Jamie Williams Gets TJ Club Nod For Assembly Seat
The Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club last night unanimously endorsed to Jamie Williams to run on the Democratic line for the 59th District Assembly seat in the April 19 special election left vacant with the recent election of former Assembly Member Roxanne Persaud to the 19th Senate District Seat.
The district includes Canarsie, Bergen Beach, Gerritsen Beach and Mill Basin. Williams was Persaud’s Chief of Staff.
Among those present at the meeting were the three former 59th District Assembly members including Persaud, City Council Member Alan Maisel, who served previously to Persaud in the seat, and Kings County Democratic Party Chair Frank Seddio, who served previous to Maisel in the seat.
“I am very excited to serve my community, and to be coming from the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club and have them see this in me to carry on this heratage,” said Williams, who lives in Mill Basin and began her political career as a social worker advocating for victims of domestic violence and people with mental illness.
Deutsch Tackles Manhattan Beach Flooding
City Councilman Chaim Deutsch (Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Homecrest) called on called on federal and state agencies to immediately address the coastal flooding that has become increasingly frequent, after some streets of Manhattan beach were flooded yesterday morning due to high tides.
Deutsch said the sewer system in Southern Brooklyn is notoriously antiquated and overextended, and the introduction of multiple high-rise developments into the area is only expected to exacerbate the current conditions. There is a need for a broader resolution to prevent significant flooding in our area, he warned.
“This morning’s high tide was a surprise for motorists and pedestrians,” said Deutsch. “And if it had had been combined with heavy rainfall, the results could have been far worse.
“Since Hurricane Sandy more than three years ago, the 48th District’s waterfront communities continue to remain susceptible to significant amounts of flooding. My constituents should not have to live in fear of high tide! Even smaller scale flooding, such that we had this morning, is evidence how vulnerable our community is to the tides. We need preventive measures NOW to protect homeowners from flooding and sewer backups.”
Deutsch has scheduled a meeting with NYC Office of Recovery & Resiliency, City Planning, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and the Parks Department to discuss resiliency methods.
Velazquez Get “A” Rating From Education Advocates
Northern and Central Brooklyn Congress Member Nydia M. Velázquez recently received an “A” rating on the latest National Education Association (NEA) “Congressional Report Card.”
The card measures how Members of Congress voted on issues critical to public education and educators during 2015.
“Investing in our teachers, public schools and our kids’ futures is vital to the strength of our nation and City,” Velázquez said. “I’m proud to receive this rating and will continue standing with our public school teachers and the children they serve.”
Among other votes, the Report Card looked at votes that would cut federal resources for public schools, weaken collective bargaining and harm immigrant students and their families. The Congresswoman opposed all these measures, while voting in favor of increased assistance for students most in need, including a $2 billion increase in Department of Education funding.
The Card also looked at the Congresswoman’s vote on the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which would raise caps on discretionary spending by $80 billion over 2 years, thereby leaving more room for investments in education programs like Title I, IDEA and Head Start, which help students most in need.
“The NEA Congressional Report Card is reflective of my broader efforts to ensure greater educational opportunity for children of working families,” Velázquez added. “We must continue working to ensure all New Yorkers have access to a quality education.”
Schumer Pushes FBI To Crack Down On IRS Scammers
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer yesterday pushed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate the source of a specific phishing scam that appears to be increasingly targeting New Yorkers, while continuing to plague people across the country.
On the calls, individuals posing as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents claim that the person owes thousands of dollars to the IRS. Scammers threaten that if an amount is not paid right away the person on the other end of the call could soon be arrested or forced to appear in court, a tactic that seniors are often especially vulnerable to.
Schumer said, though the FBI is aware of this scam, they may need to redouble their efforts in New York given the recent uptick in attempts to swindle New Yorkers. Just last week, New York State law enforcement and other officials, including Governor Cuomo, warned of a “disturbing surge” in this specific IRS impersonationphishing scam.
Schumer says there could be a new and coordinated focus to target New Yorkers and that is why the FBI should move fast to identify the source of the nefarious calling scam, shut down the operation and hold accountable the perpetrators. Schumer is urging the FBI to act immediately on behalf of New Yorkers and cited calls to his own office, which have also increased.
Schumer also called on money transfer companies, such as MoneyGram and Western Union and others, to better protect consumers by issuing a specific warning about this scam. Thousands of Americans, including many in New York, have fallen victim to this crime which has cost the public nearly $30 million in hard-earned dollars, he said.
“There is no doubt about it, this IRS impersonation phishing scam is spreading like wild fire and burning an increasing number of vulnerable New Yorkers, especially our seniors,” said Schumer. “That is why I am asking the FBI to ramp up their efforts to identify the source of this fraud and to lower the legal hammer on the scammers. The scammers who perpetrate this hoax lie to vulnerable people, browbeat and intimidate them, dupe them into wiring them money and steal their hard-earned savings. They need to be rooted out and thrown behind bars. And the money transfer companies — that are being used by the bad guys to steal this money – should work with the FBI to better educate their customers about scams like this, and give them better ways to report it and avoid it.”
