Didn't "Club Cassino" (NorthWest Bronx Democratic Alliance) endorse, campaign and raise money for Klein??
ReplyDeleteIt's just my opinion, but I think it's unseemly to gloat.
This just proves that although the topic of legislative redistricting might put regular people to sleep, it's hugely significant, as Mr. Dinowitz, for example, is learning since he's about to get royally screwed on the senate side.
ReplyDeleteCan't we take the politics out of redistricting?
Deletezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
DeleteDinowitz isn't as smooth or flashy as Klein, but Dinowitz is a better human being and is more intellectually and politically sophisticated. Klein is a monster of a person, and rarely does any actual work. Everything he does is aimed at getting his face in the newspaper. It might of been cute when he was 35, but not-so-much at age 50+. Now it is just sad. He has yet to work on any issue of consequence -- just nibble-around-the-edges nonsense. Also, he is a total campaign donation hooker.
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice photo of Klein.
DeleteIt's like he's part of the jet set now.
DeleteDefine 'better human being'? Frankly I have never known Dinowtiz to ever extend a helping hand if it didn't benefit him personally.
DeletePolitically sophisticated? Despite 15 or so years in office, he's a light in the legislature, with an anemic record of actually introducing legislation.
As for getting his name int he paper, Mr. Dinowitz does that locally, his political club being the force behind the Riverdale Review.
The more powerful Klein gets, the more personal magnetism and charm he seems to acquire. Let's face it, the guy's got mojo!
DeleteKlein is being overhyped!
DeleteOh behave! Yeah, baby, yeah!
DeleteUnder redistricting, Jeffrey Dinowitz could be the Mr. Bigglesworth to Jeff Klein's Dr. Evil.
DeleteHahahahahahaha!!!!!!
DeleteThis made my stomach hurt real, real bad in a really good way.
Jeff Klein should not be unfairly maligned
DeleteSo if you are Klein, we do you not mend fences with the BFC? It only strengthens your position. Dinowitz would have to swallow his pride a bit but what choice does he have? He is no longer of much use to Diaz now that he has no votes to deliver to the BPs friends. Even worse for Jeff, he may be pressured to support a hispanic candidate for the Council seat, which won't sit well with his core constituents. Breaking bread with Klein, and even going back to playing second fiddle in local politics, is probably his best move and as anyone who has followed Dinowitz career knows, he is all about keeping his fannie in that assembly seat.
ReplyDeleteThroughout his public career, Jeff Klein has displayed rare qualities of independence and leadership. In Albany, he has the right priorities, and he has shown imagination and initiative. In Riverdale, Senator Klein will be on top now, not Assemblyman Dinowitz.
DeleteFrom what I've seen, the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club is basically a few grim men and several dour women meeting in a dirty room.
DeleteHa Ha!
ReplyDeleteThere's no need for such harsh language. You can say the same thing in a more civilized manner.
ReplyDeleteFor example: "Senator Klein has no need to mend fences with Assemblyman Dinowitz's Ben Franklin Club. It's better to treat Mr. Dinowitz like he's a servile, spiteful woman."
Please allow me to REPEAT VERBATIM the following observations about Bronx Borough President Ruben DIAZ, JR., NYC Council Member G. Oliver KOPPELL, NYS Assembly Member Jeffrey DINOWITZ and U.S. Represenative Eliot ENGEL that were written by Anonymous on Jan 29, 2012 @ 06:47 PM:
ReplyDelete"Here's the thing with Diaz Jr.:
Koppell, Dinowitz and Engle all take turns putting their hands up Diaz Jr.'s ass to make him say what THEY want him to say and do what THEY want him to do. Explains why Diaz Jr. is always jumpy or bouncing around. He can feel their hands in everything he does. Does that make him a man or does that make him a fool?
The bottom line is, Diaz Jr. is a ventriloquists dummy for the Riverdale Trifecta: A lying resident of Maryland who voted in favor of indefinite detention of those suspected of "terrorism"; a Queen who nearly was trampled and stomped at the Paradise on the Concourse (he put on quite a performance, clutching his pearls and what have he); and a Walking Corpse who has had one too many facelifts and far too many connections to developers and landlords.
If Diaz Jr. used at least one of those electric sliding feet to take a stand against that stronghold the Riverdale Trifecta has on Bronx politics maybe we would be able to get more accomplished. Until then, he is just a shucker and jiver for the ventriloquists that use him. What a shame."
I just LOVE the sharp, vivid descriptions . . . so funny:
Deletelying Maryland resident [Eliot] . . .
ventriloquist dummy [Ruben] . . .
pearl-clutching queen nearly trampled & stomped [Jeff] . . .
walking corpse [Ollie].
It's even better after several glasses of plum brandy ... try the ţuică from Romania.
DeleteThat's REALLY funny.
DeleteI prefer the blissful richness of a good Burgundy.
DeleteHow i wish to be there and see with my eyes this glorious politician
ReplyDeletenaively enthusiastic nut!
