BY GENE DEFRANCIS
This new year has
certainly been cold so
far. We spent much of
January outside removing
the holiday
lights and utilizing
the bucket truck to remove sneakers
from telephone wires.
We noticed some areas have an incredible
amount of wires running
across the street. Very unsightly. Many
of them are old cable wires that are no
longer in use. We ask homeowners to
take the time to address this issue and
clean up our sky space. If you need assistance
taking them down reach out
to us. We will be doing another sky
clean up in a few short months when
the weather gets warmer. Adding fl owers
above in our nesting pots and looking
for more sneakers in telephone
lines.
We partnered with Herc Rentals
and they have been a welcomed
friend to our community. Would not
have accomplished as much as we did
without their cooperation and we are
extremely grateful. If you are an Allerton
business we encourage you to rent
your equipment from Herc Rentals and
say thank you for helping Allerton.
We also had help from our friend
Senator Alexandra Biaggi. Her staff
was on site to give us a hand cleaning
up the Christmas tree. And our 49th
Precinct NCOs Gregory Hernandez
and Daisy Rivera were out in the cold
with us to take down the sneakers.
If you see sneakers or large unsightly
blemishes in the air or on the
ground send us a message on Facebook
or email us at AllertonMerchants@
gmail.com. It will be our pleasure to
take care of it.
If you can also make it a point to
add your neighbors to our Facebook
page and tell them to get involved in
the conversation.
The snow should be coming soon
and if you’re not prepared or don’t
have someone to help you shovel your
home or car reach out to us.
Also Councilman Mark Gjonaj has
a program for seniors and disabled homeowners
where he will send a crew
to help shovel free of charge. Contact
us and we will forward you to his offi
ce if you do not have
his number. For businesses
and homeowners
we will send Allerton
residents looking
for an added income
to work within your
budget. It is on a fi rst
come fi rst serve basis but we will try
to assist everyone we can.
Our next meeting will be held Tuesday,
February 5 at the beautiful Sanz
Banquet Hall. Doors will open at 7
p.m. We will continue our 2019 Holiday
Light project, continue preparations
for the Allerton International Food
Fest, and fi nalize details for our anniversary
Party.
You can get your page in our program
ordered today as well as your tickets.
Announcement for our 2019 honoree
will be made at our next meeting.
We need your help and full support.
The more we raise the more we can do.
We will relaunch our Business Incubator
Program encouraging local entrepreneurs
to start their own small business
and to train and hire locals to be
employed in these businesses. We will
offer grants and loans to businesses to
do needed repairs and upgrades, continue
to clean up our streets, and fi ll in
empty store fronts, providing new and
exciting stores.
The importance of being a part
of community organizations such as
ours is that you will never be left in
the dark again. You will know what is
coming and happening in your community
because your voice will help
steer it in the right direction.
We will not allow more government
programs to infi ltrate our community.
We will focus on helping and assisting
those in need within our community
and provide proper support for
our schools and training. Repave our
streets and sidewalks, planting more
trees, street furniture, and decorative
light poles.
Supporting our veterans and fi rst
responders as well as an animal rescue
program is also something that is
close to the heart of this organization
and we wish to do more this year to
help.
You miss 100 percent of the shots
you don’t take. So give it a shot. Call 311
to report issues in the community then
Benedetto to host Legislative
Roundtable at Chippewa Dem. Club
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 30 ANUARY 25-31, 2019 BTR
forward us the confi rmation number
you receive. We will help you monitor
and advocate to have it resolved if not
addressed in a timely manner. Get to
know your local Neighborhood Coordination
police offi cers. Call the 49th
Precinct to fi nd out which sector you
live in and who they are.
If you are the victim of harassment,
meaning someone or something is effecting
you quality of life, send us an
email. We won’t be able to fi x it overnight
but we are dedicated to making
Allerton the best place to raise a family.
Your silence on such issues slows
that process.
So speak up and remember, “Your
community is your business.”
Happy New Year to all
the members of the Chippewa
Democratic Club.
On the fi rst day of session
in Albany the legislative
bodies passed several
new resolutions on
election initiatives that
will effect how voting is conducted in
New York state.
The fi rst change that will have an
immediate impact is the combining of
the state and federal primaries. In the
past, candidate petitions were circulated
twice: fi rst for a congressional,
U.S senate or presidential primary in
June and secondly in September for
city and state primaries. Now both primaries
will be held together on the last
Tuesday in June.
That means petition signatures
for all primary races will be collected
in February, during the coldest
part of winter. While this change
won’t cause too much inconvenience
to an area like Co-op City where the
signatures are mostly collected indoors,
the task will be challenging
in the 1- and 2-family communities
like Throggs Neck, Country Club and
City Island. The good news is that the
Board of Elections will save roughly
$20 million by eliminating one of the
primary days
The Assembly and Senate approved
another bill creating early voting. Ten
days prior to an election, polling sites
would be designated for early balloting.
According to the legislation one
site would be designated for every
50,000 residents. These sites will close
two days before election day.
Other legislation addressed absentee
balloting and automatic
voter sign up
when acquiring a New
York state drivers license.
Roundtable Discussion
A legislative roundtable
discussion will be presented by
Assemblyman Michael R. Benedetto
on Thursday, January 31 to address
New York state matters. Further details
about the new voting initiatives
will be reviewed.
Now that the Assembly and Senate
have Democratic party majorities, progressive
legislation that was blocked
by the Senate Republicans in previous
years, is expected to be passed. Learn
more about the pending legislation by
attending the roundtable discussion.
Another roundtable panel is set for
Thursday, February 28 with Councilman
Mark Gjonaj to discuss NYC legilative
proposals.
Public Advocate Race
Twenty-three candidates submitted
petitions to run for NYC Public Advocate
to replace Letticia James, who
is the newly-elected NYS Attorney
General. These petitions will be challenged
by one or another opponents.
THe fi nal number of candidates will
probably be less than 20. The election
will be held on Tuesday, February 26.
Join The Club
The Chippewa Democratic Club is
the oldest political club in the Bronx.
We’ve been a part of this borough
since ‘Day1’.
For over 120 years the club has supported
progressive ideas. To join call
(917) 856-9663 and leave a message.
A legislative roundtable discussion
will be presented by Assemblyman
Michael R. Benedetto on
Thursday, January 31 at the Chippewa
Democratic Club, 1450 Commerce
Avenue, off Westchester
Square, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to address
the New York state legislative
agenda. The New York state legislatures
have enacted several election
law changes that will enhance voter
turnout. Further details about the
new voting initiatives will be reviewed.
Now that the Assembly and Senate
have Democratic party majorities,
progressive legislation that
was blocked by the Senate Republicans
in previous years, is expected
to be passed. Call the assemblyman’s
offi ce at (718) 892-2235 for mre
details.
Another roundtable panel is set
for Thursday, February 28 with
Councilman Mark Gjonaj to discuss
NYC legilative proposals.
NCO police offi cers Greg Hernandez and Daisy Rivera; Gene DeFrancis, Allerton International
Merchants Association founder and Paul Lombardi spent the evening of Sunday, January 20
removing sneakers and other debris from telephone wires. Photo courtesy of AIM
/gmail.com