Today's New York Post Editorial takes issue with Governor Elect Mario Cuomo's choice of Bx. Beep Ruben Diaz, Jr. to sit on his economic advisory team. They basically relate that his appointment is ironic given,"That would be the same Ruben Diaz Jr. who a) presides over a borough with a 13 percent-plus jobless unemployment rate, and b) torched 2,200 jobs at the proposed Kingsbridge Armory shopping plaza in 2009, just because retail-union bosses told him to." You can just put that Armory on Diaz's political tombstone now. UPDATE: here is an article by Adam Brodsky at the Post discussing the living wage study controversy and more details on the Kingsbridge Armory. Cat Fight: As reported by Celeste Katz in the Daily News, Diaz fired back at his critics (namely the Post) today.
Governor-Elect Cuomo just went down several notches in my book.
ReplyDeleteBaby Diaz has zero credentials in the area of economics. What an abomination to include him on an economic advisory team.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. is a rat skunk BS artist who has no qualifications in the areas of business and labor relations. So it’s a shame that he’s has been included with some of the much better qualified folks who will be helping Andrew Cuomo recruit individuals to the executive branch.
ReplyDeleteFYI: The members of Mr. Cuomo’s “Committee on Economic Development and Labor” are as follows:
• Haejin Baek, President, Barclays Structured Finance
• Ruben Diaz, Jr., Bronx Borough President
• Jamie Dinan, C.E.O. York Capital
• Garry Douglas, Plattsburgh Chamber of Commerce
• Hazel Dukes, President, NAACP New York
• Rob Dyson, Chairman and C.E.O., The Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corp.; President, Dyson Foundation
• James Francis, Founder and C.E.O., Paradigm Asset Management; Member, NYC Partnership
• Barbarlee Diamonstein-Spielvogel
• Jim Gerace, President, New York Region, Verizon
• Barry Gosin, C.E.O., Newmark Knight Franks; Partnership for NYC Board
• Hakeem Jeffries, New York State Assembly
• John Johnson, President, Watertown Daily Times
• Brian Kolb, Minority Leader, New York State Assembly
• Kevin Law, Long Island Association
• John Liu, New York City Comptroller
• Edward Mangano, Nassau County Executive
• Howard Milstein, C.E.O., N.Y. Private Bank & Trust and Emigrant Bank
• Dean Norton, President, Farm Bureau
• Peter Rivera, New York State Assembly
• Van B. Robinson, President, Syracuse Common Council
• Lisa Rosenblum Senior Vice President, Cablevision.
• Asheesh Saksena, Senior Vice President, Time Warner Cable
• John Sampson, Conference Leader, New York State Senate
• Sheldon Silver, Speaker, New York State Assembly
• Dean Skelos, Minority Leader, New York State Senate
• Rob Simpson, C.E.O., CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity
• Jay Snyder, Principal, HBJ Investments, LLC; N.Y.S. Commission for Public Authority Reform
• Elinor Tatum, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Amsterdam News
• Peter Ward, President, New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council, AFL-CIO
• Danny Wegman, C.E.O., Wegmans
• Sandra Wilkin, Founder & President, Bradford Construction Corporation; President of the Women’s Builder Council
The NY Post is right. Rubén Díaz Jr. is a scandalously wrong choice to be one of the economic advisers to the gubernatorial transition team.
ReplyDeleteBut I guess that's what we should expect from a dysfunctional political system that lurches from scandal to scandal.
Look at how long this list is. Do you really think he is going get sound economic advise from the Ruben Diaz Jr.??? Of course not. He selected Ruben to shut up the New York State Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic task force. This is cuomo's way of demonstrating he has latinos and a diverse group of people in his transitional team. Cuomo selecting Ruben means nothing. Its all for show.
ReplyDeleteSo Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. will be giving economic advice to New York's next governor. Who would have expected that?
ReplyDeleteIf Diaz is such an expert, then we surely need him advising the leaders of the G-20 nations who are trying to deal with the large imbalances in saving and spending that are impeding the global recovery. I'm sure that the G-20 leaders will all be impressed by his special insight and sage advice.
Some of us may think Stanly Simon, Fernando Ferrer and Adolfo Carrion Jr. were bad. But Ruben Diaz Jr. is making his last three predecessors look like statesmen by comparison.
