Kathy Flynn, SBPB Civic President, with Rep. Anthony Weiner
The ocean is more than just a neighbor to residents of waterfront Brooklyn and Queens, it’s a threat. And one that needs to be taken seriously.
Congressman Anthony Weiner gathered local leaders and the press on what remains of the sands along the Belt Parkway this afternoon to deliver that message to city and state authorities, and urge preparedness in the face of Hurricane Earl. Currently a category 4 storm, Earl is positioned to sweep across the Eastern coast this week.
“We are here for the third time to call on the Army Corps of Engineers of the state to start to deal with this problem before it visits upon us,” Weiner said in his statement. “We understand that, living here in the beachfront path, we have certain risks – that the Atlantic Ocean and mother nature more or less goes wherever she wants. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need to take some smart steps.”
Keep reading, and see video of his remarks and a copy of a letter sent to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Source: Jaszek Photography via Flickr
City Councilman Lew Fidler is questioning the decision-making behind bike lane implementation in his district and across the boroughs, leading the city to re-evaluate proposed lanes in Canarsie and opening the door for challenges elsewhere.
In a letter to Department of Transportation Brooklyn Commissioner Joseph Palmieri, Fidler said it was “imperative that community feedback be factored into any proposed changes.”
The request came following months of outcry from Canarsie residents to the city’s plan to install bike lanes from Avenue D on East 95th Street to the Canarsie Pier, and from the pier to Ditmas Avenue on East 94th Street. The lanes would connect bicyclists to the Shore Parkway Greenway, which extends from Sheepshead Bay to Queens. Neighbors in Canarsie say the city is bike crazy and it doesn’t suit residents’ needs.
Fidler agrees that the plans, devised more than 10 years ago, are flawed and outdated.
Find out what’s wrong with the city’s bike plan, and what Fidler proposes to help.
Courtesy of Cymbrowitz's office
State Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz welcomed four hundred local senior citizens to a luncheon celebrating the end of summer, and connect them with area services.
The August 26 event brought together residents of Chinese, Russian, church and synagogue senior centers for a morning of lunch, music, dancing and giveaways. Representatives from the Social Security Administration, NYC Human Resources Administration and My Turn (a Kingsborough Community College program that enables senior citizens to take tuition-free classes), were on hand to provide information.
Michael Nelson // Source: council.nyc.gov
City Councilman Michael Nelson is demanding the United States Department of State reverse a policy allowing foreign governments to skip out on millions of dollars in city property taxes.
His criticism comes as a panel of federal judges ruled that foreign governments are exempt from local property taxes, citing State Department policy.
But the policy is new, according to the local legislator, and it’s a snub to city residents.
Nelson said a 2009 decision by the State Department exempts foreign governments from local property taxes on portions of their diplomatic office being used for non-diplomatic purposes. According to Nelson, the fed’s stance prior to the new policy was that United Nations missions must pay relevant taxes on those properties, but now the city can’t get them to pay up.
Nelson’s office estimates that New York City is expected to lose approximately $260 million in back taxes and about $7 million a year in current tax revenues.
“Although I am proud and honored that New York City is home to the United Nations, I am deeply concerned about the impact this court ruling will have on local revenue and the message it will send to other nations,” said Councilman Nelson. “I recognize the right to exempt certain properties occupied by foreign governments from paying property taxes yet I firmly believe this should not apply to properties that are used for anything other than diplomatic purposes. Therefore, it is more imperative now than ever that the State Department reverse its policy.”
The Manhattan Beach Community Group is having its “end of summer” meeting tomorrow night. It should be no surprise to anyone that the meeting agenda is dominated by traffic issues, since the summer was marked by another fatal accident. The issue of the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association may also come before the board, after that group claimed to have advanced its agenda further than the MBCG, following a meeting with Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. In an MBCG statement earlier this month, the group said many of the plans forwarded by the MBNA originated with the MBCG traffic committee.
Sheepshead Bites may not be able to make it to this meeting, and we’re looking for someone to record it for us. We can meet you beforehand to lend you a tripod and Flipcam – a one-button operated, cell phone-sized camera. If you’re going, please get in touch with us. Thank you!
The meeting will be at 8:00 p.m. in the auditorium of P.S. 195 (131 Irwin Street).
