Special Press Screening 1/27/21 NYC Council District 11 Debate On Bronxnet
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J BTR AN. 29-FEB. 4, 2021 29
BY SABRINA E. MORRISSEY
Hon. Bianka Perez has been
my friend for 13 years. She was
sworn in as a Supreme Court
Justice on December 10th in
what was the fi rst virtual induction
ceremony in New York
by Zoom call. I am so happy for
her, and I know she will be a
terrifi c
A Justice in Bronx County,
since 2017, Judge Perez has
presided in the Civil Court
of Bronx County. Prior to her
fi rst election, Judge Perez was
a sole practitioner. She was
Bronx Democratic Commissioner
of the New York City
Board of Elections from September
2014 through June 2016
and was elected the fi rst Latina
President of the New York City
Board of Elections in January
2016. She also served as Administrative
Law Judge with
the Offi ce of Administrative
Trials and Hearing from 2012
to 2014. She served as President
of the Dominican Bar Association
in 2012 and 2013 and
was the Parliamentarian of
the Bronx Democratic County
Committee from 2012 to 2014.
Judge Perez graduated from
New York Law School in 2000.
There were many dignitaries
in attendance for
the December 10 ceremony.
Among them were Presiding
Justice Rolando T. Acosta,
who administered the oath of
office. How did Judge Perez
and I meet? Where else, but
in a Courtroom? I was Petitioner’s
counsel in a guardianship
case, and Judge Perez
was appointed as Court Evaluator.
I will never forget the
difficulty she had, traveling
to 60 Centre Street for several
court appearances before
Hon. Milton A. Tingling.
You see, Judge Perez was
very pregnant with her third
daughter, Gabriella. Despite
the difficulty, Judge Perez
showed up and did her job
well. I remember even now
how serious and calm she
was. She really made a strong
impression on me.
Judge Perez, not surprisingly,
has made a similar
impression on many others.
The Zoom call was maxed
out, with the overflow crowd
watching the ceremony as it
livestreamed on Facebook,
through the efforts of the Dominican
Bar Association.
I wish Judge Perez many
wonderful years on the bench,
and I am so pleased that I was
able to witness her induction
ceremony. Judge Perez proudly
wore her Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsberg pin. In keeping with
Justice Ginsberg’s philosophy,
Judge Perez said, “I do this for
my daughters, and for all of
the little girls who need to see
that this is possible for their
lives, and that hard work does
pay off.”
First Virtual Induction Ceremony
Held in New York State
BronxNet and The Riverdale
Press are inviting members of
the press to a special advance
screening of a NYC Council
District 11 Candidate’s Debate
on Wednesday, January 27th at
3pm. Please RSVP to audrey@
bronxnet.org and we will provide
the credentials for the advance
screening.
The debate, produced by
BronxNet in partnership with
The Riverdale Press presents
candidates Carlton Berkley,
Eric Dinowitz, Jessica Haller,
Mino Lora and Daniel Padernacht’s
views on a wide range of
topics including housing, police
accountability, public safety, education,
small business survival
and more. Riverdale Press Editor
Michael Hinman and Bronx-
Net Reporter Sonyi Lopez host
the program which includes
questions from community organizations
and a special Q&A
on education issues with Lehman
College students.
The seat currently held by
Councilman Andrew Cohen who
is leaving for a judgeship, is located
in an area that includes
the Bedford Park, Kingsbridge,
Riverdale, Norwood, Van Cortlandt
Village, Wakefield and
Woodlawn neighborhoods.
The program will be broadcast
to the public on BronxNet
CH 67 Optimum / 2133 Fios on
Tuesday, February 7th at 7pm.
BronxNet is the independent
not-for-profit public service network
serving the people of the
Bronx with media production
training, youth media services,
access to technology, and television
channels. BronxNet programs
six channels – 2133, 2134,
2135, 2136, 2137 and 2138 on the
Verizon Fios system and six
channels – 67, 68, 69, 70, 951 and
952 – on the Optimum system in
the Bronx. BronxNet’s ultra-local
programming helps connect
the Bronx with the world while
our training programs and partnerships
are a part of community
development through media.
For more information visit:
www.bronxnet.org.
/www.bronxnet.org
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/www.bronxnet.org