Let Free Market Work in City
The last time we checked, we live in a free-market, democratic society where political gain and false arguments cannot supersede the will of the people and fair competition.
So that is why we find it hard to believe that our political leaders in the City Council would even consider impeding Walmart’s entry into the New York market.
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Two For Man’s Best Friend
It is not often that we get a chance to thank local legislators for their concern for non-voters. In this case, the City Council recently passed two pieces of important legislation that protect animals and public safety at the same time.
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Riverside Center Clears Hurdle
By Dan Rivoli
Extell Development Co. cleared the last major hurdle in approval of its Riverside Center development after two days of intense negotiations with Council Member Gale Brewer, Community Board 7 staff and the Speaker’s staff. Read more
Brewer Leads Hearing on Voting Snafus
City Council members demanded answers from the city’s Board of Elections Monday, Oct. 4, regarding its handling of the Sept. 14 primary. New optical scan voting machines were debuted during that election, causing headaches for some voters.
During the hearing, poll workers and public interest groups voiced their concerns about voter privacy, late poll site openings and quality of worker-training to Gale Brewer, the Upper West Side Council member who chairs the Government Operations Committee. Read more
NEW CHAIR FOR COMMUNITY BOARD
Mel Wymore was elected chair of Community Board 7 last week. Helen Rosenthal, who led the board for two one-year terms, was barred by term limits from running again.
Wymore likely made a bit a civic history by becoming the first transgender chair of a community board.
The Arizona native, who moved to the Upper West Side in 1988, has been on the board for 13 years. She said her proudest accomplishment has been the revitalization of the 59th Street Recreation Center.
As chair, Wymore wants to broaden the board’s agenda beyond zoning applications and permits.
“There’s a whole plethora of issues out there in the community around which there are no application processes, such as healthcare, senior citizens or housing,” Wymore said. “The community board has an opportunity to engage on these issues and make a difference.”
Rosenthal, who planned to run for City Council before term limits were extended, will stay on the board she has served on for more than 10 years.
Rosenthal said she is most proud of her push to provide detailed analysis of new developments in the neighborhood, increased meeting transparency and community outreach.
Rosenthal was also appointed co-chair of a mayoral task force on the future of community boards.
Our Election Picks
Lest the daily overflow of campaign mailings didn’t tip you off, there is a primary election in New York City on Sept. 15, with several key offices up for grabs. We hope that voter turnout will be high to reflect this particularly important juncture in city history.
Readers should note that for two of these offices (comptroller and public advocate), the winner from a field of four candidates needs to get 40 percent of the vote. That means that if no one broaches the 40 percent mark—a very likely occurrence—there will be a Sept. 29 run-off election between the top two contenders, prolonging the politicking. Read more
Jewish Home Land Swap
Representatives from Jewish Home Lifecare, an organization that provides health care for seniors, met with community groups on Aug. 12 to unveil a proposal to redevelop its West 106th Street nursing home in Park West Village, on West 100th Street.
To bankroll the new nursing home, a project that has long been in the works and was originally planned for the south side of West 106th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, Jewish Home was going to sell part of its property to a developer. Read more
Protect Vendor’s Rights
To the Editor:
Aren’t you glad that highly paid City Council members can dedicate so much time to writing and passing laws aimed at one person? I guess New York City is otherwise in very good shape that there is nothing more important for these two “public servants” to do.
This proposed law is also 100 percent unenforceable. Are the police going to stake out every vending stand with a stopwatch, or just arrest and summons thousands of vendors as a form of harassment, regardless of how long their stand was unattended? Read more
COMMITTEE HEARING FOR VENDOR BILL
On Nov. 4, the City Council’s consumer affairs and immigration committees held a joint hearing on a number of bills regarding city vendors, including a bill sponsored by Council Member Gale Brewer and nine other Council members. The legislation would prohibit vendors from leaving their wares and tables unattended on the sidewalk or public space for more than 30 minutes. If left unattended, police officers would be allowed to seize the goods. The legislation was drafted in part to address the activities of a vendor on West 73rd Street and Broadway who leaves his table of used books unattended overnight, sometimes sleeping under the table.
“I can’t understand how that’s legal,” Brewer said. “All I’m saying is remove the books at night.”
The bill received support at the hearing from Thomas Ferrugia, director of government relations for the Broadway League.
The bill must be voted out of committee before it can be brought to the full Council for a vote.
G&T PROGRAMS
Two City Council members have penned a letter to Schools Chancellor Joel Klein criticizing Department of Education policies that they argue have decreased the diversity of the city’s gifted and talented (G&T) programs.
“Despite being forewarned by academics, parents, advocates and other stakeholders that the proposed changes would not have the desired effect, DOE proceeded to implement the ill-advised modifications,” wrote Council members Robert Jackson, chair of the Education Committee, and Lewis Fidler in the letter.
Part of the problem, the argue, is the department’s admission process for entry level G&T programs, which is based on the weighted average of two standardized tests.
The department defended the “rigorous” two-test admissions process and criticized Jackson and Fidler’s proposals to increase equity and representation within G&T programs. The Council members proposed, among other ideas, setting aside 10 percent of this year’s kindergarten seats in each school district for G&T programs next year.
“The council members propose to dilute standards in favor of a system where large numbers of students who score below the 10th percentile on a national scale would be admitted to gifted programs, and where the accident of a student’s address might determine whether she qualifies as gifted,” said spokesperson Marge Feinberg in a statement. “We won’t allow our teachers to face unwelcome pressure from parents who want their child to be classified as ‘gifted.’”
