Buses, parks, IDC headline town hall

Posted

What’s there to talk about on a Sunday afternoon? Well, if you’re elected officials representing Riverdale at the city, state and federal levels, then it ranges from Donald Trump to local park renovations. 

The town hall, which took place at the Whitehall building at 3333 Henry Hudson Parkway, was billed as a chance for people to ask their local elected officials about virtually any issue. 

 

Seton Park renovations

Before any questions were asked, however, state Sen. Jeff Klein announced he and Councilman Andrew Cohen are collaborating on plans for a “multimillion-dollar renovation” of Seton Park in Spuyten Duyvil. 

Klein, who said official plans would be released in coming weeks, said the efforts would include not only beautification, but increasing security measures as well. It also could mean Seton Park, located on Independence Avenue between West 232nd and 235th streets, could stay open later. 

Seton Park, at just under 12 acres, already is used by local organizations like The Spuyten Duyvil School (P.S. 24) and Chabad of Riverdale. 

 

Klein defends IDC, charters

Klein also was questioned about his leadership of the Independent Democratic Conference, which he and two other senators founded in 2011, which has since grown to eight members in Albany. 

The initial decision to break away from mainline Democrats in the state Senate, he said, was rooted in resisting corruption within the party. 

“Three of the former leaders of the Democratic conference are all in jail right now,” Klein said. “We thought there was a better way that we could help push core Democratic values in a bipartisan fashion. And when the dust settled on this past election, once again Democrats did not have the majority.”

Klein believes the reason his conference continues to grow — and the reason Democrats have struggled to pick up the one seat needed to win a majority in the state senate — is because the party has abandoned many middle-class workers. 

“Do I want a Democratic majority? Yeah, I would love a Democratic majority, but the Democrats can’t seem to get their acts together,” Klein said. “They stand for nothing, they run the worst candidates ever, they don’t have a message that resonates with all voters of New York.”

Klein added the IDC’s coalition with Republicans has allowed the conference to push some key progressive issues in recent years.

“We’ve been very successful in bridging the gap between Democrats and Republicans,” he said. “Under our watch, we got a $15 minimum wage, we got paid family leave — something that I sponsored in the state senate.”

Klein also defended his support of charter schools, saying many of them are helping students throughout the city thrive.

“I am product of public schools, I support public schools, but I do believe there is a place for charter schools,” he said. “I don’t think it’s anything we should discard. 

“When you go into these schools and you see that everyone who is in these schools are African- American and Latino kids that seem to be excelling, why would should we stop the proliferation of charter schools?”

 

Dinowitz calls for better buses … again

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, called for better and more frequent bus service on the Bx10 route, which runs from Norwood to North Riverdale. 

Dinowitz criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget for cutting MTA funding, saying the state and city need more money for public transit, not less. 

“We just spent, over time, a huge amount of money to create the Second Avenue Subway,” Dinowitz said. 

“It was very good that they created three subway stops in the richest neighborhood on the planet, but what the MTA has not been very good at is providing the funding for service to the other boroughs.” 

Dinowitz said a higher priority must center on increasing service in the outer boroughs, especially in the Bronx, where east-west travel is very difficult. 

“The dollars are severely lacking, and we have to prioritize how we spend the money,” he said. “That’s why it’s regrettable that while the governor is proposing cutting $65 million from the budget of the MTA, the MTA members — for the most part — have been silent.”  

IDC, Jeff Klein, Seton Park, Andrew Cohen, Eliot Engel, Jeffrey Dinowitz, MTA, Anthony Capote

Comments