Political Arena

Street to be co-named after former CB8 manager

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The corner of W. 246th Street and the Henry Hudson Parkway in Riverdale will soon have a second name attached to it – Grace Belkin Way, in honor of the fist district manager of Community Board 8. 

The project is part of a bill that Mayor Bill de Blasio signed on Aug. 3, co-naming 65 streets and public spaces in all five boroughs after influential New Yorkers.

Ms. Belkin served as district manager for more than 30 years, from the early 1970s until her retirement in 2006. Community boards became a way of de-centralizing the city government under former Mayor John Lindsay in the late 1960s and early 1970s, allowing Ms. Belkin to take on a highly active role in the community.

Her hard work and concern for the community made CB8 one of the most efficiently run, and well-regarded community boards in the city, former Councilwoman June Eisland told The Press at the time of Ms. Belkin’s death in 2013 at age 82. In her lifetime, Ms. Belkin served as district manager under six mayors.

Councilman Andrew Cohen, who co-sponsored the bill, said he was happy to honor Ms. Belkin and the 64 others who had streets named after them.

“She was a legend in this area, so it is fitting that she be honored with this street named in her memory,” he said in a statement to The Press. “Grace Belkin was the first district manager of Bronx Community Board 8 and remained in that role for 30 years, acquiring a citywide reputation as one of the foremost leaders in her field.”

Mr. Cohen also took time to highlight some of Ms. Belkin’s most substantial projects in the district. 

“She was a main force in seeking development and funding for CB 8’s 197-a Plan that established stable zoning to preserve the character of our neighborhoods and also advocated for the Special Natural Area District,” he said. “Her intervention and strong persuasion led to many capital budget projects reaching fruition, including the Johnson Avenue and Palisade Avenue retaining walls.”

It was not immediately clear when the street signs will be posted.

Cohen lauds ‘Use of Force’ laws

Mr. Cohen praised six bills signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Aug. 3 to increase police transparency in regards to use of force.

“I’m always in favor of more information,” Mr. Cohen, who voted for all six bills, said. “I can’t imagine a scenario where the public is going to be hurt by having more information at our fingertips.”

The new laws require the NYPD to publish quarterly reports specifying how often, in what kinds of situations, and at which locations officers used force. 

Additionally, police will have to report how many of the situations were related to quality-of-life crimes, and to publish annual reports on the percentage of officers in each precinct who face two or more Civilian Complaint Review Board reports.

The measures “are in fact reflective of the new era of transparency that we’re trying to bring to the NYPD, working with the mayor and the City Council,” Police Commissioner William Bratton said at the bill signing. 

“Our use of force in every other category, we believe, is below the national average, but we’ll now have transparency and intimacy very similar to what we’ve [had] with firearms for many, many decades, available for all to see.”

Mr. Cohen said the purpose of the set of bills was to gather necessary data on how often police use force, to better inform future laws and policies on police tactics and training. 

“It could lead to improved policies, it could lead to improved policing,” he said. “It makes the debate more educated, so I think that only good things can come from collecting more data.”

Dinowitz to act as Clinton surrogate this summer

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said he will be acting as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton during presidential campaign events this summer. 

In a phone interview, Mr. Dinowitz detailed some of the work he would be doing to help Ms. Clinton in key swing states, such as Ohio and Florida. He also addressed reports that Republican nominee Donald Trump has set his sights on winning New York, his home state, despite the fact that a Republican has not won the state in more than 20 years.

“If he spends a penny of his money in New York, it would be political malpractice,” Mr. Dinowitz said. “I think Trump’s belief that he can win New York verifies many people’s belief that he is crazy.”

 

Mr. Dinowitz said he expects the presidential election in New York to follow the example of many of its predecessors, with only a few key swing states acting as major battlegrounds.  

Grace Belkin, Andrew Cohen, Jeffrey Dinowitz, William Bratton, Bill de Blasio, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump

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