Adams Rings In Brooklyn New Year With Coney Island Revelry
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will host thousands of New Year’s Eve revelers at his second annual ball drop in Coney Island tonight.
A full evening lineup of free and low-cost events across the amusement district will lead up to a digital light display on the iconic Parachute Jump, ringing in the New Year along with fireworks and traditional sideshow entertainment.
Adams and an array of local leaders, including Coney Island City Council Member Mark Treyger and the Alliance for Coney Island, will celebrate with partygoers in the last hours of 2015 and the first hours of 2016.
The party will start tonight at 10 p.m., at Coney Island’s Steeplechase Plaza, West 16th Street and Boardwalk West.
Deutsch Utilizes Discretionary Funds To Buy New Salt Spreader
Sheepshead Bay Councilman Chaim Deutsch and Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia announced yesterday Deutsch’s allocation of a new salt spreader for his 48th Council District.
“When winter weather arrives, we know that we can rely on the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to clear the streets of snow and ice,” said Deutsch. “Adding this new salt spreader to the existing DSNY mechanical fleet will enhance their capability to respond in a more effective manner. The new, updated equipment will also function efficiently, allowing our DSNY workers, as well as pedestrians and drivers to remain safe and secure when the salt spreader is being utilized.”
Deutsch noted his district is highly populated with seniors, who, along with people with disabilities, often face extra challenges during the winter season, contending with slippery streets and sidewalks. Vehicle and pedestrian accidents in general can also be amplified on icy, snowy streets. This addition of a new salt spreader will help to maximize the DSNY’s efficiency in the 48th Council District.
Deutsch also discussed with Garcia and local DSNY officials how to allow for a smooth transition into winter weather. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Commissioner and her team to ensure a safe winter season,” he said.
Adams Calls Kelly’s Questioning Of Crime Stats Offensive
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams yesterday blasted former NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly for alleging that the de Blasio Administration and current NYPD Commissioner William Bratton are fudging police statistics, particularly in the number of shootings and murders.
“It is patently offensive for Ray Kelly to suggest that the NYPD is in any way involved with falsifying crime statistics. The fact that there is no proof to this spurious charge is fitting with his history of lobbing rhetorical bombs behind the shade of tabloid covers while falling silent under the scrutiny of truth,” said Adams.
“During the Floyd trial, Ray Kelly had a chance to testify under oath, in front of the world, in response to his regime’s use of stop and frisk. Instead, he ducked. The evidence shows that when Ray Kelly had the chance to back up his media bloviating, he didn’t take it. His decisions led to a federal monitor and necessitated the reforms which are turning policing in this city around, creating fairer policing while continuing to drive down criminal activity.
“Ray Kelly is trying to sell a narrative full of the same falsehoods he has peddled for more than a decade, regardless of whether it is for economic, ego-driven, or political purposes. Whatever the reason, New Yorkers have no reason to buy what he is selling. It is time to move forward and focus on the hard work of making this city an even safer place for our children and families.”
As Kings County Politics exclusively reported yesterday, murder is up in Brooklyn about 17 percent for the year, while shooting incidents are down 6.6 percent for the year.
Cuomo Announces Minimum Wage Increased To $9 Starting Today
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that three increases in the minimum wage in New York will take effect today including the overall minimum wage, workers in the fast food industry and tipped positions.
“No one who works full time should ever be condemned to a life of poverty,” said Cuomo. “As we prepare to ring in the New Year, we are making a fundamental difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers across this state. I am proud to mark these milestones in the fight for fair pay for workers in fast food, tipped industries, and others – but too many home health care workers, airport workers and so many others continue to be left behind. That’s why we will continue fighting for a $15 minimum wage so that all workers can afford a decent life and a decent opportunity in New York State.”
Under the plan the state’s minimum wage will increase a quarter from $.75 per hour to $9. All tipped workers in the hospitality industry (food service workers, service employees and service employees in resort hotels) will be moved to the same category and rate for tipped cash wage. Effective today, the tipped cash wage amounts will increase from their current rates of $4.90, $5.00 and $5.65 to $7.50 per hour.
The minimum wage for New York City workers in fast food chains (30 or more locations nationally) will be increased to $10.50. For fast food chain workers in the rest of the State, the minimum wage will be increased to $9.75.
Donovan Charges Obama Administration of Appeasing Iran At Expense Of American Security
Southern Brooklyn Congressman Dan Donovan yesterday voiced strong opposition to the Obama administration’s pledge to protect Iranian business interests by waiving Congressionally-mandated travel visa restrictions.
“Apparently, Iran’s ‘business interests’ come before American security and citizens. It’s yet another weak and wrongheaded step in the Obama administration’s long road of placating our enemies,” said Donovan.
At issue is a Donovan-supported measure passed into law as part of the year-end funding package. It requires travelers to obtain a visa before visiting the United States if they have also visited Iran, Iraq, Syria, or Sudan in the past five years. This includes citizens of the 38 countries which participate in a visa-waiver program with the United States. The goal is to make it more difficult for would-be terrorists to enter America.
Iran took issue with the security restrictions, arguing they came about as a result of the “Zionist lobby” and directly contradict the parameters of the nuclear deal agreed to earlier this year. In response, Secretary of State John Kerry penned a letter to his Iranian counterpart assuaging Iran’s concerns and promising to implement the law “so as not to interfere with legitimate business interests of Iran.”
“Iran still holds American prisoners who were ignored as part of the nuclear negotiations, and Iran violated U.N. missile test restrictions just two months ago. Despite the regime’s flagrant disregard for American citizens and international norms, the Obama administration immediately submitted to Iran’s complaints,” said Donovan.
