Adams Celebrates St. Paddy’s Day
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams this morning will host his Irish-American Heritage Month celebration at Brooklyn Borough Hall, kicking off the borough’s commemoration of St. Patrick’s Day.
The breakfast, keynoted by novelist Eamon Loingish, an Irish immigrant and Brooklyn resident, will recognize a handful of local residents for their commitment to advancing the borough through their civic contributions. Adams will speak about the importance of Irish-Americans to the fabric of Brooklyn and the value of the borough’s rich diversity.
According to Wikipedia, commemorates Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, with a celebration of the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Historically, Lent restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which encouraged and propagated the holiday’s tradition of alcohol consumption.
The breakfast is slated for 8 a.m., today, March 17 at Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Fed Lawmakers, Adams React To Trump Budget Proposal
Brooklyn federal lawmakers reacted strongly to the many across the board cuts in President Donald Trump‘s proposed federal Fiscal Year 2017-18.
The cuts were in every domestic program, among them being in housing, transportation, community development block grants, health and environment. He also proposed cutting out federal arts funding of any kind. The only increases came in defense, homeland security and veterans affairs.
“President Trump’s budget proposal is not liberal or conservative; it’s purely irresponsible. The White House is calling for gutting agencies that perform critical services for all Americans, residents of big cities and small towns alike. The elimination of the Community Development Block Grant program, for example, stands in direct contrast to his long-standing pledge to fix our inner cities,” said Brooklyn Borough President Adams.
“From our schools to our environment, from the arts to health care, this proposed budget does everything but make America great again. With our most vulnerable neighbors at risk, we must turn our anxiety into action. I urge all Brooklynites to organize against this dangerous plan and ensure Washington hears loudly and clearly what we expect from a responsible government, regardless of what political party is in power.”
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) called the budget just one step in the negotiating process.
“Congress has the power of the purse and will make final funding determinations. My position on the critical importance of consistent security funding for New York City hasn’t changed since President Obama’s proposed cuts last year. I remain committed to fighting to protect resources for the world’s top terror target,” said Nadler.
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-Western Brooklyn, Manhattan) called Trump absurd.
“This budget completely eliminates Community Development Block Grants, which help working families stay in safe, affordable housing and supports programs like Meals on Wheels that provide food to the sick and elderly. The Trump budget would also eliminate programs to help low-income and older Americans afford heat in winter,” said Nadler.
“The Trump budget cuts the Environmental Protection Agency which would make our communities sicker, cutting off all funding for alternative energy sources and Clean Power Plant rules that reduce emissions.
“The Trump budget would also slash 20 percent from the National Institutes of Health, dramatically undercutting the federal government’s support of life-saving scientific research and ceding American leadership in biomedical advancement.
“Everyone should oppose this budget, which doesn’t even achieve Republicans’ long-stated goal of deficit reduction, but does threaten the lives of every single American. It’s time to wake up to the malignant lies of the Trump Administration before he turns this country into an autocratic state that sacrifices the health, safety, and security of American families in favor of an agenda fueled by nationalist propaganda.”
U.S. Sen Kirsten Gillibrand called the budget irresponsible and that it will short-change middle class New Yorkers, seniors, and students alike while doing harm to a fragile economy.
“I will do everything I can to fight these harmful cuts and protect funding that helps build our roads and bridges, supports our students and seniors, and makes smart investments to help grow the New York economy,” she said.
Golden Hails Senate One-House Budget For Increasing DSP Wages
State Sen. Marty Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach) yesterday announced a 2017-18 State Senate budget proposal that provides $45 million annually to compensate direct care professionals for the important work they do to support individuals with disabilities.
The proposal also addresses a lack of funding in the Executive Budget to help appropriately adjust salaries at not-for-profits that employ workers who provide state services for individuals with autism, serious brain injury, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and other developmental disabilities.
“The 2017-2017 budget must include sufficient funding to ensure that New York State direct care workers can earn a living wage,” said Golden. “These men and women perform critical jobs that include bathing,
feeding, dressing and serving people with various developmental, physical and mental disabilities. Sadly, many of our direct care workers are forced to work other jobs in order to support and take care of their families. The Governor must adopt a funding plan that allows non-profit groups to retain qualified employees by paying a salary that allows these same workers to meet their financial needs.”
