Clemente showing his pride, #21 reflecting all the letters to his full name. One day we will all celebrate when we get this number 21 retired from all of baseball

NYC: Councilwoman, Melissa Mark-Viverito introduced several pieces of legislation at yesterday's Stated Meeting, some of which were re-introductions from the last term. Of particular interest to many sports fans, Puerto Ricans and loyal Clemente supporters was RES #10: Calling for Commissioner Allan "Bud" Selig to retire Roberto Clemente's #21. In my opinion, this resolution has much wider and revealing repercussions for all constituents than to simply urge a commissioner to retire Clemente’s # 21.

This issue of trying to pass a simple resolution to urge the baseball commissioner to retire Roberto Clemente’s #21 from all of Major League Baseball is embarrassing to the entire Latino & African American City Council delegation. The fact that similar resolutions have been passed in over 7 other US cities and 5 municipalities in Puerto Rico and we can't get it passed here in the largest city with the largest concentration of Puerto Rican's in the country is shameful to every Puerto Rican, Latino and African American. The added fact that the national campaign, Retire 21 was started here in New York and that the offices are here in the Bronx is added insult to injury.

Though this might be seen as a simple "non-binding" resolution, it is in its simplicity that we see how weak our community really is. Weak because we have elected officials who are totally detached to the concept of "community empowerment." We see how many of these self-serving elected officials can't see that this resolution represents more than a gesture to tell Major League Baseball commissioner to consider something that is just, but more importantly it tells the world that our community is "united." It tells all that our community can unite on common simple issues that affect our community. It tells us that our Puerto Rican elected officials can come together on something. It tells us that our Puerto Rican elected officials can get support from other Latino & African-American elected members on something.

If our elected officials can't unite on something as simple as this non-binding resolution, how can we expect them to unite on the other important issues that affect our community’s survival?

Where was and where is our majority leader, Joel Rivera? Mr. Rivera committed himself over a year ago to help pass this resolution and has not been heard from since. His office has not even returned phone calls, or answered any of he letters that were mailed to him. Imagine, a Majority Leader whose office can't even return a phone call, or respond to a letter?

How about New York City Council, Christine C. Quinn, Speaker who is the single person responsible for holding back this resolution that passed the lower committee's public hearing, "unanimously." The fact that the NY Post wrote an editorial criticizing the actions of the council as "silly & wasting the city's time and letting baseball handle its own issue." What else can you expect from a newspaper tabloid that is so out of the reality from real news that only its gossip and sports are the reason people even read the paper.

Shame on both, Ms. Quinn and Joel Rivera, you both reflect some of the problems of the Democratic Party and our elected representatives in this city.