MANH Lawmakers on the Move, Aug. 12, 2019

Powers Proposes Gym Cancellation Legislation

City Council Member Keith Powers (D-Upper East Side, Carnegie Hill) is trying to pass legislation that would allow New Yorkers to cancel their gym memberships online.

The legislation was formed in the wake of news that Stephen Ross, Chairman of The Related Companies (of which Equinox Fitness is a subsidiary), had scheduled a fundraiser for President Donald Trump (R). The news lead countless New Yorkers to boycott the company and cancel their memberships.

“In light of recent news, several consumers are cancelling their gym memberships,” said Powers. “Those individuals are running into a common obstacle: most gyms and fitness studios have outdated rules for cancellations. We need to make it easier for consumers to unsubscribe from a brand’s service. That is why I am drafting legislation to require companies providing auto-renewal subscriptions and memberships to allow for online cancellations.”

Espaillat Urges Collaboration for Wetland Restoration Project

Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-Washington Heights, Sugar Hill) wrote a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation requesting collaboration on two projects to restore wetland sites at Inwood Hill Park and Sherman Creek Park.

The two parks are a valuable sources of greenspace to thousands of Manhattanites. They are also home to some of the borough’s only salt marshes, which serve as homes and nurseries for aquatic life and attract many species of waterfowl.

“I believe that this restoration initiative would bolster the biodiversity of Manhattan’s most vibrant national environment,” reads the letter. “Thank you for your attention to this matter and I look forward to working with you.”

The full letter can be read here.

Levine Talks Gun Violence on PIX11

City Council Member Mark Levine (D-Manhattan Valley, Manhattanville) appeared on PIX11 News on Thursday to talk about the recent surge in gun violence.

Last Monday, Levine helped organize a vigil in Washington Heights for the victims of the El Paso and Dayton shootings. He said that the former shooting took inspiration from the rhetoric of President Donald Trump (D), whom he called a white nationalist.

“He is undoubtedly a white nationalist,” said Levine. “That needs to be called out in the wake of these shootings. And we came together to do that uptown… in a community that is home to latinos, to African-Americans, to the LGBT community, to Jews, to Muslims. Every one of those groups has been targeted in a mass shooting by shooters motivated by right-wing white nationalist ideology. We need to call that out, and we need to hold Donald Trump accountable for inciting this hatred.”