POLITICAL ARENA

Bill de Blasio pressures IDC

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A lot has been said in recent weeks about state Sen. Jeffrey Klein’s Independent Democratic Conference, but now even Mayor Bill de Blasio is chiming in.

Over the weekend, de Blasio called the Republican majority in the state senate “an artificiality,” according to Politico. Republicans maintain control of the senate, in part thanks to its alliance with the IDC — a group of eight Democrats who broke away from their party to pursue their own political agenda.

de Blasio is getting backing from celebrities like Mark Ruffalo as well as U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in his efforts to push senate control back to the Democrats, but the mayor is still wading in carefully. The last time he made such a push in 2014, he ended up under investigation over campaign fundraising questions — claims that he was ultimately cleared of.

In the meantime, Klein has made no effort to shift alliances back to the Democrats, telling The Riverdale Press late last month that even if the IDC rejoined the Democrats, it would still not be enough to give the body a true majority.

Abreu nabs Working  Families endorsement

Randy Abreu’s battle to win the city council seat currently held by Fernando Cabrera, just welcomed a new ally — the Working Families Party.

The Brooklyn-based political party, which some have described as the “Tea Party of the left,” operated in a dozen states and territories. The party previously backed Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his 2010 race for the governor’s mansion. 

“Randy Abreu is a true progressive, and will be a strong voice on the issues that matter most to working families in the Bronx,” said Juan Antigua, the political director for the minor party in a release. 

“We plan to work hard to elect Randy Abreu so he can champion issues like more affordable housing, good jobs and great schools.”

Abreu is in a four-man race for the District 14 seat that includes Cabrera, Justin Sanchez and Felix Perdomo. 

Through the most recent reporting period in mid-May, Abreu has raised $28,700 for his campaign, compared to nearly $65,000 brought in by Cabrera. Sanchex has raised nearly $33,200, while Perdomo has more than $35,000 in the bank. Perdomo, however, has loaned his campaign $25,000, so his actual fundraising efforts are closer to the $10,000 range.

Could double-parking become history?

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and city councilman Andrew Cohen are pressuring city officials to crack down on double-parking around Van Cortlandt Park.

The letter, sent to the city’s parks and recreation department and transportation department, as well as to the 50th precinct, is in response to recent complaints that cropped up over planned changes to increase pedestrian safety along the Vannie portion of Broadway.

Because the park is a destination not just for regular visitors, but also for student athletes, buses often idle on the street as opposed to parking in designated areas, according to a release. This causes some drivers to swerve around the buses on Broadway, sometimes even forcing them into oncoming traffic.

“Any buses that are idling or parked in the street on Broadway are breaking the law, and are a huge hazard to the surrounding community,” Cohen said in the same release. 

“We must more aggressively enforce the laws on double-parking for the sake of drivers, park-goers and the community.”

Bill de Blasio, Jeffrey Klein, Andrew Cohen, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Randy Abreu, Working Families Party, Independent Democratic Conference, Michael Hinman

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