Ola Fundraiser Brings Out Judicial Candidates
Olanike (Ola) Alabi‘s, one of the hardest working Democratic Party Assembly District Leaders, held a fundraiser yesterday at the home of retired New York City Civil Court Judge Alice Fisher Rubin and her husband Lowell Rubin in Ditmas Park.
Olabi’s 57th Assembly District includes Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights and parts of Crown Heights and Bedford Stuyvesant. Also on hand were colleague Democratic district leaders Lori Citron Knipel and Jacob Gold from the 44th Assembly district made up mainly of Windsor Terrace and Kensington and Kevin Peter Carroll of the 64th Assembly district in Bay Ridge.
Gold, the longest serving district leader, was first elected to the post in 1979. He is expected to face a tough challenge next year from political upstart Bob Carroll who is running on a reformer platform.
When asked about the challenge, Gold said he too started as a reformer and keeps getting re-elected because as a retired social studies he has the time, and works hard for the district.
While district leaders are elected, they do not hold public office or get paid, but are important cogs in Brooklyn’s Democratic Machinery Party machinery.
Among their duties are to hire voting booth workers on elections day and help pick candidates for judgeships – which explained why there were about ten judges at the fundraiser, several of whom are vying to move up from New York City Civil Court Judges to Supreme Court judges.
De Blasio, Bklyn Pols Comes To Gravesend to Honor Slain Cop With Street Co-Naming
Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Assemblyman Bill Colton, City Councilman Mark Treyger and Democratic District Leader Nancy Tong were on hand, Saturday, for the street co-naming ceremony for fallen NYPD detective Wenjian Liu.
Liu, along with his partner Rafael Ramos, were gunned down just before last Christmas in Bedford -Stuyvesant.
The ceremony took place at the corner of West 6th Street and Avenue T in Gravesend, Brooklyn.
Also on hand was Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams/
Clarke, Donovan, Nadler on Proposed Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement
Brooklyn Congress members Yvette Clarke (D), Dan Donovan (R) and Jerrold Nadler (D) , all released statements after voting “no” on H.R. 1088, the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act of 2015, which in turn included the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement.
In total the House failed to pass measure in with 126 “ayes” and 302 “noes.” Congresswoman Clarke voted “no.”
“I oppose the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act because, if it had passed, the three parts of ‘Fast Track,’ which includes the Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement that would effectively undermine the rights of American workers as well as our intellectual property and environmental protection laws, would have also passed,” said Clarke.
“The agreement would contribute to a ‘race to the bottom,’ in which corporations that pay their workers low wages and fail to provide adequate benefits would have the ability to expand exports in the United States, undermining our workers who earn a living wage with fair benefits. In addition, I am concerned that the agreement could require the United States to impose serious criminal penalties for even minor violations of copyright laws – such as a person sharing songs with his or her friends – that under current laws are penalized only by civil damages. The agreement also threatens the environment, here in the United States and around the world, by allowing corporations to claim damages from the government for any policy that reduces their profits. Both federal and states laws that prohibit oil drilling or strip mining in protected natural areas could conceivably result in a lawsuit. I voted ‘no’ to all three parts that would create ‘Fast Track.’ Without adequate protections for our workers, our environment, and our existing intellectual property laws, I cannot support this agreement,” she added.
Donovan said he voted against the measure because it would have granted President Obama unilateral authority in negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership and denied the right of Congress to make any amendments to the deal.
“Trade agreements are essential to the growth and strength of our nation’s economy, but my number one priority is to ensure that they are fair over free, and any deal we enter into with other nations is good for both American workers and consumers. I have yet to be convinced that the deal the President is negotiating accomplishes that,” said Donovan.
Nadler said ever since NAFTA in 1993, these so-called free trade agreements have all been sold to the American people on the same propaganda; that they will boost exports and increase jobs.
“Yet the results have always been the same. Although we might increase exports somewhat, one of our biggest exports has been American jobs. Any claims to the contrary are not worth the paper they are written on.
