Dear Neighbor,

Thank you for joining us for another week in review. 

We are asking Bronxites to join us this evening at Dewitt Clinton High School to weigh in on the future of Mayoral Control of our NYC public schools.

Facts about Mayoral Control:

• Mayoral Control was implemented in New York City in 2002 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

• Mayoral Control grants the Mayor the power to name the city’s school chancellor and a majority of the members in charge of the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP), overseeing the city's Department of Education.

• However, the State Legislature must periodically reauthorize the mayor's power every few years.

• Before Mayoral Control, schools in New York City were governed by a Board of Education and elected community school boards.

• Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a two-year extension of mayoral control over New York City public schools on July 1, 2022

All members of the public are invited to attend, and written testimonies can still be submitted here. We hope you can join us.

We also want to congratulate our very own Cardinal Hayes High School football team on winning the New York State Catholic High School Football Championship against St. Francis! This is a historic victory and an important moment in Bronx football history. On behalf of our entire borough, we salute them.

Lastly, we want to remind Bronxites to exercise caution this winter, as we unfortunately continue to see fires across our borough. Our main priority is to ensure our residents and families are safe and have the tools to protect themselves and their loved ones. Click here for these potentially life-saving fire safety tips. 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 718-590-3500 or email us at webmail@bronxbp.nyc.gov.

In partnership,

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson

IN THE COMMUNITY

A major development is coming to the Bronx!! We are so excited to break ground on the Lower Concourse project that will bring a new 2.3-acre park along the Harlem River waterfront. This important project is part of a larger $194M commitment to transform the Harlem River corridor with new infrastructure upgrades, streetscape enhancements, and connections to our waterfront.

Components of the Lower Concourse Park will include:

🌳 A welcome plaza that will display signage about the history of the Bronx

🌳Playground area that will feature swings for all age groups, stations for children ages 2-5 and 6-12, and a splash pad.

🌳A living shoreline to help protect the land from erosion and trap greenhouse gases. The shoreline will also have plants and rain gardens to ease flooding by absorbing excess stormwater.

🌳& much more.

The New York State Comptroller released a report highlighting exactly what we know to be true – that the Bronx is resilient and that our residents and small businesses are creating the blueprint for promoting economic growth and prosperity in our city.

Despite the South Bronx being one of the neighborhoods in our borough hardest hit by COVID-19, we are seeing this community rebound as a result of public-private investment that has helped to keep our mom-and-pop stores open, provide safe and quality housing for our residents and decrease historic poverty levels that for years have prevented Bronxites from achieving the American dream.

Increased job creation, public-private partnerships, and support for our small businesses have led to an economic revitalization post-COVID-19.

We were proud to celebrate the 111th Independence of Albania and recognize the important contributions of our Albanian American community. Our diversity is our strength, and we recognize the partnerships built with our Albanian community. Over 100,000 Albanian Americans call our City their home, including thousands in the Bronx. 

On International Day of People with Disabilities, we joined Senator Kristen Gillibrand, advocates, and colleagues in government to raise awareness and shed light on the issues impacting our veterans living with disabilities in our borough. A special thank you to the Throggs Neck Memorial Post-American Legion for hosting us and for their support of our veteran community in the Bronx.

UPCOMING EVENTS

ICYMI