Election Day is Here!!!

The big day is finally here. Thank you to everyone who has helped us with this campaign. We truly could not have done it without all of the hard work that all of our dedicated volunteers gave us. This has truly been a grass-roots campaign that was run by people who care about this community.

Throughout this entire campaign, we have barely noticed any effort on behalf of our oppenents in Annabel Palma's camp. Today we saw an SUV with a couple of posters taped to it, but that's it. We also saw one or two campaign flyers on the ground, and a stack of flyers at a senior center, but we never saw anybody hand them out. If people are out there supporting Annabel Palma, they are few and far between. For whatever reason, nobody from that camp has even bothered themselves with this election.

The one thing we've learned with this campaign is that there are a lot of people out there who are disatisfied with the Democratic Party political machine. However, what remains unclear is whether people will be willing to vote for somebody new on a different party line than perhaps they are used to. That will be the big test with tomorrow's election. We have obviously outspent, and outcampaigned Annabel Palma. We have given away thousands and thousands of flyers and bags, spent hours and hours at subway stations and bus stops, visited every corner of the district and met with countless people. Will it be enough to outweigh those who robotically vote Democrat out of habit or loyalty, regarless of how little campaigning is done? We shall find out tomorrow.

Clean-up effort at the Field of Dreams

If you were watching News 12 yesterday, you may have seen the piece on the Parkchester Little League clean-up of Field of Dreams park. We were there helping with the effort, meeting parents, and listening to their concerns. As you may know, Field of Dreams tested positive for some form of contamination. But the NYC Parks Department refuses to tell the community what the contamination is, or how much of it is there. Various community groups have submitted freedom of information law (FOIL) requests at least 6 times tofind out this information. Parks refeuses to give any answer.

Toxic Tour video now up on YouTube!

A newly released video from the campaign provides a summary of the thought-provoking “toxic tour” of the 18th City Council District hosted by Walt Nestler. The video follows the route of this bus tour as it makes stops at various contaminated sites. At each stop, Walt explains what the issues are and what should be done:
Renovation issues at Noble Park
Following the (lost) money at Starlight Park
Contamination at a former Loral manufacturing site
Questioning why the Soundview Park recreation center is so far behind schedule
The fact that no local professional firms have been hired for Bronx parks developments
The glut of school bus storage lots and school bus idling on Zerega Avenue
An uncovered Department of Sanitation salt pile that is polluting Westchester Creek
Unknown contamination on the Zerega Avenue waterfront
Community gardens with vegetables growing in contaminated soil, possibly making people sick
high levels of mercury at Castle Hill point
the lack of infrastructure on city streets that cause flooding and the build up of garbage after rain events
contaminated play areas on the Field of Dreams
community agreements that have not been honored regarding the soundview compost facility
illegal dumping.

But with each stop on the tour, the question was asked: where has the incumbent City Council Member Annabel Palma been on this issue? Why are no current elected officials on top of this?

The video can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zraLOziZ3Y&feature=email

Appearance on Bronx Talk

Tonight I had an opportunity to talk to all the residents of the Bronx on the borough's premier cable talk show - Bronx Talk, hosted by Gary Axelbank. Originally planned as a debate in conjunction with the League of Women Voters, my opponent, Annabel Palma was not able to attend due to a medical issue. So instead of a debate, the format of the show was an interview where I got a chance to tell Bronxites a little more about myself, my qualifications for the job, and what I would do if elected to the City Council. My thanks go out to Gary Axelbank and the staff of Bronx Talk. I also wish Ms. Palma a speedy recovery - get well soon!

If you missed the show - don't worry. You can still catch it through the end of the week. It will be repeated each day, Tuesday through Friday at 9:00 p.m on Channel 67 on Bronx Cablevision and Channel 33 Bronx Fios. If you don't live in the Bronx, or do not subscribe to Cablevision or Fios in the Bronx, you can also watch the show on the internet at the same time the show is on. Go to: http://bronxnet.org/home/live/webstreamtrial.html at 9:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and the show will be streaming over this website. After next week, the show will be available in the Bronxnet archives: http://bronxnet.fliggo.com/category/bronxtalk

"Toxic Tour" of the district

On Saturday October 24 we did a "toxic tour" to highlight the various environmental issues in the district. We visited a number of sites with hazardous contamination and talked about how cleanup efforts could occur with the right leadership.

The Loral site on Story Avenue is a site that is walled off from the street because it is contaminated. Housing and waterfront park space was supposed to be constructed here, but now the site is just sitting there. Why isn't a cleanup being done? Who is advocating for the active use of this site? Brownfield cleanups occur all over the city to make way for development projects. Why not here?

