MAY
The month of May started
on a somber note, as the Bronx
lost a titan of local politics on
May 8.
Since 1982, Aurelia Greene
had served as a longtime representative
of District 77 — which
comprises the Kingsbridge
and Morrisania sections — in
the state houses’ lower chamber,
before serving as deputy
borough president from 2009-
2017 until she retired. Greene
used her urban planning skills
to negotiate for affordable
housing and effective tenant
groups, quality education, employment
opportunities, affordable
healthcare and housing,
senior services, youth services,
economic development and
worked diligently for a fortifi ed
business community. She was
cited as a major political mentor
and infl uence for incoming
Bronx Borough President Vanessa
Gibson. She was 86.
Later in the month, Morris
Park residents sounded off
on the NYC Parks Department
for its stalled construction of
Loreto Playground. The Parks
Department began work in the
park on September 2020 to repave
the multi-purpose play
area at Loreto Playground
with asphalt. Yet, construction
stopped in October and residents
calling the unfi nished
park an “eyesore.”
The planned park renovations
still haven’t been completed.
By the end of May, a frontrunner
had yet to emerge for
the Democratic nomination for
New York City mayor. A latemonth
poll had shown that excop
and Brooklyn Borough
President Eric Adams had secured
18% voter confi dence
a month before the June primaries,
with former presidential
candidate Andrew Yang
and City Comptroller Scott
Stringer with 15% apiece. Yang
would fi zzle to a fourth-place
fi nish and Stringer’s candidacy
would dry up over the next few
months following two allegations
of sexual misconduct.
The Bronx also broke
ground on the borough’s latest
cultural monument, The
Universal Hip Hop Museum
located in the Concourse Village’s
Bronx Terminal Market.
The museum honors the Boogie
Down Bronx as the cultural
birthplace of hip-hop, but is
still temporarily closed due to
COVID-19.
JUNE
With the June primaries
setting the stage for a new era
in New York City politics, voters
not only needed to acclimate
themselves to the host of
candidates vying for the Democratic
nomination, but also the
city’s new ranked-choice voting
process.
Despite widespread confusion
with ranked-choice voting
that would be addressed
by community organizers and
lawmakers next month, Eric
Adams, considered the moderate
Democrat in the fi eld of
candidates, would emerge as
the Democratic nominee to
face Republican Curtis Sliwa
for New York City mayor. Adams
surged ahead of the fi eld,
despite impressive challenges
from sanitation head Kathryn
Garcia and progressive lawyeractivist
Maya Wiley.
In the primary for Bronx
Borough President, City Councilwoman
Vanessa Gibson
emerged victorious, while
Bronx progressive Marjorie
Velázquez had a standout primary
performance — handily
defeating her four primary opponents
— en route to securing
the Dems nod to represent the
13th Council District.
Additionally, the Bronx received
a harrowing news on
its COVID-19 recovery in a report
from state Comptroller
Thomas DiNapoli. DiNapoli’s
report showed the Bronx had
been economically ravaged by
the pandemic losing 9,600 jobs
and seeing its unemployment
spike from 5% in February
2020 to 24.6% by May 2021.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, DEC.16 31, 2021-JAN. 6, 2022 BTR
In the borough’s post-recovery,
Bronxites sounded off on
the need for eviction moratoriums
to be extended and city
lawmakers fought back against
third-party delivery apps levying
onerous 20% or more fees
on local mom and pop resturants.
JULY
As the dust from the June
primaries settled and New
York City offi cials looked to
take advantage of increasing
vaccination progress in efforts
to reopen the city’s stalling
economy, the Bronx was ignited
by a whirlwind of rallies
and demonstrations and a rise
in COVID-19 cases due to the
emerging delta variant.
Protests took center stage
in the northernmost borough
throughout the summer
months of 2021. Whether it
was CUNY employees chiding
CUNY administrators for its
lack of transparency in it’s reopening
plans or Fordham Avenue
street vendors sparring
with local business leaders in
efforts to have street vending
decriminalized, July was an
explosive month, following the
ceremonial Fourth of July fi reworks
show at Orchard Beach.
The COVID-19 pandemic
continued to play a crucial role
in the Bronx’s stop-start recovery.
Throughout the month of
July, COVID-19’s most transmissible
and contagious strain
to date, the delta variant, led to
a spike in nationwide coronavirus
infection rates, particularly
among the unvaccinated.
At the time, 41.9% of New York
City’s general population were
unvaccinated, with the Bronx
among the city’s least inoculated
regions.
Locally, the Bronx Times
broke allegations of sexual
abuse against South Bronx
builder Louis Gigante, a former
priest and NYC councilman.
AUGUST
The month of August saw a
seismic shift in the New York
City political landscape.
Democratic Gov. Andrew
Cuomo — a career politician
once-thought to be unassailable
despite growing concerns
of his conduct and grim reports
of his mismanagement
of COVID-related data from
state nursing homes during
the pandemic — ends his decade
long run as governor on
Aug. 24 after a state attorney
general’s report found that
the second-generation politico
sexually harassed 11 women.
Cuomo’s ugly exit from the
Governor’s offi ce would lead
the way for New York’s fi rst
female governor, Kathy Hochul,
also a Democrat, who
was elected lieutenant governor
in 2014, replacing former
Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy on the
ticket with Cuomo for his third
re-election. Hochul would be
tasked with addressing rising
COVID-19 cases in the state
— New York has seen positive
COVID-19 cases skyrocket by
nearly 200% since Aug. 1.
Nonetheless, Bronxites
fl ocked to Orchard Beach for
a star-studded concert to celebrate
the hopeful reopening
of New York City, despite COVID
cases climbing by the 200s
daily. However, resistance
against vaccines mandates for
private and public sector employees
began to surface.
Quality-of-life concerns
also mounted for Bronx residents.
Incoming environmental
concerns loom. The offi cerinvolved
fatal shooting of a
24-year-old Michael Rosado in
the West Bronx divides a community
with some demanding
justice and accountability
for his death. A Zerega Avenue
porch collapse tragically
claimed the life of an 8-yearold
and renters in the Bronx
rallied for eviction moratoriums
shining a light on increasing
tensions between
Bronx tenants and landlords.
-Robbie Sequeira
continued on page 18
Year in Review
Protestors clash with police outside the 46th Precinct in Fordham on Friday, Sept. 3. Photo Adrian Childress
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 63, tendered
his resignation, effective Aug. 24.
Photo Mike Groll/Offi ce of Gov. Andrew
M. Cuomo
Eric Adams speaks at a New York
City primary mayoral election
night party in Brooklyn, June 22.
Photo courtesy Reuters/Andrew Kelly
Former Deputy Borough President
Aurelia Greene with Borough President
Ruben Diaz Jr. File photo
NYC Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson
increased her lead in the Bronx
borough president’s primary. Photo
courtesy Vanessa Gibson