Serving Norwood, Bedford Park, North Fordham and University Heights NORWOOD NEWS Vol
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Serving Norwood, Bedford Park, North Fordham and University Heights NORWOOD NEWS Vol. 24, No. 18 ■ PUBLISHED BY MOSHOLU PRESERVATION CORPORATION ■ September 22 –October 5, 2011 Rebuilt After Fire, Tolentine’s Doors Swing Wide Open By ALEX KRATZ On the corner of Fordham Road and University Avenue this past Sunday, colorful balloons danced in the wind and sunshine. Tethered to railings, the balloons dotted the path up to one of the Bronx’s old - est churches, St. Nicholas of Tolentine, where the doors were wide open for a celebration. A year and a half earlier, on a similarly lovely day in March, some - one set fire to Tolentine’s vestibule, including its doors, causing hun - dreds of thousands of dollars in damage and an unquantifiable amount of heartache for the church’s parishioners. Despite the act of arson committed that day, Father Joseph Girone, the head priest at Tolentine, said the church never wavered in its com - mitment to keeping its doors open to the public, as it always had. Photo by Adi Talwar STATE SENATOR GUSTAVO RIVERA chats with a young constituent at St. James Park last month dur - “After what happened, we could have said we’re closing our doors, ing one of his weekly community walks. It is part of a government-sponsored initiative Rivera designed but we didn’t,” Girone said. “That was important for us.” to promote healthy living. Tolentine usually holds three Masses on Sundays — one in Eng - lish, one in Spanish and one in Vietnamese. But on this day celebrat - ing the re-opening of the church’s brand new (and many say, improved) vestibule, all of Tolentine’s congregants came together for The Making of a Liberal one giant service. Much of the multi-lingual talk from the pulpit was about the sym - bolism of doors. Politician: Part II (continued on p. 10 ) First-Time Candidate Gustavo Rivera On State Test Scores, Takes on Pedro Espada By ALEX KRATZ decades Democrats enjoyed control of both leg - Northwest Bronx islative houses. “We needed a non-criminal person Ed. Note: This is the second in a series of articles to hold that seat,” Krueger says now, referring to about 33rd District State Senator Gustavo Rivera Espada’s legal woes. (Espada has never been con - Schools Lag Behind who was thrust into the spotlight after defeating the victed of a felony, but is scheduled to stand trial controversial Pedro Espada, Jr. last fall. Rivera rep - for embezzlement sometime early next year.) By JEANMARIE EVELLY resents the entire Norwood News coverage area. Krueger liked the two candidates already in the It was early spring, 2010, when Gustavo Rivera race, but didn’t think either could take out the Elementary and middle school students in the Bronx’s District 10, became a political candidate by default and a dash well-financed Espada. At one point, Rivera offered which contains all of the schools in the Norwood News coverage area, of desperation. At the time, two other Democrats up himself in the form of a question. “Do you scored worse than students across both the city and state on last had declared their intention to run against the think I could win?” Krueger remembers Rivera year’s standardized math and English exams, according to data incumbent in the 33rd Senate District, Pedro Espa - asking. Hmm, Krueger remembers thinking, that released last month. da, Jr., who, less than a year earlier, had brought just might work. Students in grades 3 through 8 are required to take the high-stakes the New York state senate to its knees by offering That afternoon, the trio spent “like forever,” tests every spring, and the scores are used, in part, to determine his party allegiance to the highest bidder. Krueger says, “talking about how this was per - whether they can be promoted to the next grade level or held back. Liz Krueger, a Democratic state senator from haps totally the wrong thing to do, but we’re going Students are given a grade number from 1 to 4, with scores 3 and over Manhattan whose unabashed hatred for Espada to do it anyway. From there we went out and we deemed “proficient” by the state. and his politics runs deep, sat in a diner on the ran and ran hard.” On average, only 33 percent of District 10 students passed the Eng - Upper East Side with Rivera and Rivera’s long - Malone says Rivera, a Kingsbridge resident lish exam, compared to 44 percent of students citywide and 53 per - time friend, Chris Malone, a political science pro - who couldn’t stand the thought of being repre - cent across the state. Math results were similarly staggered: an aver - fessor. They were discussing possible strategies sented by Espada for another two years, ran not so age of 48 percent of District 10 students passed, compared to 57 and for ousting Espada, whose political gamesman - much out of “opportunity, but out of necessity.” 