Treyger Holds Free Coney Island Ice Skating Event
Coney Island City Councilman Mark Treyger in cooperation with Central Brooklyn Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and Coney Island lawmakers Sen. Diane Savino and Assembly Member Pamela Harris are hosting two days of free family ice skating at Coney Island’s Abe Stark Skating rink.
The free skates are slated for between 9:30-11:30 a.m. today, Dec. 29, and tomorrow Dec. 30/ The Abe Stark Skating Rink in located at 1902 West 19th Street.
Levin Issues Statement Following Deadly Fire
Williamsburg City Council Member Stephen Levin issued the following statement following a five-alarm fire early yesterday morning at 30 Richardson Street near Lorimer Street that left two residents dead and two firefighters treated for minor injuries.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims of this morning’s tragic fire on Richardson Street. At a time when most families are gathered together to celebrate the holidays, these families must endure the unspeakable hardship of losing a loved one,” said Levin.
“I am thankful that the brave men and women of the FDNY responded quickly and effectively to prevent this fire from spreading to other homes and I look forward to a full and thorough investigation by the department. I encourage all New Yorkers to ensure that your homes are fire safe and talk to your families to make sure they are educated and prepared to protect themselves and others in case of a fire.”
De Blasio Reinforces Homeless Shelter Policies
Following the recent shakeup of the Department of Homeless Services, in which the agency was folded into the Human Resources Administration, the de Blasio Administration yesterday sent a memo to the city’s 92 homeless shelters providers reinforcing existing policy on shelter programming and daytime access for residents in homeless shelters, emphasizing residents should be offered employment, training and other services and cannot be required to leave shelters during the day.
The memo states:
- DHS clients should be offered, and encouraged to participate in, employment, job training, social services and recreational programing during the day and should not be asked to leave shelter during daytime hours.
- All clients must be afforded unrestricted access to recreation rooms, waiting rooms and other common areas within the shelter during the day.
- To maximize opportunities for client engagement, these services, combined with the programming enhancements that many shelters are currently implementing, should be targeted to clients who are onsite during the day.
- Single adult clients should be granted accommodation to stay in their dorms during the day for medical/mental health reasons and other special circumstances.
“In general, our shelter providers are handling programming and daytime access appropriately, but we want to be completely clear in case some providers do not understand our policy,” said HRA Commissioner Steven Banks.
In addition DHS announced a new investment of $16.9 million a year to provide new and enhanced programming for those living in single adult shelters throughout the city. The new initiative will allow for increased critical services, including job training, at 39 single adult and adult family DHS facilities.
Greenfield, Outraged By Vicious Robbery in Midwood
Midwood City Councilman David G. Greenfield is outraged and disgusted by the brutal robbery of a 55 year-old Jewish man on Avenue M and East 8th Street in Midwood.
The victim was beaten and robbed early Monday morning around 12:50 a.m. He was punched, thrown to the ground and robbed by two criminals in hoodies. The victim is in stable condition at Maimonides.
“This is a shockingly brutal robbery in the heart of our Midwood community. It is heartbreaking that, especially during the holiday season, outrageous crimes like this are happening in our very own backyard. We can’t tolerate these kinds of crimes in New York City. My many thanks to Hatzalah and Shomrim who responded immediately to the victim’s call. If you know anything about this crime please call 1-800-577-TIPS,” said Greenfield.
Malliotakis Featured In Book
Bay Ridge Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis is one of the elected officials featured in the new book, Political Gladiators: How Millennials Can Navigate the 21st Century Political Minefield and WIN!
The tome provides a primer on how young Americans can enter the political process and succeed in being elected to public office. The book features youthful elected officials from across the country who won their first election in their 20s, including Malliotakis, who was first elected in 2010 at 29 years old.
Other New York officials featured include State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages (first elected to the New York State Assembly at age 27), Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro (first elected to Village of Tivoli Board of Trustees at age 18), and New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (first elected to the Mineola School Board at age 18).
The author, Joshua A. Lafazan, became one of the youngest elected officials in the history of New York State when he was elected to the Syosset School Board of Education at 18 years old in 2012. He was re-elected to another 3-year term in 2015.
Through the telling of their stories, intertwined with his own story, Lafazan seeks to provide a holistic, 360-degree view of what a campaign for public office looks like as a millennial candidate, and what life as a young elected official has in store. He highlights the importance of millenials having a seat at the government table and hopes this book encourages more young people to seek elected office.
“I was honored to join Joshua on this project as I’ve always thought it important for young people to become engaged in government. From the Presidency on down to local councils and school boards, our constitutional republic provides most citizens with an opportunity not just to be heard, but also maintain an official role in government,” said Malliotakis.
“I chose to run because I was unhappy with my community’s representation in the State Assembly. At the time, the state had a $13 billion deficit that my generation was inheriting and we deserved to be a part of the process. With the help of my supporters, we were able to channel that displeasure and desire for change into an effective campaign to defeat a two-term incumbent. Hopefully, Joshua’s book will inspire others to do the same.”