DeleteAlthough I don't regard him as "glorious," I do admit that Senator Klein is strong.
DeleteHe is strong because he has real clout and unique influence in Albany.
Dinowitz shouldn't stress out over this ... it's just the natural order of things.
ReplyDeleteA double defeat for Dinowitz . . . it erases all he thought he achieved.
DeleteI'm so glad that the Van Cortlandt Park Skating Rink has been approved over the objections of Andy Wolf and Jeff Dinowitz, who were harping for so long about the "process" shit.
Deletejust latest in line of poor judgments by dinowiz
DeleteLooks like Dinowitz is getting his comeuppance on redistricting. If all goes as planned, he'll be a bit player in his own territory.
DeleteJeff Klein seems to be doing the right thing, good for him and good for us.
ReplyDeletequite an ignorant remark I’d say
DeleteI'm glad to see Sen. Klein back in form.
DeleteHe's an impressive politician.
DeleteDinowitz hasn't seen anything yet.
ReplyDeleteHey . . . Not so fast my friends . . . A federal judge has named a 3-member panel to examine whether the drawing of proposed NY congressional & possibly legislative district lines should be taken away from the NYS Legislature & put into the hands of a federally appointed "special master."
ReplyDeleteSo stay tuned.
Ok ... same difference ... Dinowitz gets screwed, either by his colleagues in Albany or by the special master's ruling.
Deleteexcited are we?
DeleteKlein doesn't miss an opportunity, does he?
ReplyDeleteJeffrey Klein is clearly the new go-to guy in Riverdale ... and Jeff Dinowitz's local influence will recede (which is especially touching since Dinowitz has no influence up in Albany)
DeleteAnd it will be interesting to see if Klein exerts control in the 2013 race to fill the city council seat being vacated by Oliver Koppell
It looks like Jeff Klein gets more press coverage each month than Jeff Dinowitz gets all year.
ReplyDeleteWhile Klein making a sweep into Riverdale may seem like a good thing to you, he does so at the expense of everyone in Bedford Park and Norwood. Have you seen the lines? This is an outrage!! How this is even considered legal boggles the mind.
ReplyDeleteHey, how can anyone in Riverdale and Kingsbridge support political unity for you at the expense of others? Anyone with an ounce of humanity in them would see that this is not right!! Klein should either represent all of these neighborhoods or none of it. Then you snobs (not everyone in Riverdale, but you know who you are) have the audacity to attack people for not participating in the election process, but then BS like this is allowed to take place in the Bronx without so much as a second thought. And you wonder why people don't participate in elections to support these crooks in office.
And before some of you elitist (as per some of the previous comments on other posts) start looking down from your ivory towers and tell us that no one from our neighborhoods are speaking out against this, we are. Constantly. Loudly. And we are going to fight this nonsense. Its best that everyone (North & South) from the affected communities gets together to resolve this issue. People in Bedford Park and Norwood do not support dividing Riverdale into three separate senate districts, but we definitely do not support us being carved up so that our voice can be diluted while yours rises.
Don't like what I said? The truth hurts, doesn't it? And if it doesn't, then you are probably a soulless lackey to start...
As I said once before, the whiner from Bedford Park is content to play the role of a victim and must have a pretty shaky grasp of population and geography as they relate to politics.
DeleteWith a population of say 25,000 cut in half, even assuming moderate voter participation, it would be enough to turn a local election. But the problem is that Bedford Park just doesn't show up to the polls in impressively meaningful numbers .... You can't legitimately complain if you don't even care to VOTE
I'd like to repeat this simple but powerful quote from a previous blog post:
Delete"If the residents of Bedford Park or any other community don't care enough about democracy to particpate in it, they deserve to lose it; and lose it they will."
Or, as I prefer to say, it's time to put up or shut up in Bedford Park.
Riverdale & Kingsbridge are currently chopped up into unnatural state senate disricts but the voters there at least participate in elections to some degree (BUT they can and should do a lot better!) ......... But as for Bedford Park, nope! ....... The voters there are few and far between, and the people there just bitch and moan instead of really doing something about it by the simple act of voting in large numbers. So it's not the folks in Riverdale/Kingsbridghe who are "elitist" for voting and demanding service, but the folks in Bedford Park who are morons for not voting. They only have themselves to blame.
DeleteAn apology is due for Riverdalians unjustly and foolishly criticized for exercising normal political rights. Instead of blaming Riverdale, Bedford Park should emulate Riverdale!
DeletePlain old common sense tells us that if each person who normally votes in the Bedford Park and Norwood sections convinced just one or two other people there to register and then vote, local voter turnout would double or triple, and no politician could dare to ignore those neighborhoods.
DeleteNUMBERS LIE !!!!
Delete"People of Bedford Park and Norwood, Unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains!”
ReplyDeleteAs a skilled and slippery pol, Jeff Klein knows how to evolve, adapt and continue to plot.
ReplyDelete