Velazquez Hearing On Small Biz Challenges
Northern and Central Brooklyn Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez yesterday convened a House Committee on Small Business field hearing in the City.
The purpose of the hearing was to provide small manufacturers with a forum to testify on their experiences and challenges doing business in the City.
“While New York City is often thought of as a financial and media capital, we also have a rich manufacturing history and we are seeing renewed growth in this area,” said Velázquez, the ranking Democrat on the committee. “By fostering success in this sector we can reinvigorate our local economies and create well-paying jobs in our City.”
Flatbush Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke joined the hearing as did Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), and Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY).
“New York City continues to lead all other cities as the financial and cultural capital of the world, in fact one of its most valuable assets is its diversity,” said Clarke “In order to sustain our current level of competitiveness in today’s and tomorrow’s economy, we must provide support to all economic sectors and industries. One often overlooked, yet extremely vital economic sector, is manufacturing where tens of thousands of New Yorkers are employed to produce billions in annual revenue.”
Witnesses and Members of Congress discussed how sites like the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Liberty View Industrial Plaza in Sunset Park and the Red Hook Industrial Zone are becoming hubs of commerce and industry.
Golden, Malliotakis Disagree With Allowing Illegal Immigrants To Vote
Bay Ridge Republican lawmakers Sen. Marty Golden and Nicole Malliotakis wasted little time yesterday in lambasting a proposal floating around the City Council that would give the right of non-citizens and illegal immigrants the right to vote in City elections.
Black Institute Presidents Bertha Lewis reportedly floated the idea at last week’s Black And Puerto Rican Legislators Caucus weekend in Albany and City Council Member Jumaane Williams (Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) reportedly supports the idea.
“Giving non-citizens the right to vote undermines the electoral process, decreases the incentive to become a citizen and dilutes the voting rights of American citizens. Allowing non-citizens to vote will increase the opportunity for voter fraud and devalues the voting power of American citizens exercising their constitutional right,” said Golden, a former City Council member.
“We should instead sponsor citywide voter registration for citizens, increase voter participation through engagement and assist immigrants to become citizens of the United States. Citizenship is and should be a basic requirement for voting. American’s have fought and died for the right to vote and it’s our obligation to ensure that this right is reserved for American Citizens.”
Malliotakis said the lack of urgency from Washington to reform and enforce immigration laws and reign in sanctuary cities is leading to very flawed, misguided, and potentially dangerous policies at the local level.
“Extending the privilege of voting to non-citizens and those in our country illegally devalues United States citizenship and further erodes the incentive to enter the country through safe and proper channels,” she said.
Stringer Audit Finds City Losing $2M In Wrongly Classified Bklyn Buildings
New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer yesterday released an audit that found the City will miss out on $2.09 million of potential tax revenue if the Department of Finance (DOF) does not correctly classify nearly 200 buildings in Brooklyn as residential when they are actually being used for commercial purposes.
This audit follows a similar report in late January that found that the DOF mistakenly gave away $10 million in Co-Op/Condo Tax Abatements to corporations.
“The Department of Finance mixed up its mixed use properties which could cost the City $2 million if not corrected,” Stringer said. “Instead of collecting the proper taxes that help pay for affordable housing and children’s education, nearly 200 property owners were incorrectly taxed at a lower rate. It’s time for the DOF to correct the tax rolls and collect these funds going forward.”
To view the audit, click here.
Adams In Support Of Mixed Martial Arts
As KCP exclusively reported recently, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will hold a press conference today officially announcing his support of legalizing Mixed Martial Arts in New York State.
Professional mixed martial arts (MMA) is the fourth-most popular sport in the United States that nonetheless remains prohibited at the professional level in the state. A bill to authorize MMA and allow for regulation by the New York State Athletic Commission has been passed in the State Senate but needs approval in the Assembly.
The other 49 states allow professional MMA, which would generate an estimated $135 million each year in the state’s economy, in addition to $5.4 million in state and local revenues, and help advance a positive athletic outlet for teenagers and young adults.
The announcement is slated for 1 p.m. today in the GEICO Atrium of Barclays Center. Joining Adams will be former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion and New York native Chris Weidman as well as Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark.
Adams, Squadron Mosley Host Q & A With MTA
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Northern Brooklyn State Senator Daniel Squadron and Fort Greene/Clinton Hill/Prospect Heights Assembly Member Walter Mosley today will join with the Riders Alliance in hosting a public Question and Answer session with the MTA.
The MTA’s Full Line Review study of the A and C lines, released in December 2015, included some basic improvements that will ease crowding and limit the effects of delays. But the MTA will not be addressing some of the core needs of C train riders – like increasing frequency during rush hours. Concerned riders in Central Brooklyn who depend on the C train will meet to ask the MTA about their decisions.
- The MTA will make a brief presentation about their review and riders will:
- Ask the MTA to explain their recommendations and findings from the Full Line Review
- Ask the MTA questions from the community about the Full Line Review and C train service and concerns
- Get an understanding from the MTA on next steps and implementation schedules about the promised improvements on the C line
The Q & A meeting is slated for 6:30 p.m., tonight at the Bedford Stuyvesant YMCA, 1121 Bedford Avenue (at Monroe Street).
