Lorna J. McAllister Sworn In A Civil Court Judge
Before a packed St. Francis College Auditorium and in a heartfelt ceremony, Lorna J. McAllister was sworn in last night as a New York City Civil Court Judge.
McAllister is the wife of Central Brooklyn State Sen. Jesse Hamilton, who in a heartfelt introduction to his wife explained how the couple grew up together in a NYCHA development and how in 32 years of marriage they had each became attorneys, had two children and went into public service.
Before being sworn in, among the officials who honored McAllister with a few words included Public Advocate Letitia James, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Fort Greene City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo and Kings County Democratic Party Chair Frank Seddio.
Also on hand were a good many of the borough’s Democratic District Leaders who were feted for the unpaid role they play in picking judges to run for office and for being the eyes and ears of the community in partnership with the local elected officials.
Brooklyn’s Fed Lawmakers Hail Passage of Zadroga Act
New York’s two U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer along with Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler (Western Brooklyn) and Republican Congressman Dan Donovan (Southern Brooklyn) yesterday announced that Senate and House leaders have agreed to include an effectively permanent, 75 year renewal of the World Trade Center Health Program and a five year, fully funded renewal of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund in the final omnibus spending bill Congress is set to pass later this week.
Dubbed the Zadroga Act in honor of NYPD Officer James Zadroga who died of a respiratory disease that has been attributed to his participation in rescue and recovery operations in the rubble of the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks, the funding will pay medical and other costs from other victims stemming from the clean-up of the World Trade Center site.
“This agreement is incredible news for our 9/11 heroes and their families, and it is a testament to the extraordinary power that Americans can have when they raise their voice and demand action,“ said Gillibrand, the lead sponsor of the legislation in the Senate. “Our 9/11 first responders never should have been forced to travel to Washington and walk the halls of Congress – legislation this important shouldn’t have needed so much convincing – but after dozens of trips, they finally got the job done and convinced Congress to fulfill its moral obligation to our 9/11 heroes. I’m proud to represent them, and I’m grateful for their efforts.”
“This is the Christmas the 9/11 responders deserved: some peace of mind for each and every hero. Their selfless actions in response to that tragic day deserve a lifetime’s worth of care and respect, so it is welcome news that Congress has finally agreed to fully fund the 9/11 Health Program, providing security to those brave men and women throughout their lives,” said Schumer.
“Today we return to Washington to finally cast our votes on creating a permanent health program for all those who risked their lives in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks,” said Nadler. “We could not have reached this day without all your incredible hard work and tireless advocacy on behalf of our 9/11 heroes and survivors, and I am proud to stand with you today as my colleagues and I prepare to return to Washington and take this important vote.”
“This is right, this is good, and I’m incredibly proud to be a part of it. I always said that on the merits – on the facts of this case – we will win. In the House, I had full confidence that Speaker Ryan, Chairman Upton, and Chairman Goodlatte would come through for true American heroes, and they did. Leader McConnell, Sen. Gillibrand, and Sen. Schumer also deserve credit and gratitude for their parallel work in the Senate,” said Donovan.
Adams Swears In 48 New American Citizens
Brooklyn Borough Borough President Eric L. Adams yesterday helped members of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) swear in 48 new American citizens, hailing from 28 different nations, at the first-ever naturalization ceremony held in Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Following the administering of the oath of allegiance by the Honorable Margo K. Brodie, a United States District Court judge for the Eastern District of New York as well as a native of Barbados, Adams spoke about the value of the immigrant experience to the richness and diversity of Brooklyn and the entire country.
“It is my deep honor and privilege to welcome new citizens not just to the United States of America, but to the great borough of Brooklyn,” said Adams. “In Brooklyn, we derive strength from diversity, which is plentiful in a borough home to hundreds of thousands of foreign-born residents. The beauty of Brooklyn and of America is the hyphen: we are African-American, Italian-American, Muslim-American, and more. I urge our new citizens to protect that hyphen, share their diversity, and participate robustly in our democratic society.”
Nations of origin represented amongst the crowd of newly naturalized citizens were Bangladesh, Barbados, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iran, Israel, Jamaica, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Cumbo Fights Gun Violence With The Arts
Fort Greene/Clinton Hill City Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo, joined by her colleagues, arts institutions, youth and advocates will announce today the launch of Art a Catalyst for Change, an initiative funded by members of the New York City Council to increase arts opportunities, community bonds, and raise gun violence awareness.
Among those joining Cumbo include Flatlands City Council Member Jumaane Williams, co-chair of Gun Violence Taskforce, Crown Heights Democratic District Leader Geoffrey Davis who heads the James E. Davis Stop Violence Foundation, the Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council, Ralph McDaniels, Video Music Box and Power 105.1.
The launch is slated for 10 a.m. on the steps of City Hall.
Donovan on Iranian Ballistic Missile Tests
Southern Brooklyn Congressman Dan Donovan said yesterday that the United States should delay the recently signed nuclear agreement with Iran after Reuters reported earlier in the day of Iran’s October missile launch.
“I’ve said from the beginning that Iran cannot be trusted to honor the spirit and letter of this agreement and other United Nations resolutions. American power cannot be taken seriously if Iran’s actions – coming on the heels of signing an international agreement – go unpunished,” said Donovan.
“I hope the President leads in levying stringent consequences. The United States should delay further implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action until the United Nations formally investigates both the October and November launches. It is clear that Iran does not intend to abide by the agreement and cannot operate in good faith.
“Releasing billions of dollars in sanctions relief to a rogue regime should certainly be off the table.”
Hamilton Launches Holiday Book Drive
Central Brooklyn State Sen. Jesse Hamilton announced yesterday he is joining with community partners in a first annual Holiday Book Drive (December 14th to December 31st).
The Book Drive is collecting new or gently used children’s books at three drop off locations for donation to Community Education Council 23 and Brownsville elementary schools. Community partners participating in the drive include: P.S. 9, Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Committee, Brooklyn Boulders, and the Park Slope Senior Citizens Center.
Residents throughout the district seeking to give new life to their unused books are welcome to contribute to the book drive. Without other options, many people simply leave their books on their stoops. Hamilton and community partners have found educators in Brownsville eager to get these books to Brooklyn youth who need them. This book drive offers the chance for all of the local youth to read and to have access to books.
“Our Book Drive has started off better than I could have dreamed. On our first day P.S. 9 had already collected six boxes of books and we were able to deliver them to families that need them. I want to thank my constituents in Park Slope and Prospect Heights for their eagerness to raise the bar for everyone in Brooklyn,” said Hamilton.
The drop off locations ARE:
· Park Slope Armory Veteran Center, 1402 8th Avenue
· Brooklyn Boulders, 575 Degraw Street
· P.S. 9, 80 Underhill Avenue (Open until 6:00 pm Monday- Friday. Closed for the holidays starting December 24th)
