Van Bramer, Constantinides Do Their Part In Restoring Speed Cameras
City Council Members Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City, Astoria, Dutch Kills) and Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Woodside) each did their part in being among the council members yesterday that voted to create a local speed camera program that would allow the city to impose liability on vehicle owners for failure to comply with maximum speed limits in school speed zones.
The vote comes days after Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan) and the council reached a deal with Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to reactivate speed cameras surrounding city schools after the State Senate failed to take action this summer.
“I’m proud to have just voted in favor of restoring speed cameras in front of schools – without a cap on the number of schools that can get them. May the @NYCCouncil action today spare even one parent the anguish of losing a child to traffic violence,” Van Bramer Tweeted.
“Happy to see speed cameras will be reactivated in New York City, but disheartened that we had to act because Senate Republicans would rather play politics with children’s lives. These devices have been a proven deterrent against traffic violence, especially in school zones and needed to go back on before classes start next week,” Constantinides wrote in a Facebook post.
Koslowitz Happy With De Blasio Pick Of Katz To Board Of Health
City Council Member Karen Koslowitz (D-Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill)yesterday commented with approval after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment of Dr. Mitchell Katz, President and Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals, to the New York City Board of Health.
Dr. Katz was appointed with support from the City Council and will join the 11-member board effective August 28.
A primary care physician and Brooklyn native, Dr. Katz took over NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health care system in the country, in January 2018 after heading the public health systems in both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Board of Health held its first meeting in 1805 in response to an outbreak of yellow fever. Led by Mayor De Witt Clinton, the Board evacuated neighborhoods impacted by the disease and started collecting mortality statistics. Later, cholera, typhus and tuberculosis outbreaks arrived in New York City, fueled by crowding and a lack of sanitation.
“Dr. Mitchell Katz, given his impressive background and current position as CEO of the Health & Hospitals Corp., is an indispensable addition to the NYC Board of Health,” said Koslowitz, Chair of the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections.
Weprin Joins Zara Realty In Giving Out Backpacks, School Supplies
State Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Richmond Hills, Fresh Meadows, Jamaica) joined officials from Zara Realty in Jamaica last Friday in giving out 600 backpacks go local residents. The backpacks were filled with composition books, rulers, pencils, crayons, notebooks and pads and other supplies.
Zara Realty is one of the borough’s largest landlords and providers of affordable housing in Queens. Founded in 1982 by George Subraj, an immigrant from Guyana, Zara provides affordable housing for thousands of local families. It has never sold a building it purchased in Queens.
The company still has another 600 backpacks with school supplies to give out before the start of the 2018-19 school year.
Peralta Gets Corrections Union Endorsement
State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside) yesterday received the endorsement of the Corrections Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA)–the largest municipal jail union in the nation and second largest law enforcement union in the city.
“Thank you to COBA and all of their hard working members for this endorsement. I have consistently advocated for the rights of working people and their families, including the good members of COBA, so their support affirms the progress we have made,” said Peralta.
“From securing fair and equal pay to ensuring safe working conditions, we must continue to pass these essential policies to promote the health and safety of all corrections officers across New York. I am grateful for their support and excited to continue working with them in Albany,” he added.
The primary election is Sept. 13.
