BRONX TIMES REPORTER, O BTR CT. 29-NOV. 4, 2021 47
BY ANDREW CHIRICO
Next week Nov. 2, 2021, is
Election Day. This will be the
most important day in our recent
history. After eight years
of hell and the destruction of
our city we can fi nally make a
change to restore law and order
in New York City, restore
the programs that count, take
the illegal guns off the streets
and put the criminals back
in jail where they belong. We
have to give respect back to
our Police Department, improve
our city, give the citizens
a city they can once
again be proud of and once
again make our streets safe.
To make all these changes
take place you must take the
fi rst step Get Out and Vote on
Nov. 2, don’t wait for someone
else to do it. New York has
a history of very low turnout
on Election Day and then we
have years of regret. Let’s do it
right this time.
Forget party lines and vote
for the candidate who will
make conditions change. If
you blindly follow a party you
will not get changes, you will
have the same dangerous city
and it will get steadily worse.
We must change a whole new
administration from day one.
You must realize that the old
way is the wrong way. Before
you vote, look at the candidates
and what they say and
stand for. Who will really
make changes? If the candidate
is aligned with the old administration
that is the wrong
candidate. If you have had
enough, then vote for change.
After you make your intelligent
choice look at the back
of the ballot where there are
fi ve referendums (most people
don’t take the time to read
them). I encourage you to read
the back page and vote no for
all of them.
Proposal 1 would redraw
voting districts and allow non-
Americans to be counted as
citizens. Vote no.
Proposal 2 makes no sense
at all. Vote no.
Proposal 3 would allow
same day voter registration;
this would open the door for
fraud. If you are an American
citizen and you want to vote
you have all year to register,
why would you wait until the
last day to register. Instant
last-minute registration will
bring wide-spread fraud. The
Board of Elections must have
a reasonable amount of time
to verify that you qualify as
an American citizen to vote.
Vote no.
Proposal 4 would allow no
excuse absentee mail-in voting.
This would open up more
fraud. With early voting in
place there only two reasons
for mail in voting: 1. Longterm
illness or confi nement in
a nursing home or 2. An active
member in our military who
is away from home. Vote no.
Proposal 5 would increase
NYC Civil Court jurisdiction
by allowing claims up to
$50,000; the present limit is
$ 25,000 This would clog the
courts with more cases that
they already can’t handle.
Vote no.
To continue our efforts to
fi ght upzoning, The Coalition
Against Up Zoning is holding
a fundraiser on Friday, Nov. 5
at 7 p.m. It will be held at The
Strand Beach Club, located at
658 Clarence Ave. There will
be food, entertainment, raffl
es, door prizes, a cash bar
and guest speakers. Donation
to enter is $50. We hope
you can attend this event as
we need your support to raise
funds to pay for a land use attorney
and an engineering
fi rm to fi ght the developers
high-priced legal and lobbying
teams.
Your help is still needed.
Please spread the word, visit
our website and sign the petition
at www.stopupzoning.
com. If we lose our zoning,
we will lose our community.
This is not a done deal. Special
thanks to The Strand,
Barino’s Market, Cross
Town Diner and Patricia’s of
Throggs Neck. The Waterbury
LaSalle Community Association
relies on your dues to run
our organization. We don’t get
help from our elected offi cials.
Please send your $10 yearly
dues to Waterbury LaSalle
Community Association, 1145
Hobart Ave. Bronx, N.Y. 10461.
We are a” 501c 3 charity”,
which means donations over
and above dues are tax deductible.
Our meetings are always
the last Tuesday of the month
at the First Lutheran Church
at 3075 Baisley Ave., at 7:30
p.m. Stay well and Stay safe.
We will get through this.
CIVIC CENTER
Waterbury LaSalle
Association
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
Oct. 20 meeting recap:
On this mild autumn
evening, Spencer Estate and
Country Club residents fi lled
the Ampere avenue Knights
of Columbus Hall. Keynote
speakers, 45th Precinct Capt.