Here is a Department of Sanitation salt pile that has sat here in the open for years. Road salt is supposed to be covered so that rain doesn't wash it away (into Westchester Creek, which is right behind this pile in the picture). Only recently has this pile been covered with plastic sheets. (Except for the pile in the back which you can make out in the right of the pictures). Before that, it was just left out in the open, polluting Westchester Creek every time it rained. Now it will be polluted every time those plastic sheets are pulled back. Plastic sheets are not enough. There should be a structure over this to prevent the pollution of our waterways!

What's behind this fence? Nobody knows for sure, but we know it's contaminated. Why the City is only putting up signs in Spanish is anybody's guess. There are no signs in english anywhere. The City should be getting information out to people and making sure they are not entering contaminated areas. We should also be cleaning up these areas, not just fencing them off.

We also went to Castle Hill which has a great deal of mercury contamination as well as the City-owned compost facility which has a host of problems. Towards the end of the trip we were entertained by Rick Nestler, a professional singer who has also worked on environmental education efforts through groups like the Clearwater.

The van hits town with music

Today we plied the streets of the 18th District with the campaign van and music. It was great to get out and meet people along the way.

Annabel Palma will not debate!!!!

We have been working with the NYC League of Women Voters and Bronx Talk to have a televised debate on Monday 10/23. Unfortunately, Annabel Palma is saying that she has a doctors apointment that conflicts with the 9 p.m. show time for Bronx Talk, and will not be able to debate.

Unfortunately, this means that the voters of the 18th District will not get to hear both sides of this race.

Please tune in to Bronx Cablevision Channel 67 at 9 p.m. on Monday night to hear Walt live on Bronx Talk, with Gary Axelbank. Bronx Talk is the premiere cable talk show in the Bronx. Because Annabel Palma is not coming, Walt will have the entire 30 minute show to discuss his plan for the district. The show will also be re-run Tuesday through Friday at the same time - 9 p.m. on the same channel. If you do not have Bronx Cablevision, you can watch the show on the internet at 9 p.m. at: http://bronxnet.org/home/live/webstreamtrial.html. At the end of the week, the show will be placed at the archive: http://bronxnet.fliggo.com/category/bronxtalk

Tour de District on Saturday!

On Saturday October 24, I am hosting a "Tour de District" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to highlight areas in the 18th City Council district that are in need of environmental remediation, particularly those along the waterfront.

Our waterfront has been the dumping grounds for hazardous waste for far too long. While City Hall has lavished attention on improving waterfronts in Manhattan and Brooklyn, we continue to have serious environmental problems with the waterfront in the Bronx. Why isn't the City doing more? That's what we hope to discuss.

Those who are interested are invited to participate in a bus tour, which will begin at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Zerega and Westchester Avenues. RSVP is required by calling 917-748-1119 or emailing info@waltnestlerforcitycouncil.org to ensure that there are enough seats on the bus.

Lunch and entertainment will be provided!

Community Board Hearing

Unfortunately, tonight's Community Board hearing for the sound permit for the Parckester Jame Masid Mosque was adjourned without a decision. I was there with the campaign van (parked outside, of course) to hear the concerns of both sides. It was great to see such a huge turnout. It is really great to see so many people involved.

It's been a busy couple of days...

This past weekend we were out and about all across the district, rain or shine, meeting people and talking to them about their concerns. We visted a lot of the Mitchell-Lama buildings in the district, many of which are in danger of expiring under the affordability program and becoming market-rate. This would be a disaster for our community.

I also made visits to two churches this weekend: Saint Peter's and Saint Andrew's - both Episcopal churches serving the district.

Campaign Van comes to Castle Hill

Yesterday we introduced the Castle Hill neighborhood to our campaign effort as we brought the van, literature and a small army of volunteers to the neighborhood. The response was overwhelmingly positive! School bus traffic and idling (and pollution) from the nearby bus depots as well as illegal waterfront dumping are huge issues for homeowners along both sides of Castle Hill Avenue. These are issues that I will work towards solving when I am elected.

By simply showing up to discuss these issues with residents as we passed by their homes, we began to realize that we were engaging residents in a way that they have not experienced in a number of years. People deserve to have elected officials (or candidates) reaching out to them. Apparently not much has happened in that regard lately. But when I am elected, there's going to be a big change in how the community is involved with local government.

We are on the ballot and we are getting matching funds!

Thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign so far! We have really made a lot of progress since we first began. I am pleased to inform everyone that we successfully made it onto the ballot for the November general election under the Green Party line. We have also attained the thresholds imposed by the NYC Campaign Finance Board in order to receive matching funds. So now every dollar we raise (up to $175 from each individual) will be matched 6 times!!!

I believe this will be a competitive campaign that will bring voters of the 18th District a real choice this November. As we gear up the "campaign office on wheels" I look forward to getting out into the district every day to meet people, learn their concerns and try to find a voice for everyone's issues. This blog will serve as a journal for this campaign effort. As we meet with people and discuss what matters to them, look for the conversation to be posted here.