Bochinche & Buzz: December 26, 2017

Exclusive scoops & insider gossip by Gerson Borrero

Invite-Only Brooklyn Summit on NYC Speaker tonight

In the eyes of most insiders, the selection of Council Member Corey Johnson as the next Speaker of the New York City Council will be a mere formality on January 3, 2018, but for some folks “this ain’t over.” One usually talkative bochinchero told me that the public condemnation of the process by some Black leaders is “legit.” To that end, a "by invitation only meeting" has been scheduled for tonight (Tuesday, December 26, 2017) from 6-9PM at the House of the Lord Church at 415 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, NY. What’s puzzling to some, including this journalist, is that there was never public concern expressed by any of the eight male candidates about the selection process of the leading candidates. They all competed. Some were in the game for longer periods of time and others for less. Now, there are some who say that it must be a Black council member selected this time around. “We can holler all we want. We are going to give it a shot. But, I’m not hopeful,” said a bochinchero that at times has given me a few solid tips. A bochinchero I spoke with who has not been invited to the summit posed this question: “Why don't they go to the courts and accuse the five county leaders of meddling in a process that legally mandates the 51 members to select the Speaker?” Buena pregunta, I thought. So, I ask those discontented with the process, why don’t you go that route? It seems simple enough, right? Stay tuned bochincheros...

Cuomo’s SOS Puerto Rico showstopper

Look for Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to use 15-20 minutes of his State of the State speech on January 3, 2018 to talk about what the Empire State has done under his leadership to assist in Hurricane María recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. A precise litany of neoyorquinos’ help to the island will be told in the unique style for which the Guv is known. “Words will be precise and his voice will rise against what he perceives has been the deliberate neglect by Trump,” said a bochinchero who has been a soldier in Cuomo’s efforts. “At times I get pissed off at him, sometimes more than once a day...and definitely every time I get paid,” a bochinchero legislator who wants a pay raise this year told me recently. There’s buzz that Cuomo has enough footage from his three recent trips to the Isla del Encanto for a video presentation as part of the SOS. In addition, present at the SOS address may even be a few of the workers that have been on the ground on the island the longest period of time. Expectation, say several bochincheros, is that this will be among the highlights of the Governor’s address. But then there’s the reality check from another bochinchero, a Boricua legislator: “What Cuomo has done is appreciated. My question is does he get a pass on all that needs to happen with us here?”

Señor Cuomo, for some, your turn has to be more than bells and whistles.

Oh My, District Leaders Looking to Boot MMV!

Come January 1, 2018 the only title that Melissa Mark-Viverito will hold is Democratic female District Leader in East Harlem’s 68C. According to two very well-informed bochincheros, the soon to be former Speaker and City Council Member from the 8th Councilmanic District will be ousted from her District Leader post “sooner rather than later.” One of the bochincheros, who has had it with Melissa, said: “We have no use for her divisive and self-interest style politics.” 

The move began in earnest about a week ago by active Democrats from Lower Manhattan and is gaining force among other District Leaders in the Democratic Party. “There’s been talk of what to do with Melissa for quite some time,” one Manhattan Democrat confided. Another bochinchero who is part of the move to “botarla como bolsa," said, “Melissa is no activist. She’s a rich, spoiled brat. An aristocrat.” Asked why this didn’t occur sooner, the bochinchero's response was, simply, “We were so busy with all the underhanded crap she was doing to sneak her puppet on the BOE that we couldn’t lose focus.” Look for Article 3 of the Party Rules and Regulations and the Ethics Committee to be used to build the case for the removal of Melissa out of the unpaid volunteer position that is called for a vote every two years by the voters within each district. 

Remember, gente, it's all bochinche until it's confirmed.