Isaac Soberal and CD 13 City
Council candidate Marjorie
Velazquez addressed a very
enthusiastic crowd. A true
gentleman, and crowd pleaser;
Capt. Soberal patiently
went over crime statistics
and police methodology. He
followed up with a lengthy
Q and A session focused on
NYPD-related quality of life
issues. Capt. Soberal exhibited
the spirit of an honest leader
with genuine concern for
improving quality of life in
our community. Keep in mind,
legislators and agency heads
craft laws and policies that law
enforcement must abide by.
Hopefully, newly elected and
appointed members of NYC’s
political machine furnish law
enforcement with utensils
that enhance seemingly
inadequate law enforcement
tool boxes.
Ms. Velazquez provided the
evenings’ highlight moments.
After a short presentation,
she cut to the chase. A
lengthy, high spirited, Q
and A provided sought after
answers. Those in the gallery
fi red fast, hard and true; no
soft tosses here. Ms. Velazquez
stood poised and clarifi ed her
positions on law enforcement,
Bruckner upzone and potential
future upzones in the Spencer
Estate-Country Club areas.
Velazquez relayed a pro-police
message; recognizing the
expansively diverse territories
within the CD 13 footprint
require additional funding for
adequate police presence.
In response to the Bruckner
upzone project: She adamantly
stated, “I am against this Up-
Zone 100%.” When pressed
about the context of a
previously released, seemingly
conditional, statement…” I
stand with the community … if
they (community) don’t like it I
am a no,” she further delving
re: potential modifi cations to
the project such as trimming
the Up-Zone. “I would bring
any changes back to the
community, once again, if it is
not wanted by the community,
I am a no.”
Oct. 20, 2021-Council
Candidate Marjorie Velazquez
made perfectly clear, she
stands with the community
against the Bruckner upzone
project and any modifi cations
need community blessings to
attain her support. Heartfelt
thanks to Capt. Isaac Soberal,
Marjorie Velazquez, and
everyone that came out to
support our community.
Community Footnotes:
Sunday, Oct. 31 is
Halloween. Please remember,
once upon a time we were all
children. Let us do our best
to ensure this Halloween
experience brings every child
miles of smiles.
Knights of Columbus, 3243
Ampere Ave., will be open
Tuesday, Nov. 2 from 6 a.m.-9
p.m. for Election Day voting.
Please exercise this important
right.
Daylight savings time
concludes 2 a.m. on Sunday,
Nov. 7. Remember to turn
clocks back one hour. Please
take time to replace batteries
in smoke alarms and carbon
monoxide detectors. In house
fi re situations, 60 seconds
could be the difference
between safety and tragedy.
There is a continued
increase in petty thefts and
vandalisms throughout
the 45th Precinct footprint.
Video evidence on social
media shows nefarious
individuals nosing around
parked vehicles and
encroaching on private
property during daytime
and overnight hours. Do not
become a victim. Please lock
car doors and remove all
valuables upon exiting your
vehicle.
The next meeting of the
Spencer Estate Association
is scheduled for Wednesday,
Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m., at the
Knights of Columbus.
Elected offi cials and agency
heads gauge community
resolve by attendances
at civic meetings. Tell a
friend, packed houses send
messages. If we want to
keep and reap the blessings
of our fi ne quality of life,
we must endure the fatigue
of supporting it. Our
community has traditionally
exhibited a “We are Family
attitude”; now, is the time to
let it shine. Communicate,
make that phone call, text
message or email. Please
check on family, friends and
neighbors, especially the
elderly and vulnerable. Any
area homeowner or renter
interested in the Spencer
Estate Civic Association
attend a meeting or send an
email to spencerestatecivic@
gmail.com.
R e m e m b e r :
Communi ty=Common-
Unity and Inclusion brings
Solutions.
CIVIC CENTER
Spencer Estate
Civic Association
Photo Getty Images
/www.stopupzoning
/www.stopupzoning
/gmail.com
