Bronx

Crowley Banks on Foreigners

Posted by Matthew Robinson
Outside Parkchester Train Station
Outside Parkchester Train Station

On blustery days, wind pushes trash up against the fences around the Parkchester subway stop in the Bronx. A “Chickenfest” restaurant, an off-track betting center, and a dry cleaners circle this express stop off the 6 train.

For outsiders, the southeast Bronx is seldom a final destination – its a place to drive through, rather than to drive to. Although crime has been down for much of the decade, the Bronx still has stretches of run-down, forgotten-about blocks.

Rep. Joe Crowley’s 7th district straddles much of the southeast Bronx and chunk of northern Queens. Besides $10 in tolls, quality of life separates the two boroughs. Queens residents are the happiest New Yorkers at 51 percent and Bronxites the least happy at 24 percent, according to the Citizens Committee for New York.

The number of defunct buildings in the Bronx might find some investors if the Real Estate Revitalization Act passes. The bill, sponsored by Crowley, will reduce the amount of taxes foreign investors pay for American real estate.

The Foreign Investment Real Estate Property Tax, passed in 1980, includes capital gains taxes as high as 55 percent – these taxes are generally applied to sales on property, stocks and bonds. For example, if a foreign investor buys and sells Google stock, they don’t pay taxes in America. But if an investor buys real estate investment trust (REIT) shares, they pay taxes in America, according to this CNNMoney.com article.

An abandoned foundation on White Plains road and Seward Ave
An abandoned foundation on White Plains road and Seward Ave

If Crowley’s bill passes, he may score some points with Republicans for advocating for a tax cut – albeit for foreigners. But Democrats may not be too fond of foreign investors competing with American buyers.

Since Americans aren’t buying up this property – and don’t have to pay any foreign taxes – why would foreigners think it’s a wise investment anyway?

The Bronx Democratic Family Tree

Posted by Azriel Relph

The Clintons and Kennedys may be the most well known Democratic dynasties, but the Bronx has plenty of its own.

Last week I wrote about José E. Serrano’s efforts to raise money for the Bronx Zoo to do cleanup at the Bronx River.  I noted that his son, New York State Senator José M. Serrano is Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation – and an advocate for the zoo.  That wasn’t to suggest that the Congressman was acting out of nepotism, (he’s got as good of a voting record as you can get on environmental issues).  But in the Bronx it’s always worth considering, because here, politics is a family affair.

Let’s see what other family ties we can find in the Bronx Democratic Party.

José Rivera is a good place to start.  This Democratic Party Boss represents the Kingsbridge Heights and surrounding areas of the Bronx in the New York State Assembly.  He joined the Assembly in 1982 but in 1987 he left to represent a similar slice of the Bronx – the 15th Council District – on the City Council.  That seat went to his son, Joel Rivera, when he returned to the State Assembly in 2000.  But Rivera isn’t lacking for family in the Assembly.  In 2004 his daughter Naomi Rivera was elected to the Assembly to represent the Norwood and Pelham areas of the Bronx.  (Note: Assemblyman Peter Rivera of the Bronx is related to these three Riveras only by party and borough).

At 36 years old, the newish Borough President, Ruben Diaz Jr., is a rising star in the party. He started his political career in 1996 in the New York State Assembly, representing the Soundview section of the Bronx.  His father, Reverend Ruben Diaz Sr., joined the New York State Senate in 2002 to represent the South Bronx, after a year on the City Council.  The Borough President has brothers in the NYPD and New York City Housing Authority as well.

New York State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. is part of the Bronx family, (though it took an investigation by the Bronx District Attorney to get him to spend any time at his residence in the borough).  His brother, Jose Espada, once ran for the State Assembly, but District Leader was the highest office he ever got.   Senator Espada’s son, Pedro G. Espada, on the other hand, had a brief career on the State Senate in the late 1990s.  Last year, after a stint as a City Councilman and a few years working for his father’s controversial Soundview Healthcare Network, the younger Espada got a plush $120 thousand job as Senate Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Relations.  However, he had to quit after a week, when accusations arose that he was hired as favor to his father for returning to the Democratic Party.

