Debate On Ending Pre-Trial Detention; Cash Bail System
City and state legislators served as debaters and judges at a debate sponsored by The Fortune Society and the Rikers Debate Project. On Tuesday, December 19, The Fortune Society’s Reentry Debate Team, joined by members of the New York State Legislature, the Mayor’s Office, the City Council and the Ford Foundation, participated in a parliamentary debate on the critical issues […]
Electeds Collect Winter Coats For Families in Need
Council Member Costa Constantinides, Assembly Members Aravella Simotas and Brian Barnwell, and NYS Senator Michael Gianaris gathered on December 21 with over 100 winter coats donated by community members for families in need. Coats were collected at the elected officials’ offices as part of a holiday season coat drive. The lightly used winter coats were donated to New York Cares. […]
Simotas’ Small Business Bills Signed Into Law By Cuomo
Small businesses in New York State will be getting some relief from red tape, thanks to a package of three bills authored by Assembly Member Aravella Simotas which have been signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The new laws will also increase transparency and public participation in agency rulemaking. Simotas sponsored the bills as Chair of the Administrative Regulations […]
I On Politics
CROWLEY CO-SPONSORS BILL TO REVERSE FCC REPEAL OF NET NEUTRALITY: House Democratic Caucus Chair Joe Crowley (D-NY) issued the following statement after co-sponsoring legislation that would reverse the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to repeal net neutrality rules: “A free and open internet is vital to American ingenuity. The partisan decision by President Trump’s FCC chair and the commission’s Republicans to […]
Ushering In 2018
The year 2000 seems like yesterday. Or at the most it feels like 3 years ago – certainly not 18 years! But here we are, and we know it is true, for the calendar says so. The transition from old year to new is really only a human construct, but with so many major events tied to specific dates, seasons, […]
Letters to the Editor
RIP Light Rail The defeat of Queens NYC Council Member Elizabeth Crowley may also signal the end of the line for her proposed Long Island Rail Road Lower Montauk branch Light Rail Project. Council Member Crowley was the chief advocate for this project. Her successor, newly elected NYC Council Member Robert Holden, is not a supporter of the project. The […]
Ridgewood Reservoir On The NYS Register Of Historic Places
The New York State Historic Review Board voted unanimously on December 7 to add the Ridgewood Reservoir to the New York State Register of Historic Places. The application to list the site on the National Register has been submitted to the National Park Service with approval anticipated for April 2018. The historic Ridgewood Reservoir is a 50- acre natural oasis […]