A Bronx Night in Albany

You should know that this coming Tuesday, June 18, 2013, the Borough of The Bronx will finally have its day of recognition here in Albany, New York.

As you know, every single group has their day or night here in Albany. We have Brooklyn Night, Buffalo Night, Bangladeshi Day, Afro-American Day, Black & Hispanic Caucus Day, Italian Night, Polish Day, Chinese Day, lobbyist days, etc...

The Bronx has never gotten its day before, but now, a group of Bronx elected officials under the leadership of Senator Jeff Klein and Assembly Members Jeff Dinowitz and Mark Gjonaj - together with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. have decided that our great Bronx County should have its day of celebration, Albany style. This is especially significant, now that Crain’s Magazine has reported that The Bronx is no longer the borough with the highest unemployment rate, and also since the New York City Police Department Statistics show that The Bronx has the lowest crime rate of all times.

It is important for you to know that even though I do not participate in many of these celebrations, they are good to relieve the stress that sometimes one must endure by sitting in the Senate Chamber and listening to some of our colleagues in their explanations of their issues, beliefs - and sometimes nonsense.

This week, for example, we sat down for hours in the Senate Chamber to hear Senator Michael Giannaris lay aside over 100 pieces of legislation, put all of them on hold, and by the end of the day, put them back in the normal calendar. What better than the thought of a celebration of an Albany-style group night event to go and relieve that kind of stress.

What about when Senator Liz Krueger takes more than one hour to stand on the Senate floor to argue and describe the million things wrong with a piece of legislation, and after she has gone through a lengthy explanation of all the illnesses of the bill, she finished by saying "I am voting in favor of this bill." Could you imagine - after one hour of criticizing a piece of legislation and then voting in favor of it? When the day is over, what better than to run to one of an Albany-style group night to relieve the stress!

On Tuesday, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will travel to Albany and join with our Bronx Senate and Assembly delegation to celebrate for the first time ever "Bronx Night."

This is a great opportunity for us to alleviate the stresses that are sometimes caused by some of our own colleagues in the State Legislature.

The organizers of this activity are reaching out to Bronx Merchant Associations, Business Improvement Districts, Community Planning Boards, Community leaders and anyone who is interested to inform and invite them to this first "Bronx Day" celebration.

Limited transportation by bus is being provided by the organizers for those interested in attending the event. In order to make their appropriate arrangements for transportation, people should contact the office of the Honorable Mark Gjonaj at (518)455-5844 or email BronxdayinAlbany@gmail.com.

So ladies and gentlemen, Bronx Night will not only serve as a way to release some of the day’s anxieties but also to celebrate the new achievements of Bronx County in regard to employment, crime and now being named the place to live, eat and do business.

This is Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.