Currently, many direct service professionals (DSPs) earn an average of $10-$13 per hour – just above the state’s minimum wage. Last year, the state implemented minimum wage increases that did not provide funding to account for the “compression factor” – the need to increase the salaries for more experienced DSPs and supervisors in order to maintain the current salary gap with minimum wage workers.
The Senate’s one-house budget will be advanced and approved this week, followed by the start of open, public conference committees to iron out differences that exist between the Senate and Assembly plans.
A new state budget is scheduled to take effect on April 1.
Espinal Proposes Bill Connecting Food Donors With Food Recipients
City Council Member Rafael Espinal (D-Bushwick, East New York) and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito yesterday introduced legislation, which would create a web portal to connect prospective food donors (including, but not limited to: restaurants and grocery stores) with prospective food recipients (including, but not limited to: food banks and non-profits).
The portal will provide an online platform in which food rescue organizations may collect food that is leftover or would otherwise be thrown out. Each year, 40% of the food in the United States goes uneaten yet, 42.2 million Americans live in food insecurity, including 13.1 million children. And, this problem is particularly acute for New York City where 16.4% of our population is food insecure.
The portal at a minimum would allow the prospective food donor to describe the type of food available and specify logistical information such as size, refrigeration requirements, packing parameters and location; allow prospective food recipients to specify the types and size of food donations it will accept and areas of the city from where they would like immediate notifications of food availability; and present an avenue for prospective food donors and recipients to communicate directly through a messaging system within the portal.
“Local municipalities must not allow uneaten food to end up in our landfills, but in the homes of our hungry residents, said Espinal. “Food waste is bad for the environment, bad for the poor, and bad for business. About 32 million metric tons of food ends up in municipal landfills, at a cost of about $1.5 billion a year to local governments. Like the Amazon.com of food rescue, this online platform could connect people efficiently and quickly to create lasting change. This legislation would be a win for our businesses, city resources, environment and most importantly, a win for New Yorkers in need of a helping hand.”
Malliotakis Calls on DOT, DSNY to Improve Bus Stop Snow Removal
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Bay Ridge, Staten Island) yesterday fired off a letter to In a letter sent to Kathryn Garcia, Commissioner of the City’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and Polly Trottenberg, Commissioner of the City’s Department of Transportation (DOT) urging the agencies to improve their work removing snow from MTA bus stops.
“In the past 48 hours my office has experienced a number of complaints with regard to the maintenance of MTA bus stops. While sanitation personnel performed an admirable job of keeping our streets plowed and salted, a number of bus stops in both the Brooklyn and Staten Island parts of my district were simply “plowed in” and were never cleared to permit access between the sidewalk and the street,” Malliotakis wrote.
“Faced with a frozen wall of snow, those waiting for the bus have been forced to stand in the street and, combined with wet roads, find themselves in a dangerous situation. As you are well aware, the sustained dip in temperature has slowed the snowmelt and the present conditions endure.”
The two city agencies share responsibility for removing snow at bus stops, with DOT clearing those with bus shelters and DSNY clearing bus stops without shelters.
“As we prepare for the next storm, whether next week or next winter, I respectfully urge that DSNY and DOT improve communication on this task. To begin the conversation, I suggest that a plan be developed to share the plowing schedule and map between your agencies so that personnel can be deployed to clear paths through the resulting snowbanks as quickly as possible,” the letter stated.
Colton, Tong, Ragusa Celebrate Distinguished Women in the Community
Assembly Member William Colton (D-Bensonhurst, Bath Beach) on Sunday will join with 47th Assembly District Democratic District Leaders Nancy Tong and Charles Ragusa in celebrating the hardworking, distinguished women of the community with a ceremony.
This has become an annual tradition because Colton, Tong and Ragusa want to emphasize the importance of recognizing the women of the neighborhood who provide an important women’s viewpoint in improving the quality of life in our community.
The awards serve as a small token of appreciation during Women’s History Month in March and a reminder that we must work together to fight for true women’s equality.
The ceremony is slated for 11 a.m., Sunday, March 19 at 29 Bay 25 Street in Bath Beach.
