The Bronx needs a mayor who will commit to investing in the borough
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR FEBRUARY 12-18, 2021 13
oped
BY LOURDES ZAPATA
New York City and Manhattan
are not synonymous. While
many parts of the city have received
increased attention and
investment as we recover from
a year of economic devastation
and personal tragedy, too many
neighborhoods in the outer boroughs
remain an afterthought.
Case in point: The Bronx has
experienced the highest rates of
COVID-19 infection, unemployment,
and spikes in crime during
the past year. In 2020, the
Bronx again ranked last out of
New York State’s 62 counties in
an annual survey of key health
indicators and the household
and poverty rate remains the
highest in the City.
However, we now have a real
opportunity for a new narrative.
This year we will elect a
new mayor who can help determine
the fates of local communities
as we all work to rebuild.
As we approach June’s primary,
each mayoral candidate needs
to outline their plans to help
all neighborhoods recover in
every corner of our city — not
just those of the city’s famous
skyline.
Our borough deserves a
meaningful seat at the table
with our city-wide elected offi -
cials to ensure that it receives
its fair share of quality housing,
educational investments, safer
streets and economic value.
More importantly, we need a
mayor who will be committed
to making long-overdue investments
in Bronx communities.
The Bronx has come a long
way in the last few decades.
I was born and raised in the
Bronx during a time when it
was the place of tabloid headlines
and the go-to example of
blight and disinvestment. I became
an adult during a time
when its neighborhoods were
either too dangerous or too expensive;
there was no in-between
and very few places for
young professionals like myself
to settle down and thrive, causing
many of us to move elsewhere
and leave the borough
we loved.
Since then, the borough
has made remarkable strides
thanks to its residents and local
leaders.
In the Bronx, community
organizations like the South
Bronx Overall Economic Development
Corporation (SoBro),
the Diego Beekman Mutual
Housing Association (MHA)
and others have laid the groundwork
for rebuilding. Since 1972
SoBro has combated disinvestment
in the South Bronx and
stimulated economic and community
development at every
level. The Diego Beekman
MHA has introduced a comprehensive
neighborhood plan that
outlines how community-led
organizing can uplift neighborhoods
and inform public policy.
Today’s Bronx is not the
Bronx of my youth – we’re seeing
a burgeoning resurgence.
Our homegrown talent have
more incentives to stay than
ever before, and we are seeing
an infl ux of young people looking
to call themselves Bronxites
too. But we can’t be the only
ones invested in the Bronx’s future.
We need allies in government
who are willing to do the
work to make this recovery one
that lasts beyond this moment.
The Bronx has often felt
like a forgotten borough in City
Hall. We have experienced administrations
that ignored the
needs and realities of Bronxites
while employing a one-size fi ts
all approach to community and
economic development.
As our city works towards
recovery, the next mayor must
ensure that the borough’s resurgence
is responsive to the
needs of lifelong Bronxites,
while also moving us forward
to make it an attractive place
where people want to live, work
and play.
Politicians cannot take the
Bronx for granted. With shifting
demographics resulting in
vastly different voting habits
and a drastic change in the ethnic
and socioeconomic makeup
of the borough, the Bronx is
ripe for political engagement
at a deeper, more meaningful
level. We need to see candidates
on our streets seeing the trailblazing
work we are accomplishing
and learning from our
struggles and successes.
We need partners in government
who are willing to commit
to threading the needle of doing
the tough but necessary work –
thinking critically about neighborhood
needs and ensuring
full community engagement.
Partners who are committed to
making this borough, and city,
a home for everyone. These are
tough times but the opportunity
is boundless and that opportunity
is not solely limited
to the borough of Manhattan.
The 2021 mayoral candidates
have a choice: they can follow
the lead of their predecessors
who have failed to fully and
proactively engage our communities
or they can break tradition,
engage with us and learn
from local community leaders
like SoBro and Diego Beekman
who have sourced ideas for recovery
that are in the interest
of the entire city.
Every New Yorker will be
better for it.
Lourdes Zapata is the President
and CEO of SoBro
Dear Letters Editor:
How should we deal with fare
evasion, vandalism and
crime on NYC Transit subway
and buses?. Perhaps it is time
to return to the good old days
when a transit police offi cer
was assigned to ride and patrol
most stations and trains. This,
along with installation of security
cameras on trains and
at stations might serve as a
deterrent against crime, fare
evasion and vandalism. There
also may be the need to increase
fi nes and penalties as a
deterrent for those who don’t
pay their fare, commit crime or
vandalism.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
letters & comments
The Bronx skyline. (File/The Bronxer)
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