Source: council.nyc.gov
New York Post is beating up on City Councilman Lew Fidler after discovering that he’s involved with a company profiting from police brutality cases.
Fidler serves as the general counsel for LawCash, a company that gives cash advances to people it believes will win a lawsuit, and then takes a hiked-up interest rate after a winning verdict. According to the New York Post, LawCash’s roster of clients includes many high-profile police-brutality suits, including Joseph Guzman, a victim of the hail of bullets that killed Sean Bell, and Abner Louima.
UPDATE (8/24/2010): Fidler contacted Sheepshead Bites with additional information about LawCash and the criticism from a Supreme Court Justice. See his response at the end of the post.
The councilman is well taken care of by the firm, which he said pays him between $60,000 and $80,000 – a nice part-time gig to supplement his $127,500 salary as a council member.
But is it a conflict of interest for a city legislator to be “betting against the city,” as the NY Post labels it? Not according to Fidler.
“There is no contact with the city of New York,” Fidler told the newspaper. “What possible conflict would there be, as I do no business with the city?” Fidler added that he doesn’t have any choice in which plaintiffs to invest in, and that decision is left to the company’s underwriters.
Keep reading to see other reactions to Fidler’s involvement with LawCash, and weigh in on the topic.
Congressman Weiner and Councilman Fidler in a pointlessly photoshopped image.
Councilman Lew Fidler isn’t finding an ally in Congressman Anthony Weiner for his crusade to protect consumers from feuding cable companies and content providers. But the councilman says it’s just a matter of time before he successfully woos the federal representative to his aid.
Fidler is pushing a City Council resolution to urge the federal government to support new rules governing deal-making between over-the-air broadcasters and their cable foes.
In a comment left on Sheepshead Bites, the councilman asked constituents to contact their federal representatives and “DEMAND that broadcast stations—the ones who seek and accept a license from the FCC to use YOUR public airwaves—NOT be permitted to charge retransmission fees. I will stay on this soapbox and continue to raise this issue tho the City Council has limited power over this largely Federal issue.”
Fidler will need the aid of federal representatives, since the companies are governed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Legislators will need to direct the agency to take up the issue and enact new policies.
But Congressman Weiner is reluctant to get involved, and said the contracts are a private business issue and should be left between the participants.
Keep reading to see what Weiner had to say and how Fidler reacts, as well as why the councilman thinks this is an important issue for all consumers.
I’ve written before about the controversial method of “hydrofraking” near New York City’s watershed, and the State Legislature has finally put the brakes on business proposals until it’s been thoroughly studied. Absent from the discussion, though, were Sheepshead Bay’s two state senators – Marty Golden and Carl Kruger. Here’s a report from the Bay Ridge Journal, with information drawn from Brooklyn Eagle.
The New York State Senate, in what has been called a historic move, has passed a bill, S8129B, temporarily halting natural gas drilling permits in the state’s watershed until May 15, 2011.
The moratorium is believed to be the first in the country.
The moratorium buys the state time to assess the risks involved in the controversial natural gas drilling technique called “hydrofracking” or “fracking”.
The state assembly is expected to approve its version of the bill, A11443, in September, officially enacting the moratorium.
State Senate Majority Leader John Sampson, a Democrat representing Brownsville, Canarsie and East New York, co-sponsored the bill, joined by Brooklyn Democratic Senators Eric Adams, Velmanette Montgomery, Kevin Parker, Diane Savino and Dan Squadron.
According to a poll taken by Senator Sampson, the majority of New Yorkers favor a ban on hydrofracking.
Democrat Carl Kruger abstained from the vote. Republican Marty Golden was MIA.
Brooklyn Assembly Members Jim Brennan, Alan Maisel and Janele Hyer-Spencer support the Assembly version of the bill.
Source: weiner.house.gov
Congressman Anthony Weiner took on a broad range of topics during yesterday’s hour-long telephone town hall meeting, touching upon neighborhood and international issues alike.
Weiner’s star continues to rise on the heels of the Democratic healthcare victory, and he made clear in the beginning of the call that he’s now tackling economic issues.
But that didn’t stop residents from picking the congressman’s mind about climate change, civil rights, stimulus funds, healthcare, social security, education and even the perceived threat mosques present to the United States.
You can hear the full audio of the call here:
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Keep reading to see excerpts of some of the more interesting responses Congressman Weiner gave during his telephone town hall.
