OUT FOR BLOOD
Brooklyn Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, fresh from a victory in the June 26 primary, is out for Naomi Rivera’s blood.
The absentee assemblywoman did find time to go to Brooklyn with boro Assemblymen Marcos Crespo and Nelson Castro to endorse Nydia’s challenger, Councilman Erik Dilan.
We’re told Naomi did it for a friend, but that didn’t stop Velazquez vehemently vowing vengeance.
She isn’t just “lending her name” to challenger Mark Gjonaj.
“I’m going to go in and I’m going to campaign,” she told us. “I can assure you, that when I come to the Bronx, all those Latinos know who I am. Believe me, those Latinos, they love me!”
Velazquez, going into her 11th term, said she’s already spoken to Gjonaj twice, and when she gets back from a week’s vacation, “I’m going to be sitting down with him. I think I can help him.”
The congresswoman did NOT show up at Gjonaj’s first big fundraiser at Maestro’s Thursday night.
It was packed with folks from the local Albanian-American community, but not to read into that. We’re told a LOT of folks who support Mark would prefer at the moment to do it on the down low lest County start twisting arms well ahead of the Sept. 13 primary.
GROUPIE SNOOKI That was some photo op for Naomi, on stage with Charlie Rangel at his victory celebration, making the front page photo in the NY Times, a West Side English-language newspaper.
Not sure if Boro Prez Ruben Diaz Jr. shoved her up there next to him (he got cropped out), or it was Charlie’s people propping her up as payback to Dem Party Boss Carl Heastie for pulling out the stops for Charlie.
And what’s with those heavy black-rim glasses? Hey, whatever it takes to look smart.
BRONX NO TO J.Lo
We hear Jennifer Lopez wanted to do a free concert at Orchard Beach, but her people reportedly just couldn’t get it together.
Maybe it’s better that they didn’t.
“With the traffic mess there, it would have turned into another Woodstock,” sayeth one of our sources on this one.
Even though it would have been a free concert, never let it be said that Jenny From the Block wouldn’t try to milk some bucks from her nebulous roots in the Boogie Down, like for a video and CD.
That Fiat auto TV commercial she did, showing all those south Bronx street scenes with her talking about her local roots was a joke.
Since leaving her MIDDLE CLASS home in the Castle Hill, section of the Bronx, J. Lo has done zip, nada, bubkes for this borough.
PARKING MESS
Speaking of Orchard Beach, when-oh-WHEN are they going to put some poles up with row and aisle letters and numbers in that sprawling parking lot?
Lotta folks at Friday night’s fireworks show found themselves wandering around afterwards with cranky, crying kids, trying to remember where the hell they parked their cars.
Probably even worse on a hot summer’s day.
If you agree, throw a comment into the column.
BUDGET BASH
Now that the City Council’s inked a final Fiscal Year 2013 budget, pending Mayuh Mike’s signature, we eagerly await seeing Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s rewards and punishments to local members.
• Council bad boy Larry Seabrook, on trial a second time for non-profit funding hanky panky, has already had his hand slapped away from the cookie jar, with Quinn and Bronx delegation head Annabel Palma parceling out funding to The Fox’s northeast Bronx district.
• West Bronx Councilman/minister Fernando Cabrera openly called Quinn a liar after supposedly promising him she’d support a resolution calling on the state to let houses of worship use public schools. We now eagerly await seeing her Christian charity for his district.
And need we say it? Should anybody really care any more if the next mayor plays budget brinksmanship, threatening to close City Island’s Ladder Co. 53? And should good fortune smile on him, we’re saving the clipping from that island rally where mayoral wannabe Bill Thompson swears on a fire helmet he WON’T close the company. Just in case….
COP CORNER:
• CONDOLENCES to the family of Lt. Chris Pupo, 40, who died after a four-year battle with cancer after ‘working on the pile” at the World Trade Center. The special ops lieutenant at the 4-1 Precinct, he was “a cops’ cop.”
• MAKIN’ THE $$$ Congrats 4-7 Precinct detective squad C.O. John Fitzpatrick, upped to lieutenant commander detective squad.
APOLOGIES
To 49th Precinct Community Affairs Officer Vic DiPierro for some bad editing on a story about him being deservedely honored as cop-of-the-year. His dad Frank is happily very much alive. We owe you, Vic.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
On Monday, July 2, to Joe Regina, head of the new merchant development program for the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, and Association of Merchants and Business Professionals of Westchester Square. Try saying THAT five times fast!
Got some hot gossip? E-mail Kappy at bkappstatter@cnglocal.com.