63 percent of city and state students, respectively. ship had all but squandered the Democrats’ razor- Rivera went from completely unknown to front- Community Education Council President Marvin Shelton says thin majority in the senate — the first time in (continued on p. 10 ) (continued on p. 4) ■ Beloved Bakery Returns Home PAGE 3 ■ Soup Kitchen Expands on Webster PAGE 5 ■ Norwood, I Love You PAGE 6 www.norwoodnews.org 2 ■ September 22 –October 5, 2011 ■ Norwood News In The Public Interest By JEANMARIE EVELLY Vol. 24, No. 18 City Can End Rental Program for Ex-Homeless, Judge Rules Norwood News is published A Manhattan State Supreme Court Resource Center. “It’s going to be like portion of the rent rolls starting next bi-weekly on Thursdays by judge ruled last week that the city was no pulling the rug out from under a lot of week, she added. Mosholu Preservation Corporation longer required to provide rental subsi - people.” “There are a lot of landlords who 3400 Reservoir Oval East dies in a widely-used but controversial The 12,000 people across the city who [relied] on that money in order to pay the Bronx, New York 10467 affordable housing program, putting rely on Advantage vouchers to pay their bills,” Dunford said. That loss could thousands at risk of homelessness as mean deteriorating conditions at build - Phone: 718 324 4998 soon as next month, some advocates say. ings where owners have to cut back to get Fax: 718 324 2917 The court decision was the result of a by, she said. E-mail: [email protected] “It’s going to wreak class-action lawsuit by the nonprofit Legal The Advantage program was launched Web: www.norwoodnews.org Aid Society, challenging the city’s decision havoc on this part of by Mayor Bloomberg in 2007. Originally to end the Advantage program, which pro - intended to transition homeless shelter vides housing subsidies to the formerly the Bronx. It’s going to residents into permanent housing, it was homeless for up to two years. The city con - quickly criticized as ineffective after Publisher CEO, Mosholu tends that it can no longer afford to keep be like pulling the rug many participants ended up homeless Mosholu Preservation Preservation Corporation Corporation the program running after the State with - out from under a lot of again once their subsidies ran out — two drew funding for it last year (it was origi - years maximum, by the program’s rules. Editor-in-Chief Roberto S. Garcia nally scheduled to end in April). Advan - “It wasn’t necessarily realistic, in Alex Kratz people.” tage participants were given a temporary terms of people getting their feet on the reprieve over the last few months after the —Sally Dunford, of ground and getting their heads above Classified Advertising Legal Aid Society filed its suit. water,” Dunford said. “But it was at least Dawn McEvoy Last week’s decision means the city West Bronx Housing better than nothing.” Accounts Receivable can now legally cut the program; starting Editor’s Note: The city’s Department Dawn McEvoy next month, some 12,000 Advantage par - of Homeless Services advises that any ten - ticipants will no longer receive their rent could be pushed back into the city’s ants or landlords affected by the end of the Proofreader Judy Noy housing vouchers. shelters, Dunford predicted. Landlords Advantage program can call 311 any time “It’s going to wreak havoc on this part who have many Advantage participants for assistance, or contact the DHS Preven - Production of the Bronx,” said Sally Dunford, of the in their buildings — common here in the tion Helpline during business hours at Neil deMause West Bronx Housing and Neighborhood northwest Bronx — will lose out on that (212) 607-6200. Regular Contributors James Fergusson, David Greene, Adi Talwar, Jeanmarie Evelly Another Push for Yankee Engel Backs Obama’s Call Interns Ronald Chavez, Emily Piccone Stadium Hotel For ‘Millionaire’s Tax’ The Bronx is now one step closer to U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel, who For display advertising, call getting its own major hotel — not the represents portions of the north Bronx, (718) 324-4998. seedy, hot-sheet kind that has so often is praising President Barack Obama’s plagued the borough, but what Bronx plan to raise the base tax rates on the Support Your Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. pre - wealthiest Americans to raise revenue Community Newspaper! dicts will be a “world-class” place to stay and reduce the country’s budget deficit. The Norwood News is a not-for-profit near Yankee Stadium. Obama’s proposal, announced Mon - publication and relies upon the support of The Bronx Overall Economic Develop - day as part of a larger plan for economic its advertisers and readers to produce a ment Center (BOEDC) released a growth, would increase taxes for people quality community newspaper.