ReplyDeleteThat's how you shut up Al Sharpton - appoint an up and coming NYC Hispanic leader to a key position.
ReplyDeleteShelly Silver? Dean Skelos? Business as usual in Albany.
ReplyDeleteThat Armory mess will make sure that Ruben Diaz, Jr. is no longer "up and coming."
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous @ Nov. 12, 2010 6:28 PM:
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't exactly consider Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. to be up and coming. In fact, the Bronx Borough Presidency itself has not proved to be a good political stepping stone.
Adolfo Carrion quickly spun into oblivion since he left that post in 2009. And the last man to truly move up successfully from that ceremonial postion was Robert Abrams more than three decades ago (when he became New York's Attorney General ... which is not an option for Rubencito, unless he’s been spending nights pursuing a law degree).
That the next governor feels the need to humor Bronx Democrats by placing a lightweight like Diaz on a bogus but enormous transition team is shameful.
ReplyDeleteREMEMBER THE ARMORY!
If you ever listen to Mr. Diaz speaking, you'll realize almost immediately that it's all hot air.
ReplyDeleteHe's a silly borough president from a silly borough. Nobody should take either seriously.
ReplyDeleteLike most Bronx politicians, Ruben Diaz, Jr. is dismal and disappointing. I can't see why he should be part of a labor/economic development advisory committee. When I look at his background, I don't even understand why anyone would elect him to anything.
ReplyDeleteBronx Boro Prez Ruben Diaz Jr.'s legacy in 3 words: "Kingsbridge Armory Failure"
ReplyDeleteLeave the poor guy alone. Mr. Diaz is not really a chief executive, but a figurehead. If you want to blame someone, blame the city council. Mr. Diaz's post is just ceremonial.
ReplyDeleteYou’ll have to excuse me Anonymous at Nov. 16, 9:15 AM, but only a total ignoramus would suggest that we should “leave the poor guy alone.” What are you thinking??
ReplyDeleteEven in a good economy, the city taxpayers should have no business paying the salaries and budget for an office of a “figurehead” that is “just ceremonial.”
The five borough presidencies are nothing put a meaningless drain on city’s overburdened treasury. I’m surprised the recent Charter Revision Committee didn’t put the elimination of borough presidencies up as a ballot question. Another totally wasteful use of public money is the public advocate. I’d like to see all six of these elected officials riding together into the sunset in a single clown car!
If you think the Diaz legacy is the Armory failure your deluding yourself. Among a large segment of the population in NYC he is a hero - willing to go all in for the LIVING WAGE.
ReplyDeleteA hero for keeping people unemployed, I suppose? I know plenty of young people who would have jumped at minimum wage to 9 dollar per hour jobs without a living wage provision at that armory. And they aren't even living in Section 8 subsidized homes nor do they collect any welfare benefits in the form of food stamps or childcare vouchers...
ReplyDeleteHe's a hero for people who want to stay unemployed and keep collecting welfare checks while they sit at home on their asses watching Maury Povitch or Wendy Williams or All My Children or Cartoon Network on their flat panel HD tv's wearing new Jordans smoking the finest herb.
Rubencito could have pushed for employment opportunities. Instead, he pushed for nonsensical bs.
If Baby Diaz is a hero, how come nobody knows it?
ReplyDeleteRuben Diaz Jr. is definitely not one of the names that New Yorkers think of when they think of heroes.
And if you don't believe me, just go to any street corner in this borough or in the rest of the city and ask a stranger to name a hometown hero. Case closed!
He's a hero with labor unions, the other 'anti=Walmart' types and NY intellectuals. He's backed by the political machine and is on his way to being the most visible PR politician in the city. He's not going away and this will be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous @ November 17, 2010 9:27 AM,
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to burst your bubble. In the annals of the American labor movement, Ruben Diaz Jr. doesn’t even earn a footnote.
Diaz Jr. has never been a member of a labor union. What does that preening putz know about doing real work for an honest dollar?
ReplyDeleteAs for being a hero with "intellectuals," don't make me laugh! There is nothing even vaguely cerebral about Diaz and his crew.
Rubén Díaz Jr. + Kingsbridge Armory = TOTAL FAILURE
ReplyDelete