Bronx City Council Candidate: Fernando Cabrera

Running for: City Council, 14th Council District, The Bronx

Year Running: September 2009 (Democratic Primary)

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Website: http://fernandocabrera.us/

Candidate Bio:

Thanks for taking an interest in my campaign. I have dedicated my life to serving my family, community and churches. I am running for City Council in District 14 because I have a passionate desire to make a positive difference and bring social transformation in our community. As you know, our community is in desperate need for meaningful change and we cannot no longer afford for the needs of the community to be ignored. It is time for proven leadership to be given an opportunity to bring about changes you have been asking for.

Let me share a few things about myself. I have devoted my life, over the last 20 years to serving the Bronx. My wife, Elvia Cabrera, and my two wonderful children, Lissette Feliciano (27 years old), married to youth leader Carlos Feliciano and Joshua (19 years old) have worked together with me to bring positive change in the Bronx. I recently became a grandfather to my first grandchild Zechariah Feliciano. I am a 44 year old native of the Bronx. I grew up in Carolina, Puerto Rico with my parents, Angelo and Iris Cabrera, and three brothers. From the age of 14, I was raised by my single mother, who gave totally of herself to make sure that me and my brothers would gained the education I needed to live a quality life. In 1988, me and my wife started a life changing church called New Life Outreach International, which now has grown to nearly 400 people. As a pastor, I have led a congregation who have brought about community action against violence, implementation of youth leadership programs, free drug rehabilitation services and support groups, all without receiving a salary. I WORK FOR YOU.

I have worked in leadership positions since my early twenties. I directed one of the most successful rehabilitation programs in the nation called New Life for Youth. I have also worked as a Substance Abuse Intervention Prevention counselor servicing most of the Bronx High School. Working in the substance abuse/alcohol field has enabled me to get a real understand of the lack of funding and services needed. In 1992, I became a bilingual school counselor at Walton High School. Working in our public school system was a rude awakening as to how many public schools are failing our children. I earned my doctorate degree in Counseling from Argosy University and in the year 2000 I became the program director for the Counseling graduate program at Mercy College. I am a firm believer in education and granting access to minority students at the college level. The Counseling program almost tripled under my leadership at Mercy College. I also started the first Mental Health Counseling graduate program in New York State. I was the only Hispanic program director in the New York City area colleges. For the last four years, I have co-chaired the Hispanic-Jewish Relations Task for the Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion. We brought communities together to work together, which projects such as “It is My Park” clean up day at St. James Park. I served s a Community District 7 board member from 2004 to 2006. I WORK FOR YOU.

I have lobbied state assembly men to halt the reduction of funding for senior citizens, rehabilitation programs, and schools. Since 2007, I have worked in the process of assuring local jobs for local community members at the Kingsbridge Amory. I led the largest March for Youth in the Bronx, advocating for the old Fordham Library be turned over to the community as a Youth Dream Center. I have coordinated. I have advocated for lower gas and food prices in marches. I WORK FOR YOU.

I am presently leading and working in an innovative joint venture to create 80 apartments and community space. The housing development project will create one of the news green buildings in the area. It is time to green up the Bronx. Having suffered from asthma as a child, and with one third of Bronx children suffering from asthma, I am committed to create a Bronx where children are not so susceptible to asthma prone conditions. I have co-sponsored the Dare to Inspired concert series at St. James Park, providing free first class entertainment to youth and adults. I WORK FOR YOU.

Throughout the years, I have been honored by numerous organizations and political figures, such as a Citation of Merit from Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, Latin and African American Chaplain organization, and other organizations. But my biggest honor has been to have a wife, children, church and community worked together to bring social transformation in our community.

I love the Bronx. That love has brought me to this point and what I hope will be the opportunity to serve the Bronx as the City Councilman in District 14. The Bronx’s future is promising, but we need strong leaders to guide and shape that future. While all the candidates are good people, I am the only one that has the track record of accomplishments and a vision for the future. Further, no other candidate has the education, experience and understanding of the issues that I do. I am the candidate best equipped to serve you in making our city even greater. I hope that you’ll support me as I try to make a difference AND WORK FOR YOU!

Queens City Council Candidate: Bob Friedrich

Running for: City Council, 23rd Council District, Queens

Year Running: September 2009 (Democratic Primary)

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Website: http://www.bob2009nyc.org/

Candidate Bio:

Think all candidates are the same? Think again. Bob is NOT a politician, Never worked for one and has been fighting for our community as a Civic Leader for two decades. Bob represents the best of civic responsibility – Honesty, Integrity and Leadership, all achieved as a Volunteer Civic Leader while working full-time!

Bob Friedrich is a lifetime resident of Queens, attended only NYC Public Schools, graduated from Queens College with a degree in accounting and finance, served on Community Board 13, and is President of Glen Oaks Village – New York’s largest garden apartment co-op with 10,000 residents and a microcosm of the district.

A short list of Bob’s Solid Record of Action, Not Promises:

· Led a 3-year battle through a maze of regulatory agencies giving residents of our co-op the unprecedented ability to utilize unused attic space by raising their roofs. This has substantially reduced the residency turnover rate as people choose to enlarge their co-op apartments for their growing families. This has strengthened our community with long-term residency at an all-time high.

· Pet Lovers: Made NYC’s largest garden apartment complex Pet-Friendly by allowing residents to own dogs and cats provided they followed a set of fair and reasonable rules. Created White Whiskers Program, providing services and funding to volunteers to humanely reduce the feral cat population via the Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program which is recognized by humane societies worldwide as the best way to control feral cat populations. Bob is working to establish a dog run in an underutilized neighborhood park.

· Created the Presidents Co-op Council a think tank of local co-op board presidents representing 20,000 units of residential co-op housing in eastern Queens. Our mission is to share ideas, gain political clout and seek bulk-purchase discounts with a goal of improving the way co-ops are run and improving the quality of life of our residents.

· Created Green Thumb Eco-Program in Glen Oaks Village which has been responsible for planting more than 100 trees throughout the community, transforming a mile long stretch of Little Neck Parkway from a weeded eyesore into a Greenstreets and helping support the Queens County Farm Museum. Bob is fighting with other community leaders to save the Klein and Cornell Farms – the last remaining farms in Queens.

· Written about and exposed unfair co-op taxing policies and successfully argued a co-op tax audit case saving hundreds of thousands of dollars for community residents. As an accountant Bob understands tax issues and will aggressively pursue property tax relief for single-family homeowners.

· Bob has actively opposed double-digit water rate hikes and has proposed allowing co-ops and single-family homeowners full deductibility of future water rate hikes in excess of inflation from their property tax bills. Voila! -- a simple solution that will cap these unconscionable annual rate increases.

· Bob proposed A Better $400 Tax Rebate Plan. Bob’s plan would have had the city issue $400 Stimulus Certificates instead of a $400 rebate check. The Stimulus Certificates could only be used at NYC businesses. Bob’s idea would inject an immediate boost into the city’s economy. It would be good for business, good for consumers and great for the economy.

· Mom & Pop Shops need our help. Bob proposes a “1st-Half Hour Free” parking at Muni-meters located on commercial strips – the home to MOM and POP shops competing with large box stores that all offer free parking. This will encourage local shopping and give a boost to these endangered small businesses.

To see more of Bob’s record of “Action, Not Promises” and more of his innovative and creative solutions to community problems, go to www.Bob2009NYC.org