The Bronx Rouge’s Gallery – er Family Tree – wouldn’t be complete without the Arroyos.  Carmen E. Arroyo has been serving the 84th Assembly District for the Bronx since 1994.  In 2005 her daughter, Maria del Carmen Arroyo, was elected to represent Pedro G. Espada’s old 17th City Council District in the Bronx.  Last summer, Richard Izquierdo Arroyo – the Assemblywoman’s grandson, and nephew of the City Councilwoman – was charged this summer with embezzling over $200 thousand from a nonprofit, SBCC Management Corporation, that he managed.  Among the charges are that the nonprofit was used as a slush fund for such activities as buying plane tickets to Puerto Rico for the three Arroyos.

And it’s not over yet.  This week former State Senator Efrain Gonzalez’s son, Carlos Gonzalez, said he is raising money to run for office in the Bronx.  The Elder Gonzalez recently withdrew a guilty plea he had offered in another Bronx slush fund case. Depending on what office his is thinking of running for though, he’d be running against either Pedro Espada or Jose Rivera, according to The Daily News. Either way, he’ll be challenging not just a candidate, but also a well-entrenched political family.

“Follow the money,” was the suggestion that Deep Throat gave Woodward and Bernstein for their investigative reporting in Washington D.C.  In the Bronx, he might have said, “Follow the family tree.”

Crowley Leads Way for Immigration Reform

Posted by Matthew Robinson

In a recent article by the National Journal, Joseph Crowley was named as one of five up-and-coming House Democrats. “They form a second tier of leaders-in-training who could be in line to take over when their top party chiefs either retire or are forced out,” according to the article.

The article also called Crowley the go-to person for immigration reform. Back in September, Crowley, along with 111 House Democrats, wrote a letter to President Obama asking to reform immigration. Obama gave a speech last year on June 25 asking for reform, but the issue hasn’t moved much since then.

The letter detailed elements of reform. Undocumented immigrants would register, go through background checks, pay taxes, study English in order to apply for legal status, and then eventually apply for citizenship. As chairman of the New Democrat Coalition – a pro-business, moderate group – Crowley proposes that taxing immigrants could be be way to generate revenue for the state and provide benefits for those contributing to the workforce.

More than 60 percent of Crowley’s district speaks a language other than English at home, and 40 percent of the population are foreign-born, according to the Almanac on American Politics. So, Crowley should have constituent support for immigration reform.

But his interest in immigration may also stem from a personal connection – his mother. She emigrated from Northern Ireland as a child, according to whorunsgov.com. Given that Crowley has sought leadership roles throughout his career, it seems likely he will run for a more prominent office in the future. So, he must think that reform should add political points in New York.

Crowley Keeps Focus on Community Concerns

Posted by Matthew Robinson

Back in August, when tea partiers went viral on cable news, Joseph Crowley, D –N.Y. 7, set up an interactive healthcare forum to help inform Americans about what was actually happening with reform. But six months later, and Democrats losing their super majority with the election of Scott Brown, Crowley is looking to just get something passed, according to the Bronx News Network.

“We might have to break up the bill a bit, to do it piecemeal,” he said. “I think we will get something through—it may not be everything we want at first, but it will be substantial.”

Crowley has cited the need for health care reform in his own district, particularly for Bronx small business owners, who he says can’t afford to buy health insurance for their employees.

Across the river, Jackson Heights, Queens is home to almost two-thirds of the 28,000 Bangladeshi residents in New York City, according to the 2000 census. Crowley is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Bangladesh, which brings 31 Members of Congress together in support of the people of Bangladesh, according to his website.

Crowley asked Bangladesh authorities on Jan. 27 to investigate the punishment of a 16-year-old rape survivor. The Daily Star, Bangladesh’s largest circulating English-language newspaper, reported that the teenage girl was raped and then punished with 101 lashes.

“I urge the Bangladeshi authorities to begin an impartial investigation into this matter and move to bring any perpetrators to justice immediately.”  Crowley said in a press release.

The press release added:

“Additionally, the London-based Guardian newspaper reported that “elders in the village issued a fatwa insisting that the girl be kept in isolation until her family agreed to corporal punishment.”  While Bangladeshi law is largely secular and does not tolerate rape, local elders often issue sentences and settle disputes, as it appears in this case.  Bangladesh is a moderate, predominantly Muslim country which has taken several strong steps to ensure women’s rights, including the provision of seats for women in the national parliament.”

Since taking office in 1999, Crowley has easily won reelection with an increasingly higher percentage of votes by keeping up on issues that matter to his constituents. He’s hoping these initiatives will keep it that way.