Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community. © Copyright 2012 Co-op City Times
Vol. 47 No. 36
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Six to vie for City Council seat in November election BY JIM ROBERTS All six candidates who filed petitions to run for the City Council seat vacated by Larry Seabrook submitted enough valid signatures and will be on the ballot in November, according to the New York City Board of Elections. Voters in Co-op City, who comprise approximately 40% of the residents in District 12 of the City Council, now have nine weeks to learn about the candidates and their positions on city issues that impact Co-op City. The six hopefuls are running to fill the last year of Seabrook’s term. A new election will then be held a year from now in November, 2013 to select a Council member for a complete fouryear term. The six candidates and their party affiliation on the Nov. 6 ballot are: Andrew King, People First; Andrew King, Community First; Pamela Johnson, Unity in the Community; Neville Mitchell, United Neighbors; Cheryl Oliver, Unity in Solidarity; Joseph Nwachukwu, Restore Trust and Integrity; and Garth Marchant, Children First. A representative from the League of Women Voters told the Co-op City Times that the League will consider sponsoring a debate among the candidates to help
inform voters in Co-op City about their positions and their qualifications to serve in the office. New York election law requires a nonpartisan ballot to pick a Council member for the District 12 seat to complete the last year of Seabrook’s term. The unusual special election, which will be part of the Nov. 6 general election, won’t have the typical Democratic and Republican party designated candidates. The 12th City Council District includes Co-op City, Williamsbridge, Wakefield and Eastchester. The boundary extends from East Gunhill Avenue north to the Westchester County line. Seabrook was convicted on nine federal felony counts July 26 and was immediately expelled from office with one year remaining in his term. He will be sentenced by Federal Judge Deborah Batts on Jan. 8, 2013 and faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the nine felony counts. In addition, he faces possible fines of more than $2 million. Seabrook is appealing the verdicts and remains out on bail. The New York City Council is the law-making body of the City of New York. It is comprised of 51 members (Continued on page 2)
CCPD Training
25¢
First in series of public Management forums scheduled for Tuesday BY ROZAAN BOONE On Tuesday, September 11, the first in a series of open Management Forums will be held in the Einstein Community Center, starting at 7 p.m., to familiarize shareholders with the operations of the Public Safety Department. Going forward, similar forums will be held monthly in one of the three community centers to explain to residents the purpose and function of the individual service departments that comprise the Riverbay Corporation. All of the forums will begin at 7 p.m., giving shareholders time to return home from work. “There are many positive aspects to Management holding monthly forums,” said General Manager Vernon Cooper. “First and foremost, we believe that the forums are an excellent way to get information to the community about how the various departments operate, what changes are taking place and what advances are being made that affect the residents of this community. In addition, the forums are designed to give coopera-
tors an opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues or concerns that they feel are pertinent to the specific department or subject matter on the agenda for that particular evening, or in general, because there is nothing like getting information first hand. “Another important aspect of these forums is that it allows us to get the opinions of the residents of the community as it relates to any initiatives that we have embarked upon or plan to embark upon in the near future.” In October, the Power Plant will be the subject when the second Management forum is held in the Dreiser Community Center on Tuesday, October 16. On Tuesday, November 13, the Finance and Budget process will be discussed in the Bartow Community Center, and on Tuesday, December 11, in the Einstein Center, the Restoration/Sales Departments. The forums will resume in the new (Continued on page 3)
P r im a r y E lect ion d a y is Sep t . 13 This year’s Primary election for local state offices will be held on Thursday, Sept. 13. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The general election is Nov. 6. There are three races on the ballot in Co-op City. The two candidates for the Democratic Party nomination for state assembly are the incumbent Michael R. Benedetto and the challenger, Egidio Sementilli. In the other two races in the Democratic Party, the candidates for Member of the State Committee (Male) are George C. Crouch and Andrew Petralia. The candidates for Member (Female) are Naita Semaj and Lucia Giraldi. New York residents are now able to register to vote and update their voter registration information online through the State Department of Motor Vehicles website. You must have a driver’s license or an identification card issued by the DMV to use this service. Some poll sites have changed this year due to Congressional redistricting. To find your polling location, go to http://gis.nyc.gov/vote/ps/index.htm or call 1-866VOTE-NYC.
Final phase of tree planting for north sector Greenway set for October 13th BY BILL STUTTIG
NEW PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS IN TRAINING -- The eight recruits in this year’s class of new Public Safety officers continued their eight-week training session on Friday in front of the Bartow Center. The trainees received a shot of pepper spray in the eyes and then ran a gauntlet of four stations in order to feel the effects of the OC spray they will be required to use if necessary once they are on the streets as a member of the Public Safety Department. These are the first new recruits to be hired and trained since January of 2011. (More pictures on page 2) Photo by Jim Roberts
We will never forget September 11, 2001 Remember and honor those who died, Tuesday, September 11, 5:30 8 p.m. on the Section 1 Greenway. Bring flashlights/candles.
For the second year in a row, dozens of volunteers from the community will join with volunteers from the American Express Corporation and the New York Restoration Project (NYRP) in planting hundreds of baby trees around the perimeter of the recently restored north sector greenway. Riverbay Ombudsman Joe Boiko, who coordinated the donation of the trees from the New York Restoration Project and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Million Trees Initiative, said that able-bodied volunteers are needed to help with planting the trees around the perimeter of the new Greenway. This year’s volunteer tree planting will concentrate of the northern sections of the restored greenway.
Boiko said in a recent memo to Management that exactly 152 trees have been donated to Riverbay by the New York Restoration Project for this year’s round of planting. He added that this planting will be the last in the series of tree plantings conducted throughout the community in the last four years. “Once we complete the planting of trees this fall, we will have received nearly 1,800 trees through this program, an estimated cost savings to the corporation of 1.6 to two million dollars,” Boiko said. The final shipment of 152 trees will be planted over the course of the day on October 13th. Last year, dozens of Co-op (Continued on page 4)