Talk Bronx New York

City Freezes Bronx Councilman’s Million-Dollar Non-Profit Play

Amid recent revelations about a secret Council slush fund and taxpayer-funded shenanigans at non-profits, the city has denied Councilman Larry Seabrook’s near million-dollar request to fund a new non-profit that’s located within his district headquarters.

The city system of checks and balances denied the Bronx Democrat’s appropriations, freezing his Fiscal Year ‘08 requests of $887,244 to fund the newly founded Bronx African-American Chamber of Commerce. The non-profit did not have the proper paperwork in place for the money to be released.

A divider is all that separates the commerce chamber, at 3687-B White Plains Road, from Seabrook’s district headquarters at 3687-A White Plains Road.

The office of United States Attorney Michael Garcia would neither confirm nor deny that Seabrook or the Bronx African-American Chamber of Commerce were targets of the ongoing federal investigation, said spokesman Yusill Scribner. That investigation has already snared two former aides to Brooklyn City Council Member Kendall Stewart for their roles in funneling Council cash to the Donna Reid Memorial Education Fund, and then taking that money for personal use.

Neither Seabrook nor Carl Green, director of the Bronx African-American Chamber of Commerce, returned repeated calls for comment. The organization also denied repeated requests to furnish public records about its financing.

Being less than a year old, the Bronx African-American Chamber of Commerce does not have much of a public profile, only receiving media attention for a recent press conference to discuss a program to train minority applicants to become truck drivers. A group flyer announces the “Jobs to Build on Initiative,” jointly sponsored by Seabrook, that “offers free training and employment services to low skilled, unemployed or under employed individuals.”

According to the New York State Department of State, the Bronx African-American Chamber of Commerce was founded on May 2, 2007 — just weeks before the deadline for council members to submit requests for the FY2008 budget. The group incorporated using the Bronx address of 1530 East 222nd Street, but now shares Seabrook’s office. Read more..

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 ”If You Don’t Ask You Don’t Get” .. To Teen Program Activists RE Funds

 A Bronx neighborhood has done an end run around a city agency to get an after-school program for its teens, after years without one.

John Fratta, district manager for Community Board 11, has been complaining for months about the lack of after-school programs for local teens.

But the Department of Youth and Community Development responded that since no one in the district had applied for funding when they should have years ago, local kids were out of luck.

So Fratta, politicians and community leaders got creative.

The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center went grant hunting and secured $100,000 from the Boys and Girls Club, hopefully to be matched by the city Housing Authority for a program in the Eastchester Gardens Community Room this year.

“I know deep in my heart you are not going to get the bad kids off the street no matter how you try,” Fratta said.

“But we’re going to get those marginal kids that might become bad kids if they don’t have something to do.”

He said several other teen programs outside of the city youth agency are in the works, including one at an unused gym at Jacobi Medical Center that might become a community center.

Leaders are looking for funding for a Police Athletic League program.

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