100 PERCENT
By Robert Press
BRONX, NEW YORK, November 8- There were lots of losers this past week due to Hurricane Sandy, but there were also a few winners that I will start with. One big winner was President Obama, for his role in getting much needed federal help to areas that were devastated by the hurricane.
I loved how humble once Republican critic (and big supporter of Obama's opponent) New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was in the photo op with President Obama. If you looked closely at one man standing in the background, I thought he could not hold back his feelings by almost cracking up at the situation of Christie and Obama together. Then there was New York Governor Andrew Cuomo who was johnny on the spot to let people know exactly what had happened, and how things were going. MTA Chairman Joe Lotta was also a winner on the way the mass transit situation was handled, even though he was being micro managed by his boss Governor Cuomo. The final winners were all the emergency workers and city workers such as the police, fire, and sanitation workers who worked through (and who many are still working on) the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
As for the losers, we can start with the biggest loser that being Mayor Bloomberg. As usual it was Manhattan first and the other boroughs last. The mayor in his gall wanted to have the New York Marathon run starting in devastated Staten Island. There was just to much outrage at the mayor for this as the New York Post reported that much needed generators and water were in Central Park for the marathon, and other resources were being diverted for the marathon rather than in hard hit areas that really needed them. The outcome was that the New York Marathon was finally canceled. Other big losers were the people whose homes or businesses were leveled, flooded, or damaged. If you lived by a beach in the path of Hurricane Sandy you found a foot or two of not snow, but sand on your street that had to be dug out. There will still be many other losers of Hurricane Sandy as it will have taken over a week for New York City to somewhat recover. Mass transit in the city will only be at about 85 percent of what it normally is, and New Jersey mass transit will take another week or two to be fully operational. It may take up to a month for parts of Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens to have power restored and then start to recover.
Since election day is after our deadline I will predict that President Obama will be re-elected, and that Democrats have a very good chance to close the gap in the New York State Senate if not regain the majority. I spoke to State Senator Jeff Klein who would be in a position with his IDC to possibly become Senate Majority Leader if Democrats take back control of the State Senate. Klein said a few things off the record, and I would have to agree with what he told me. In the local races I see no surprises with all democrats winning, and we will have to see how large the victories are in the 79th and 80th A.D.'s. In the special election to replace Larry Seabrook I see Andy King as the new Councilman, and again we will have to see by how much. It will be the race for City Hall the day after the election. Once the City Council redistricting is over the race for those city council seats will also happen including the soon to be vacant due to term limits 11th, 15th, and 16th districts in the Bronx.
“The Taste of the Bronx” a 12-day event that began November 5th and runs through November 16th is a perfect way to find great deal in some of your favorite Bronx restaurants. 15 percent off your check, $16.14 lunches, and $20.12 dinners can be found at over 35 participating restaurants. You can go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com to read more and see photos of the kick off of “Savor the Bronx Week” that took place at “Oregano Restaurant” or go to savorthebronx.com.
Don't forget to check my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com for items that come in after our deadline and photos. We are waiting for damage estimates to come in as up to 10 billion dollars already. has been predicted. Having grown up in Far Rockaway in the 1960s Hurricane Donna hit the area, and was called the hurricane of the century as the Atlantic Ocean met Jamaica Bay at one spot. During Hurricane Sandy the Atlantic Ocean met Jamaica Bay in at least three different spots on the Rockaway peninsula. In the Bronx while the coastal areas flooded and trees brought down power lines the damage was not near that of Staten Island, Coney Island, Long Island or the Rockaways, not to mention some parts of New Jersey.
If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.
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