Treyger Replaces Menchaca As Brooklyn Delegation Co-Chair
UPDATED – Brooklyn colleagues in the City Council yesterday voted in Bensonhurst/Coney Island City Councilman Mark Treyger as the co-chair of the Council’s Brooklyn delegation replacing Sunset Park/Boro Park City Councilman Carlos Menchaca, Crains reported.
The other co-chair is Brownsville City Councilwoman Darlene Mealy.
The coup occurred in the aftermath of a high-profile fight in which Menchaca derailed the de Blasio administration plans for a $115 million project at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.
The publication further reported that some members of the delegation feared the strained relationship between the de Blasio administration and Mr. Menchaca would present problems for the Brooklyn delegation during the upcoming budget season.
But sources told KCP the change had more to do with process than politics.
“Some of the biggest issues the delegation faced came at meeting held with less than 24 hours notice. Everyone has a very busy schedule and nobody wants to come to a meeting where everyone bickers for two hours,” said the source. “Maybe he (Treyger) was picked because he was a teacher. With politicians sometimes you have to keep them focused. A teacher has that kind of experience of keeping everyone on track. It wasn’t politics, but just a need for reasonably scheduled meetings at reasonably scheduled times. It’s a nuts and bolts thing.”
Hamilton, Walker Team Up For NYCHA Tenants
Senator Jesse Hamilton and Assemblywoman Latrice Walker this morning will announce new legislation that gives disabled NYC Housing Authority tenants the first offer on vacant apartments in lower floors.
The “First Offer for the Vulnerable” legislation stems from safety concerns and the difficulties mobility impaired tenants have faced getting to upper floor apartments. Most vividly, a disabled resident of the Howard Houses, 260 Mother Gaston Blvd, who lived on an upper floor was killed in a 2007 fire.
The focus on tenants’ rights will highlight a case where Senator Hamilton playing a crucial role in obtaining legal counsel for Carmen Martias. Martias, who faced near-eviction.
“Every New York City Housing Authority resident deserves fair treatment. The near eviction of Ms. Matias demonstrates that NYCHA needs to make tenant well-being a top priority. Beyond the basics, a tenant-centered approach means consistent attentiveness to the particular circumstances of individual tenants: the elderly, those who speak English as a second language, those with disabilities. Only through open lines of communication can NYCHA and tenants work together to build cooperative relationships,” said Hamilton.
Ortiz Appointed Assembly Assistant Speaker
Sunset Park Assembly Member Felix Ortiz has been named to serve as Assistant Speaker of the New York State Assembly by Speaker Carl Heastie – the first Hispanic to hold the title in assembly history.
Ortiz has distinguished himself as a leader in Albany developing groundbreaking, progressive public policies. He has passed landmark legislation in areas of worker rights and safety, obesity prevention, banning the use of cell phones while driving and advocating for increases in organ donations. He is sought by fellow legislators across the nation for help passing legislation similar to his in other states and in the U.S. territories.
He has worked with First Lady Michele Obama on obesity prevention measures. As a result, his health care initiatives were added to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. During his tenure in the Assembly, Ortiz has served as chair of several key standing committees and legislative task forces including Cities, Veterans Affairs, Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Food, Farm and Nutrition and the Legislature’s Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force. Ortiz held the first hearings on sweatshop labor injustices weeks into his first term. Months later, he chaired the first Subcommittee on Sweatshops to address the unscrupulous practices prevalent in sweatshops at that time, earning the respect of his colleagues.
Known for his deep commitment to Brooklyn, he was responsible for bringing the first financial institution to Red Hook in over 100 years. He was also successful diffusing gang violence in his district neighborhoods through peaceful negotiations.
