Local Bay Ridge Election Results

By on November 7, 2012  Featured story, Politics
Nov 072012
 

1:00am, November 7 – Declared winners in Bay Ridge so far are all incumbents – Representatives Michael Grimm and Jerry Nadler, State Senator Diane Savino, and Assemblyman Felix Ortiz.

1:30am, November 7 – State Senator Marty Golden and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis have also been declared winners in their reelection bids.

1:55am, November 7 – Alec Brook-Krasny is the winner in the 46th Assembly district. All area incumbents held onto their seats.

Incumbent candidates are noted with an asterisk. Declared winners are underlined, where applicable.

Results as of November 7, 8:00pm, via WABC:

Congress – District 11 (with 100% reporting)

Republican Congressman Michael Grimm (left) defeats Democratic challenger, Mark Murphy. (Grimm photo: Brian Hedden. Murphy photo via Facebook/Mark Murphy campaign).

  • *Michael Grimm (R, C) – 94,102 (52.8%)
  • Mark Murphy (D, WF) -82,401 (46.2%)
  • Henry Bardell (G) -1,782 (1%)

Congress – District 10 (with 98.8% reporting)

  • *Jerrold Nadler (D, WF) – 145,381 (80.7%)
  • Michael Chan (R, C) – 34,848 (19.3%)

NY Senate – District 22 (with 100% reporting)

Democrat Andrew Gounardes (left) is defeated by Republican incumbent Marty Golden (right). (Photos: Andrew Gounardes/Flickr and Erica Sherman)

  • *Martin Golden (R, C, I) – 35,720 (58.1%)
  • Andrew Gounardes (D, WF) – 25,761 (41.9%)

NY Senate – District 23 (with 100% reporting)

State Senator Diane Savino (left) defeats her Republican challenger, Lisa Grey (right).

  • *Diane Savino (D, WF, I) – 43,440 (76%)
  • Lisa Grey (R, C) – 13,682 (24%)

NY Assembly – District 64 (with 100% reporting)

Democrat John Mancuso (left) has lost to incumbent Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (right).

  • *Nicole Malliotakis (R, C, I) – 19,252 (61.7%)
  • John Mancuso (D, WF) – 11,965 (38.3%)

NY Assembly – District 46(with 100% reporting)

Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny (left) leads his Republican challenger, Tom McCarthy.

  • *Alec Brook-Krasny (D, WF) – 13,224 (58.7%)
  • Thomas McCarthy (R, C) – 8,882 (39.5%)
  • Patrick Dwyer (G) – 404 (1.8%)

NY Assembly – District 51 (with 84% reporting)

  • *Félix Ortiz (D) -14,759 (86.1%)
  • Henry Lallave (R) – 2,385 (13.9%)

State Assembly Redistricting: Who Are We Voting For Today?

By on November 6, 2012  Featured story, Politics
Nov 062012
 

Today is election day!

There have been a few changes to Congressional, State Senate, and State Assembly districts since the last election. This article reviews the new boundaries for Congressional districts that cover Bay Ridge, and lists the candidates that have their names on the ballot (* indicates incumbent candidate). Remember, you can locate your polling site through the Board of Elections web site, or text NYCVOTES to 877877.

State Assembly – District 64

A portion of the 64th State Assembly District, which also includes parts of Staten Island.

A significant portion of northern Bay Ridge is represented by the 64th State Assembly District. Replacing the old 60th district, the 64th represents a little less of the neighborhood than it did before. Portions of the district also lie in Staten Island. The candidates on the ballot are:

[UPDATED] Tree Uprooted On 75th Street Between 4th Ave And 5th Ave

By on October 29, 2012  News
Oct 292012
 

Downed tree on Bay Ridge Parkway. (Photo: Katie Wong / Office of Senator Marty Golden)

The Daily News just reported that as of 11:44 a.m. a large tree is down on 75th Street between 4th Ave and 5th Ave.

Wind hazards like downed trees and power lines are why, although most of Bay Ridge is not in an evacuation zone, our readers should remain indoors as Sandy approaches the east coast.

[UPDATE] 12:38 p.m. Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis just tweeted that another tree is down at 78th Street and Colonial Road.

