Cornegy To Celebrate Return of Senior’s Home Improperly Seized by City
City Council member Robert Cornegy, Jr. (D-Northern Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant), Chair of the Housing & Buildings Committee, will celebrate today the return of Ms. Marlene Saunders’s deed and announce his plans to reform the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD)’s Third Party Transfer (TPT) Program through legislation.
As featured in an ongoing KCP investigation, Marlene Saunders lost her property, valued at over $2 million, through the TPT Program for an outstanding municipal debt of less than $4,000, despite having paid the debt in full. After meeting with Ms. Saunders, Cornegy immediately contacted HPD, one of two City departments over which he has oversight power, to demand they resolve the situation. After months, Ms. Saunders learned in December that the deed had finally been transferred back to her.
In 2018, the City foreclosed on over 60 properties in the boroughs of Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. As featured in KCP, four of the properties found to have been seized by the controversial city program, were owned by black or brown individuals, have been fully paid off and are located in gentrifying neighborhoods.
At an event hosted by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, East New York, Canarsie, Mill Basin, Coney Island, parts of Queens) in October of 2018, residents reacted very strongly to the program, claiming it was designed to prey on struggling homeowners.
“While I’m glad we were able to save Ms. Saunders’s home, it was clear to me that if even one property could be improperly transferred through the program it required we take a closer look. After having had a chance to review some of the codes governing the transfer of properties in this manner, I am confident there are legislative changes we can make in the Council to more appropriately tailor the program to target only those buildings truly in distress, while avoiding stripping equity from black and brown communities,” said Cornegy.
The event is slated for 2 p.m., today, Jan. 11, at 1217 Dean Street in Crown Heights.
BP Adams To Host Forum Focused On Health Challenges Facing Underserved Pregnant Women
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will join New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot and Assembly Member Tremaine Wright (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) in convening a forum addressing the severe medical crisis facing pregnant women in Brooklyn.
The public forum will focus on evidence-based, community-wide approaches to addressing at-risk individuals in need of care, particularly women of color, who statistically are experiencing among the highest rates of death for women in childbirth at 255.3 per 10,000 deliveries in Brooklyn. The communities with the highest rates of maternal mortality across the city are all located in Brooklyn, including Brownsville, East Flatbush, and East New York.
Adams will also discuss the urgent need for a robustly funded, community-based response to the severe disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality, as well as other disparities in women’s and children’s health across Brooklyn.
The event is slated for 9:30 a.m., today, Jan. 11, at Brooklyn Borough Hall, at 209 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn.
Bichotte Applauds Mayor’s Extensive Health Care Program, “NYC Care”
Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park) applauded Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement this week to implement a comprehensive health care program that will be inclusive of all New York City citizens regardless of immigration status or economic situation.
NYC Care, as the program will be called, will be available via the city’s website or dialing 311. The program will be applied in the Bronx first and then will be available for all New York citizens in 2021.
The new healthcare program is an extension of NYC’s public health insurance option, MetroPlus and will aim to include disenfranchised groups such as undocumented immigrants, the uninsured, and others who face many medical complications for lack of health care programs.
“The announcement of this program could not come at a better time. Even as the country at large grapples with the Trump Administration’s fearsome immigration policies and tactics, New York City stands as an example and guarantees health care to all, including targeted immigrants,” said Bichotte.
“Culturally sensitive and high quality health care should be a basic human right. With NYC Care, the citizens of this great city can finally exercise that right,” added Bichotte.
BP Adams, Brannan, Menchaca Call On Mayor To Help With HOV Lane Issues
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, Staten Island Borough President James Oddo, Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo, as well as Council Members Justin Brannan (D-) and Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) are calling for a meeting with Mayor Bill de Blasio to discuss problems with, and potential improvements to, the High Occupancy Vehicle 3+ (HOV3+) lane that traverses Staten Island and Brooklyn.
This coalition of local elected officials represents the commuting public traveling to and through the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel during rush hour, in both private vehicles and New York City Transit (NYCT) buses.
In a letter, publicized earlier this week, the coalition identified several potential solutions for consideration to commuting issues currently posed by the HOV+3 lane, including a two-hour expansion of the morning hours of operation, in order to attract commuters with flexibility in their schedules, as well as increased enforcement through a greater, more consistent police presence, and potentially through the use of technology to detect the requisite number of people in a vehicle.
Additionally, the group of local elected officials expressed their desire to discuss the possibility of passing City Council legislation that would prohibit the operation of tour buses in bus lanes during the morning and evening rush.
“We realize there is no panacea that will make rush hour commuting a quick and pleasant experience. [B]ut we, all of us, owe it to our constituents to take any and every measure that is practicable in order to alleviate, to whatever degree is possible, the multiple hours a day taken away from their homes and their families,” jointly wrote Borough Presidents Adams and Oddo, Minority Leader Matteo, and Council Members Brannan and Menchaca.
Menchaca Announces Open Application Period For FY2020 Budget
City Council member Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) announced the open application period for Council funding for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY’20) yesterday.
“The beginning of the year marks the beginning of the budget cycle for fiscal year (FY) 2020. As many of you know, the budget can be a powerful tool to help address necessities in our community and I am privileged to support the work that you do,” said Menchaca.
“As such, I would like to encourage all organizations actively serving our district to consider applying to receive funding from the Council, including first-time applicants and organizations that are less resourced,” added Menchaca.
For instructions and guidelines on the budget process, those interested may contact Socheatta Meng and Ivan Valladares at D38budget@council.nyc.gov.
