Assemblyman Carl E. Heastie, in conjunction with Path Mark grocery stores, provided turkey dinners for seniors and families in the Northeast Bronx for Thanksgiving. In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, turkey dinners with "all the fixins" were given to local families so residents could enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

"I would like to recognize the work of Path Mark grocery stores as they help local families enjoy the spirit of the holiday season," said Assemblyman Heastie. "This is just another example of how New Yorkers share the holidays with each other," stated Assemblyman Heastie.

Assemblyman Heastie, with the help of the Food Industry Alliance, solicited the donation and provided the coordination of this event.

Assemblyman Carl E. Heastie questions witnesses at the Public Hearing on Demographic Research and Reapportionment.

On October 24th, 2007, Assemblyman Heastie held a hearing in conjunction with Roann Destito, Chairwoman of the Assembly Government Operations Committee, to hear public input on the subject of redistricting reform. Much of the testimony was directed at specific legislative districts and specific areas but there was also substantive testimony regarding proposed changes to the way the state draws legislative districts. Witnesses expressed support and opposition for a proposal that a non-partisan panel be created to draw the legislative districts in 2012.

To produce these district maps, many considerations need to be accounted for to ensure that the districts are drawn to meet constitutional requirements. The duties of his task force are very important, as it works to establish an electorate that is representative of the people that live in that area.

Nereid Nursing Home Director Margarita Riviello visits Carl Heastie at Autumn Open House.

The second annual open house was a tremendous success that served as a way for the community to get together. Parties shared concerns and proposals for how to make the Northeast Bronx an even stronger community.

"This type of event really helps me to represent this community to the best of my ability. When people gather together to socialize, it is second nature for our main concerns to come to light because we share so much in common. It’s a pleasure to have everyone come into the office and just say "Hello" because my office and staff are here to serve the community," stated Assemblyman Carl Heastie.

Assemblyman Heastie discusses local issues with residents of Tilden Towers 1.

On Novemeber 15th and November 29th, Assemblyman Carl Heastie held meetings at Tilden Towers 1 and Tilden Towers 2, respectively. At the meetings local residents gave feed back to the Assemblyman on community issues they felt needed improvement in the local neighborhood. The meeting was very constructive and gave Assemblyman Heastie new ideas on what efforts would benefit local residents and the community. The Assemblyman and his staff are currently taking steps to address the issues raised at the community gathering.

We are currently putting together a schedule for additional meetings. If your organization or block association would like to have the Assemblyman and his staff attend your gathering please contact Chief of Staff Marricka Scott-McFadden at 718-654-6539.

As part of a new approach to addressing the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court case, the Legislature passed $427 million in funding to provide for "Contracts for Excellence" for each and every underperforming school district. Through Assemblyman Heastie’s support, Community School District 11 will receive $12,731,158 to improve the quality of education in the district. These funds are to be spent in four areas of improving education: class size reduction, time on task, teacher-principle quality, and full time pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Schools in the 83rd Assembly District continue to be some of the most overcrowded in the state as a result of overdevelopment and new home construction.

54.9% of the $12.7million will be dedicated strictly to class size reduction efforts. Class size reduction is mainly comprised of paying for new teachers and the creation of new class rooms. The new classrooms also include equipment and supplies that would be required to conduct classes in those rooms.

The State Legislature was able to provide a record-setting amount of $712 million to improve New York City schools and require the Department of Education to use a significant part of it to reduce class sizes in all grades. The New York City Department of Education has estimated that 1400 new teachers should be realized from the $257 million the city school district will receive from the Contract for Excellence program alone. Community School District 11 is expected to gain approximately seventy-six new teachers as a starting point to lower class sizes in our schools.

"The Contract for Excellence program is about accountability. It requires schools to use money for state approved programs that improve performance. Our schools need smaller class sizes and more resources, and that’s what this funding will accomplish," said Assemblyman Carl E. Heastie.

Assemblyman Heastie continues his effort to support our community by collecting toys and then donating them to children living at women’s shelters within the Northeast Bronx. From November 12th to December 17th, Assemblyman Heastie’s office has collected new/unopened toys to give to children at local homeless shelters. This program has been a huge success for the past few years and helps bring some holiday joy to less privileged children.

Thirteen percent of the children in the United States are living in poverty. In New York City a record of 9,400 families and 14,000 children seek shelter each night. Due to the generosity of the members of the Northeast Bronx Community, on the 21st of December the Assemblyman and his staff visited local shelters and gave the gifts to the children who were staying at the shelter during the holiday season.

"I would like to thank the residents of the Northeast Bronx, who have generously given gifts to make a young child’s Holiday a little more joyful," said Carl Heastie. "It’s events like this that make me proud to represent such a caring community. I would like to thank those businesses who joined in this effort by allowing us to use their offices as drop-off sites. I would also like to specially thank the people who donated toys to those who are in need," stated Assemblyman Heastie.

The Bronx Business Alliance is a great source for FREE business advice for small business and aspiring entrepreneurs in the Bronx.

The Bronx Business Alliance’s mission is to assist the small businesses in the North Bronx. Through their vast number of linkage partners, they are able to help small businesses in many areas. They will assist those who want to start a new business with the necessary start-up tools. The Business Alliance offers the following assistance and more:

Start-up Assistance
Business Plan Development
Identifying Financing Opportunities
Marketing Assistance
Financial Management Assistance

For more information call the Bronx Business Alliance 4309b White Plains Road 718-231-2847 / 718-231-4324 Fax