Bronxites unhappy with Albany
by Thorsten Schier November 15, 2009
Photo Credit: Thorsten Schier
Councilman Oliver Koppel has seen a lot of political wrangling in the 39 years he has been active in New York City politics.
Even he is shocked, however, by the current state of the government in Albany. “It seems fairly clear that there are problems,” Koppel said in an interview. “It is a result of the heavily partisan nature of politics in New York.”
Koppel spent 23 years in the State Assembly and is currently the Democratic councilman for District 11 in the Bronx. He sees Senate Majority leader Pedro Espada as particularly responsible for the turmoil. “He’s been terribly irresponsible in the manner in which he has conducted himself. Some of his failures are shocking,” Koppel said.
Last summer, Espada, who came to Albany as a Democrat, caused a Senate stalemate when he suddenly ended the new Democratic majority by switching to the Republicans. When the Democrats made him a better deal a few weeks later, he switched sides again. Espada represents District 33 in the Northwest Bronx, where he is still popular. Many Bronx residents, in other districts share Koppel’s view that he has done a lot of harm in the Senate.
“He’s a joke, and so is the Senate. It’s an embarrassment to the Bronx,” said Greg Weber, 37, who resides in Pelham Bay. Weber has no sympathy either for Senator Hiram Monserrate of Queens, who joined Espada in siding with the Republicans over the summer. “He should be in jail,” said Weber of the Senator who was recently convicted of misdemeanor assault charges against his girlfriend.
“Espada gave the Democrats a black eye,” said 40-year-old Wheeler Powell, by “bringing disarray” to the Senate. “It [Senate] is not in good standing with the citizens.” Even though Espada is widely criticized, some people admire his political savvy. “[He] is a shrewd politician,” said Jose Martinez, District Manager of Community Board 4 in the Bronx. “He knows how to navigate the murky waters of legislation.” Martinez, 35, joked that Espada’s political ballet in the Senate “should be taught in political science classes.” He said however that these political games were delaying action on important issues: “State government needs to see how it can drive the deficit down in a way that will have the least impact on social services.”
In general, Bronx residents do not have much faith in Albany. Many see Governor Paterson as partly responsible for the malaise because he has not taken any decisive steps against misbehavior like Espada’s. “He’s not someone you look to for leadership,” said Bronx resident Daniel Cruz, who works for Saona Technologies at 571 Southern Boulevard. “The governor also created this crisis.” Some residents, like 46-year-old Maurice Green are upset that Paterson came to power after former governor Spitzer resigned because of his involvement in a prostitution ring. “He don’t know what he’s doing,” said Green in an interview. “He just lucky because of Spitzer’s activities.” Others, like 19-year-old Ricardo Niguglioni, who lives in Highbridge near Yankee Stadium, said minorities expected more from the Governor. “Being a black man in America, we thought he knew the struggle.”
Many Bronxites say they pay little attention to state politics because they are so disillusioned with the process. “State government is always corrupt,” said Gus Birren, 58, at a political rally in Kingsbridge. “Whenever politicians get to office, they totally change.” Others think people just don’t get enough information about the state. “Things go on in Albany that people don’t know are going on,” said Steven Sloan, 28, a member of the family that owns the Morton Williams supermarket chain that started with a store in the Bronx.
“I don’t believe in politics. There’s too much controversy, deception and lies,” said Andres Martinez, a student at Hostos community college. Guillermo Rivera, 20, who also attends Hostos college, said he struggled to make sense of the information coming out of Albany. “There are just too many stories. I don’t know which side to believe.”
Marylin Gittel, a political science professor and director of the Howard Samuels Center for advancing democracy in communities at CUNY, said she is not surprised that people in the Bronx are disillusioned with Albany. “That’s because New York state government is rated as one of the worst in the country. It’s three men in a room making decisions. People haven’t seen the state in their lives, they don’t feel like they have a say. Where does their money go? They have no idea.” She said having people like Espada in the Senate does not help improve people’s perception: “He seems like exactly the kind of person you would not want for the job.”
Bruce Berg, Associate Professor of political science at Fordham University in the Bronx, said that “the behavior of Espada and Monserrate has exacerbated people’s negative views on state level.” Berg said the only way the renegade Senators have been able to get away with their behavior has been the inherent weakness of the Democratic Party. Berg said the Senators’ behavior “showed a lack of loyalty to the party and to their constituents.”
Berg said Bronx residents are just echoing the views of most New York residents: “Given what’s happened in New York State government over the past year, the Bronx residents are really no different from any other New Yorker.”
