Political Arena

Pols star in movie on merchants

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Councilman Andrew Cohen and state Sen. Jeff Klein have a new line to add to their resumes: movie producers.

The local elected officials got producer credits in a new video showcasing Riverdale merchants. The Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corporation (KRVC) recently released a more than 40-minute-long flick highlighting establishments from Palace of Japan on Johnson Avenue to Sotheby’s realty on Riverdale Avenue.

But local pols steal the show.

“I consider myself a connoisseur on burgers. Yo-Burger is certainly the best in the Bronx, probably the best in the city,” Mr. Klein states in the movie while sitting next to a silent Mario Curanaj, the owner of the Riverdale Avenue restaurant.

The video also leaves it to Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz to sing the praises of Liebman’s Delicatessen, on West 235th Street.

“This is one of the many great places to eat in our neighborhood, and it’s really delicious,” he says. “These stores and the merchants who run them are among the greatest strengths of our community.”

In a shot of Rep. Eliot Engel sitting at Blue Bay Restaurant’s counter, the congressman says, “If you want to know what’s really happening in Riverdale, just come in here and listen to the chatter.”

KRVC’s Executive Director Tracy Shelton says her organization keeps growing stronger.

“Making this movie, for me, was like a microcosm for everything we do at KRVC,” she says in the film. “We’re all about relationship building and doing whatever we can to promote and showcase the merchant community and the whole community of Riverdale.”

You can see the movie here

CB 8 gets Cabrera funds

When Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera gave Community Board 8 discretionary funds last fiscal year, board members wondered whether it was proper to accept the money. Amid a leadership change, CB 8 shifted plans from using the money to help fund youth farmers’ markets to asking Mr. Cabrera to take the funds back. Some members questioned the propriety of the board allocating money to an outside group like GrowNYC, which was running the farmers’ markets.

June’s City Council budget includes $5,000 from Mr. Cabrera to CB 8. But this time, both sides say everything is kosher. The budget describes the purpose of the money as “funding to support various board activities.”

Mr. Cabrera’s chief of staff, Greg Faulkner, and CB 8 Chairman Dan Padernacht said the specific use of the funds is up to the board.

Mr. Padernacht explained that the board will vote on what to do in September, adding he would like to see the money used for programming to educate people about affordable housing.

“There could be a discussion on any number of items,” he said. “I myself would not support giving it out to a third party because in my personal opinion, I don’t believe that the community board is a funding organization. We don’t have the resources or the capability to do the necessary vetting, as the City Council does.”

There was not a trace of resentment from either side, even though a CB 8 committee took the unusual step of summoning Mr. Cabrera to the board to explain the last round of funding, in October.

“I think people had thought we had done something wrong,” Mr. Faulkner recollected. “When they realized what was wrong, they said, ‘You’re not going to hold that against us, you’re going to give us money next year?’ We said, of course.”

Report slams state finances

A new study found New York is one of the least fiscally sound states in the U.S.

The analysis by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Virginia said New York has “barely sufficient cash to cover short-term spending.” While the state’s general fund had a surplus of $1.1 billion in 2013 thanks in part to business tax revenue increases, total government debt was placed at $58 billion. State pension plans were found to be underfunded, among other problems.

Mr. Dinowitz voiced skepticism of the recent report, which ranked New York’s fiscal health at 46th in the nation.

“I think there are certainly issues, especially in terms of our long-term debt, but I don’t know that I would place any stock in all these rankings that they come up with,” he said.

The assemblyman noted that state pension plans depend in part on fluctuations in the stock market.

“When times are tough with the stock market, and we had several bad years more recently, that impacts how much money is in the pension funds,” he said.

“If it’s so bad, why do so many people come here?” he concluded.

Mr. Klein, who played a decisive role in last year’s state budget, did not answer an interview request.

Councilman Andrew Cohen, Sen. Jeff Klein, movie producers, KRVC, Tracy Shelton, Shant Shahrigian

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