[UPDATE] 7:10 p.m. State Senator Marty Golden tweeted about an hour ago that a fallen tree is blocking 91st Street between Colonial Road and Ridge Blvd.

MTA Fare Hike: Malliotakis Almost Says Something Constructive, Golden Doesn’t

By on October 17, 2012  Traffic & Transit
Oct 172012
 

Subway fares and bridge tolls are going up in March 2013. (Photo credit: Brian Hedden)

Earlier this week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced increases in subway fares and bridge tolls planned for March 2013. There are multiple plans under consideration for subway and bus fares, where the base fare may increase to $2.50, and the cost of a monthly MetroCard will increase to anywhere between $109 and $125 (from $104). The toll on the Verrazano Bridge will increase to $15. Staten Island residents will continue to enjoy a very generous discount not available to Brooklyn residents.

The reasons for the increase are driven by what the MTA describes as uncontrollable expenses, such as debt service, rising faster than the rate of inflation. Under prior MTA Chairman Jay Walder, the agency reduced “controllable” expenses by $525 million annually.

The announcement was met by sharp opposition from state politicians, including Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Bay Ridge) and State Senator Marty Golden (R-Bay Ridge). In a written statement, Malliotakis said: Continue reading »

Miss the debate at Dyker Civic? See the candidates again tonight at P.S. 170!

By on October 11, 2012  Politics
Oct 112012
 

Andrew Gounardes (left) and Marty Golden (right) are expected to debate each other for the second time in three nights, this time at the Brooklyn Candidates Night hosted by the Arab American Association of New York. (Photos: Andrew Gounardes/Flickr and Erica Sherman)

With the postponement-turned-cancellation of The Great Bay Ridge Debate, there’s been a bit of a hole left in the debate scene for local candidates. The Dyker Heights Civic Association filled the void somewhat with their debate this past Tuesday night, which saw a fiery debate between State Senator Marty Golden and his Democratic challenger, Andrew Gounardes.

If you’re looking for something right in Bay Ridge, you can go to PS 170 (7109 6th Avenue) tonight at 6:30pm for the 2012 Brooklyn Candidates’ Night. Hosted by the Arab American Association of New York, the forum invited local candidates for Congress, State Senate, and State Assembly.

Like all very lazy citizen-journalists, I tweeted AAANY Executive Director Linda Sarsour to see who has confirmed. For starters, it looks like Golden and Gounardes will face each other once again – second time in three nights! Continue reading »

As MTA mulls Verrazano toll increase, will local officials take up the Fair Plan?

By on September 25, 2012  Featured story, Traffic & Transit
Sep 252012
 

New York City’s most accomplish traffic planner is pushing for an overhaul of the region’s toll system. Will politicians opposed to a toll increase on the Verrazano Bridge take notice? (Source: Sam Schwartz via Streetsblog.org)

The MTA is considering a toll increase on the Verrazano Bridge, and area politicians like State Senator Marty Golden and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis say they’re not going to take it anymore.

And they’re right to say that the MTA treats drivers in Bay Ridge and Staten Island as a piggy bank to make up all of its budget gaps, but they stop short of offering any solutions of their own.

Enter “Gridlock Sam” Schwartz and his Fair Plan – a complete overhaul of the region’s toll system.

The defining characteristic of the Fair Plan is that drivers pay more to go to and from Manhattan – where economic activity is strongest and mass transit options are most plentiful – while paying substantially less at outer crossings like the Verrazano than they do now.

The tolls have gone up twice since this 2007 slide was issued, but you get the point – there’s no consistent reasoning applied to the areas tolls today. (Source: Sam Schwartz via Streetsblog.org)

Under the Fair Plan:

  • $5 E-ZPass toll charged each direction on all East River crossings (or $7 if paid in cash). This includes bridges that are currently free.
  • $4.60 E-ZPass toll charged on the Verrazano Bridge – a $5 reduction for Brooklyn residents, and a slight reduction for Staten Island residents. (The cash toll would go down from $13 to $8.)
  • Other outer crossing like the Triboro/RFK, Gil Hodges, and Cross Bay bridges would see similar reductions.
  • Bicycles would be charged 50 cents on East River crossings.
  • Truck tolls are restructured to give traffic that doesn’t need to go through Manhattan more incentive to use an outer crossing
  • Miscellaneous improvements to the highway infrastructure, most notably a widening of the Belt Parkway and making it accessible to commercial traffic.

