Michael Kaess

@michaelkaess.bsky.social

311 Followers 185 Following

East Bronx urbanist

Chippewa Democratic Club - Council District 13 Candidate Questionnaire Responses (Joel R. Rivera) May 12, 2025 What notable endorsements have you received thus far? Hon Jose Rivera, most importantly my two teenage sons, and am awaiting responses from 2 major unions and several key elected that overlap my district. I expect to be endorsed by John Zaccaro and Nathalia Fernandez. Once on the ballot. Possible Ruben Diaz JR.
We also asked for Gibson’s comments on the suggestion that there may be some on the left side of the Bronx Democratic Party who may have been critical that a fundraiser was reportedly held for her campaign by Gene DeFrancis, president of the Allerton International Merchants Association, who previously ran as a Republican, and who told Norwood News he had attended a proud boys rally in Washington D.C. some years ago.
Facebook post by candidate John Perez: What a disgrace, " I'm from the streets, Yo!" Joel Rivera yelled uncontrollably and repeatedly in a tantrum, and violate our traffic laws as he did last night at the Morris Park Community Association, triple-parked outside the venue. this is just his habit.
What is the first bill you hope to pass in the City Council? I would really like to support the school choice bill.
Gibson’s campaign defended the decision to have DeFrancis host a fundraiser, noting he’s a military veteran and the president of the Allerton International Merchants Association who opened up a storefront to collect donations for families that lost their homes in a fire.
GIBSON’S ‘PROUD’ FUNDRAISER: Democratic Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson held a fundraiser Tuesday hosted by Republican former Assembly candidate Gene DeFrancis, who has defended the Proud Boys after rallying with them supporting Trump’s false claims of a stolen election. DeFrancis was caught on camera saying “we’re going to bring some Proud Boys back to the Bronx” at the December 2020 “Million MAGA March” in Washington D.C. DeFrancis’ politics aren’t a secret — his comments were covered by the Norwood News and the Daily News, and Republican City Council Member Kristy Marmorato had to defend herself in a televised debate after DeFrancis endorsed her, saying she asked him for a Proud Boys membership card “and he couldn’t produce one.”
Good afternoon Mr. Kaess, Apologies for the long overdue response. The following was sent to the other inquirer: We appreciate your interest in our Project and your patience while we reviewed this inquiry. At this time, we cannot provide additional details regarding the planned locomotive procurements and assignments beyond what was shared in MTA’s February 24 th 2025, ICYMI Press Release. Decisions related to procurement and planned locomotive use are subject to internal reviews and ongoing planning efforts. More details will become available as we approach revenue service. We encourage you to stay connected with us throughout the duration of the Project. We truly value your engagement and ongoing support for our Project, please let us know if you have any additional questions in the future. I understand that this was probably not what you were hoping for. I will hopefully have more information as we continue to progress this Project. Thank you. Sincerely, Eric Wisnom
Torres: We made them pay $150 for no-show poll worker jobs. There was an agreement between BoE officials. Inner City Press story later.
Me (sitting on the right) timing Borough President Gibson as she speaks to the Bronx Community Board 11 Full Board for over 26 minutes uninterrupted. Everyone wants to go home but it would be rude to leave early.
The suit alleges that local elected officials had undue influence over the awards process. The lawsuit names Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and Deputy Borough President Janet Peguero, in addition to 8th Regiment Partners LLC, which is comprised of Maddd Equities LLC and Joy Construction Corporation, the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and its CEO, Andrew Kimball, and the City of New York. Manny Tavarez with Agallas Equities maintains that Peguero should not have been involved in the Kingsbridge contract because of her work as a lobbyist for Maddd Equities in 2020 and 2021 and her role on the EDC board of directors. During the procurement process, Peguero’s former firm, Constantinople and Vallone Consulting, continued to lobby the armory decision-makers on behalf of Maddd, Tavarez said in an email to the Bronx Times. According to the complaint, Peguero recently resigned from the deputy borough presidency and “is set to return in April 2025” to her former lobbying job representing Maddd on the armory project, which the plaintiff said he learned from a former EDC employee. Gibson’s office did not respond to request to confirm the resignation. Peguero’s inclusion on the armory project was an “extreme conflict of interest,” said Tavarez in an April 1 interview with the Bronx Times. His suit seeks to refer evidence of misconduct by elected officials to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Can someone turn that UP?