BMNAR holds First Annual Legislative Breakfast May 29

By Eliezer Rodriguez, Esq. Looking back at the month of March, it was probably the busiest month I had since taking over as the association executive officer for The Bronx Manhattan North Association of Realtors (BMNAR). Mostly because we are still looking to fill a staff vacancy, preparing to meet the new core standards established by the National Association of Realtors, we added two new events to our calendar of events as well as staying on track with our planned events for May and June. On April 22, BMNAR celebrated its 91st Annual Banquet. Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda was our keynote speaker and over four-hundred stars from the real estate world and their friends attended our black-tie affair and celebrated with our honorees. What a night for me and my family as Kathy Zamechansky, BMNAR 2015 president, presented me with the President's Award. I was caught completely by surprise. Kathy has some good ideas for BMNAR and it has been a pleasure working with her so far. The month of April ended in a spectacular manner when my wife, Fiordaliza Rodriguez, was sworn in by mayor Bill de Blasio as a newly appointed Judge in The Bronx Family Court. I love you, Honey, now go administer justice. In May we celebrated at the president's cocktail reception with Zamechansky and Christina Leigh Stevens, president-elect. We all had a good time in an intimate setting and all in attendance had an opportunity to meet our leadership. The reception was also used to promote our first ever Legislative Breakfast. The Legislative Breakfast is a new initiative that Zamechansky outlined early in her term. Many from the reception did attend our "First Annual Legislative Breakfast" with members of the city council, on May 29. Thirty guests were expected, but 47 people attended and were treated to a free breakfast and a magnificent panel discussion, moderated by Gary Axelbank, the host of BronxTalk, on issues important to the real estate industry. Realtors are part of the largest professional trade association in the United States which includes over one million residential realtors and commercial practitioners involved in all facets of the industry as brokers, sales agents, property managers, appraisers and attorneys, to name a few. We may not always agree on the issues facing the real estate market or the obstacles to achieving the American dream of home ownership. We must, however, listen to all sides as that is the American way. The panel for the morning's discussion was comprised of four members from our city council. On behalf of Zamechansky and Ellen Feld, BMNAR's Legislative Breakfast Committee chairperson, I want to thank councilman Jimmy Vacca, councilman Ritchie Torres; councilman Fernando Cabrera; and councilman Andrew Cohen for making our First Annual Legislative Breakfast a major league success. I want to especially thank my friend, Gary Axelbank, for the incredible job he did leading the discussion on pending legislation, policy initiatives and the importance of promoting and protecting a fundamentally sound real estate market so we can continue to build vibrant communities to live and work. The next free Legislative Breakfast will take place on June 30th and the panel will be comprised of members from the New York State Assembly and Senate. We march forward to June where a few members were put in the spotlight as we prepare for our 91st Annual Golf and Tennis outing on June 15. Yours truly was presented with The Bronx Realty Leader Award by The Bronx Jewish Community Council (BJCC) at their 6th Annual Breakfast of Champions on June 5, 2015. I usually do not accept awards, but BJCC is an organization that provides an invaluable service to the entire Bronx Community. If you like, you can call my office at 718-892-3000 and make a donation to BJCC. Every little bit helps. Matthew Engel V.P. at Langsam Property Service Corp and past BMNAR President, received the Elias Karmon Business Leader of the Year Award at The Bronx County Historical Society's 60th Anniversary program where the valedictorians of The Bronx High Schools were honored. Congratulations to the valedictorians and to Matt for a recognition well deserved. Our 80th Annual Golf and Tennis Outing will tee-off on June 15, 2015. This year, we added a new component to our Outing -- introductory lessons. If you want to learn how to hit a little ball with a crooked stick or be an ace on the tennis court, then sign up and let the fun begin. For more information on our planned events, please contact Eliezer Rodriguez, Esq., at 917-608-0466 or Janine Schall at 718-892-3000. Finally, don't forget to invest in RPAC. Eliezer Rodriguez, Esq. is the association executive of BMNAR, Bronx, N.Y.