This is considerably different from the current system. Several bridges to Manhattan are free to drive across, despite the multitude of mass transit options. (As a double insult, drivers share the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges with subway riders that are charged $2.25 for the privilege of crossing the East River the same way.) The Verrazano Bridge, on the other hand, has the highest toll in the region and is only served by a small number of bus routes.

This Week’s Fun Stuff – Bay Ridge Events, September 19 – September 27 [UPDATED]

By on September 19, 2012  Event Listing
Sep 192012
 

Cork-born Niall Connolly will perform at the Irish Haven on Sunday, September 23. (Photo via ReverbNation.com)

Remember, you can always access the Odyssey’s full event calendar right here. If you know of an event you think we should add to the calendar, let us know at info@bayridgeodyssey.com.

TODAY, SEPTEMBER 19

  • Bay Ridge Historical Society Meeting: 7:30pm, Shore Hill Residence (9000 Shore Road). The most valuable possession of the BRHS, the Samuel Winter Thomas slides, will be shown and narrated by Peter John Scarpa, President Emeritus of the BRHS. See what Bay Ridge looked like in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Light refreshments will be served. Meetings are free and open to the public. Relive the past with us!
  • Tipsy Reader Book Club: 8pm, Cebu Bar and Bistro (8801 3rd Avenue). “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn – How would you feel if your spouse disappeared? Discuss Gillian Flynn’s book at Cebu with us and win some super prizes from local businesses. Continue reading »

After a Resounding Primary Victory in the 46th District, a Brief Look at Tom McCarthy

By on September 17, 2012  Featured story, Politics
Sep 172012
 

Image source: assembly.state.ny.us.

After “political newcomer” Tom McCarthy’s resounding 70 percent victory over local district leader Lucretia Regina-Potter for the 46th Assembly District’s Republican primary, some of you might be asking yourselves, “Who is Tom McCarthy?” Continue reading »

[UPDATED x2] Great Debate Coming To Bay Ridge September 25

By on September 11, 2012  Politics
Sep 112012
 

Click to enlarge (Image source: Facebook.com).

[2nd UPDATE: This event will be rescheduled to avoid conflicting with the start of Yom Kippur. It will NOT be on September 25. New date TBD.]

Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get ready to ruuuuuumble participate in our electoral process!

On Tuesday, September 25, at 7:30 p.m. the Great Bay Ridge Debate will pit four pairs of major party candidates for public office against one another. It’s incumbent versus challenger as the hallowed halls of Xaverian High School play host to a colossal contest of policy – in order to help you decide who to cast your vote for this November.

The four debates currently on the bill for that evening include:

Michael Grimm (R-C) vs. Mark Murphy (D) – Who will represent New York’s new 11th District in the U.S. House of Representatives? You decide.

Marty Golden (R-C) vs. Andrew Gounardes (D) – In the race for the New York State Senate’s 22nd District, find out where both candidates stand on the issues that matter to you.

Nicole Malliotakis (R-C) vs. John Mancuso (D) – How will the campaign for New York State Assembly new District 64 pan out? See both candidates first hand to find out.

In the final debate, State Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny (D) will take on the winner of a September 13, primary contest between Tom McCarthy (R-C) and Lucretia Regina-Potter (R).

Xaverian High School’s Auditorium is located at 71st Street and Shore Road.

This event is sponsored by the Bay Ridge Community Council as a public service for the citizens of Bay Ridge and beyond.

MTA Payroll Tax Judged Unconstitutional; Will Express Bus Restoration Be Off The Table?

By on August 23, 2012  Featured story, Traffic & Transit
Aug 232012
 

Image source: Wikipedia Commons.

Yesterday, a state court ruled that a regional tax applied to employers in the New York City region to fund the MTA violated the New York State constitution, putting $1.2 billion in transit funding into jeopardy. Continue reading »

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