“For starters, these are not really free trade agreements. A true free trade agreement would consist of no more than a few pages simply listing the dates on which tariffs for various commodities would be eliminated. In fact, these agreements consist of thousands of pages of negotiated provisions, which history demonstrates have benefited multi-national companies while destroying millions of American jobs and depressing American wage levels. Without adequate labor, environmental and human rights standards, our trading partners can and do pay their workers 30 cents per hour, make their goods cheaper by dumping waste products in the river, and murder workers who try to join a union. No wonder factories in the United States close and move abroad. No wonder our balance of trade becomes calamitous,” said Nadler.
Greenfield Says Rise In Anti-Semitic Crimes Justifies Security Guard Act
Midwood City Councilman David Greenfield, noting last week that anti-Semitic crimes citywide has spiked 29 percent thus far this year, said that shows all the more reason why the City Council should pass his legislation guaranteeing non-public schools a NYPD security guard at the school’s request.
“We can’t ignore the blatant anti-Semitic attacks that are spiking throughout New York City. We have to face the facts: religiously motivated crimes are up. Every New Yorker deserves to be safe from bias attacks. However, certainly our most vulnerable citizens — our children — deserve to be protected. We need Mayor de Blasio to support the Council’s legislation providing security guards for yeshivas before it’s too late,” said Greenfield.
Also supporting the measure are Public Advocate Letitia James, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel of America, the UJA-Federation, the Sephardic Community Federation, the Catholic Community Relations Council, the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, the Archdiocese of New York, the Muslim Community Network, the Islamic Schools Association of New York and the NYS Association of Independent Schools.
To learn more information about the bill and help pass it, visit: www.schoolsafety.nyc.
Colton Calls On City To Fix Belt Light Poles
Southern Brooklyn Assemblyman William Colton called on the city’s Department of Transportation to implement safety protections against newly-installed light poles along the Belt Parkway in southern Brooklyn.
Colton’s office has been contacted by a number of constituents who are concerned with the installation of these numerous light poles without any guard rails or other protective barriers.
“In a vehicle accident that occurred in the early morning hours of May 25, 2015, a vehicle traveling near the westbound Erskine Street Exit on the Belt Parkway veered off the roadway and hit a fixed light pole that was not behind a guard rail, near the edge of the thoroughfare. The driver of this vehicle was killed upon impact of the crash, and three passengers were seriously injured, including one critically,” said Colton.
Colton explained that most poles and other fixtures are typically placed a number of feet away from the roadway in order to provide a “clear zone” in case of a vehicle veering off the road. Similarly, most poles are installed behind guard rails to provide for similar protections against vehicles that veer off the roadway at high speeds.
Richardson Passes First Piece of Legislation
Recently elected Crown Heights Assembly woman Diana Richardson, last week, saw her first piece of legislation creating an electronic database linking owners of small businesses and minority and women entrepreneurs to resources provided by the state overwhelmingly pass the assembly.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community,” Richardson said. “We need to cultivate these important economic engines, while also creating avenues for groups and individuals previously disenfranchised to find opportunity and success.”
When signed into law, the bill will help business owners throughout New York State find resources and become economic pillars of their local communities.
Ortiz Urges Passage of Briana’s Law
Sunset Park Assistant Assembly Speaker Felix Ortiz announced that the Assembly has passed Briana’s Law, A.4364, for the third year and says he will continue to fight for its passage in the Senate.
The bill requires law enforcement agents, including state police, to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) re-training every two years. The bill was drafted in response to the tragic death in 2010 of Briana Ojeda, an 11 year old girl who suffered a severe asthma attack and subsequently died after the attending police officer was unable to administer CPR.
Ortiz sponsored the initial legislation in 2010.
“Passage of this bill and its adoption into law would be a victory in the name of Briana’s family who has fought, lobbied, and advocated every day since losing their daughter. My only hope is that the Ojeda family will finally achieve some peace, knowing that no other child will be lost in this way. I hope my colleagues and the Governor will recognize the importance of this legislation and help us win this battle,” said Ortiz
The American Red Cross and American Heart Association both support the bill and have helped advocate for its passage alongside Ortiz.
James Speak’s At Persaud’s Breakfast
New York City Public Advocate Letitia James will give remarks this morning at Canarsie Assembly Member Roxanne Persaud’s Ecumenical Breakfast.
