Mosley Calls For Full Audit Of Kings County Dems
Assemblymember and Democratic Party District Leader Walter T. Mosley (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy) yesterday called for a full and independent audit of the Kings County Democratic Party’s finances.
Mosley’s comments came following a bombshell story in the Daily News yesterday which alleges that Kings County Democratic County Boss Frank Seddio has bled the party’s cash reserve since 2013, the year after Seddio took over the reins of the party from $505,000 in 2013 to $32,800.
The money paid out includes $300,000 to George Arzt Communications for public relations and more than $100,000 to Diana Carone, the wife Frank Carone, the party’s chief lawyer and Seddio’s former law partner.
“An honest and properly functioning political party is how we ensure that our elected officials are those who hear the concerns of Brooklyn residents and address them. I’m deeply disturbed by recent reportings on the party finances, which must be above reproach,” said Mosley.
“We must ensure that our party’s funds are spent responsibly so that we can continue to elect authority driven and thoughtful leaders in an effort to build the strength and unity our party should expect. In light of recent findings, I call for a full and independent audit of all county finances so we can remove any shadow of a doubt of impropriety,” he added.
Maloney Visits Street Fairs, Youth Markets & NYCHA Family Days
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens & Brooklyn) this weekend was out meeting with constituents at a slew of events.
This included the Community Church of Astoria’s 2nd annual street festival, a quick stop at the the Astoria Youth Greenmarket stand, and NYCHA Family Days at Cooper Park Houses and 344 E. 28th Street.
Maloney’s district includes thousands of NYCHA residents and Maloney has long been vocal about the need to find innovative and effective ways to ensure tenant repairs are completed.
One idea would be to empower tenants’ associations and increase accountability by ending the failed centralization policy and returning maintenance control back to the local development.
At a Brooklyn town hall last week, she offered this insight, as reported by an attendee via Twitter:
“When I was on the city council, we used to get the repairs done…I’d like to go back to a different model,” she said.
Maloney’s work with NYCHA residents goes back to her days on the City Council, when Reagan-era cuts decimated affordable housing. Maloney also helped reform NYCHA’s contracting by exposing millions in sole-source contracts awarded to organized-crime-controlled companies.
Clarke To Hold Immigrant Rights & Census Town Hall
U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Park Slope) tomorrow will host a District Townhall to educate the community on the importance of the 2020 Census, immigration policies and immigrants’ rights.
The event will also include workshops on how to apply for citizenship, the citizenship process and information regarding standby guardianship. It will feature local experts to educate attendees on immigrants’ rights and the 2020 Census, as well as key information on the pathway to citizenship
Dr. John Flateau from Medgar Evers College will moderate a panel that will include as panelists Jeff T. Behler (Regional Census Bureau), Jose Interiano (Brooklyn DA Immigration Affairs), Sonia Lin, (Mayor’s Office of Immigration Affairs), Ravi Ragbir (New Sanctuary), Elizabeth Rieser-Murphy (Legal Aid Society) and Carlos Sierra (CUNY Citizenship Now).
The Townhall is slated for 6-9 p.m., tomorrow Aug. 20 Brooklyn College, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Room IH-148 at the Flatbush-Nostrand avenues Junction in Flatbush.
Rose Helps Reunite Family Separated by Travel Ban
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) , a strong advocate in fighting the Travel Ban, was joined today by the Almulaiki family, Yemeni-Americans from Brooklyn who, with Rose’s help, successfully secured a Travel Ban waiver, allowing the wife to travel to the United States to be reunited with her family and receive critical medical treatment.
Rose and the Almulaiki family called for a repeal of the Travel Ban that has negatively impacted their family and so many others, especially in the Yemeni-American community.
“The Almulaiki family has gone through incredible pain, suffering, and sacrifice due to policies that run counter to our national security,” said Rose, an Army combat veteran and Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism.
“The fact that we were able to help reunite this family is a small sliver of good news to a community that has been devastated and torn apart—but it shouldn’t be this way. It shouldn’t take elected officials or the media to force the Administration to do the right thing. The fact of the matter is, this isn’t a travel ban to help our national security—it’s a Muslim ban that is borne out of discriminatory policies that hurt families and neighbors in our community,” he added.
In February, Rose called on the Secretary of State to approve visa applications for several of his constituents, including Almulaiki. In a letter, Rose also requested information and data on the effects of the Travel Ban. Rose received a response which included the following data from the period of December 8, 2017 – October 31, 2018:
- 48,656 immigrant visa and non-immigrant visa applications were subject to restrictions under the travel ban
- 36,309 were denied visas with waiver consideration
- 8,149 of those applications were denied for reasons unrelated to the travel ban
- 1,546 applicants met the criteria for waiver and received a visa
- 670 met the criteria for a waiver but have not yet received a visa
- 0.1 percent of visa application waivers denied were due to national security concerns
Treyger Unveils Huge Coney Island Hospital Investment
City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend) on Friday joined Council Member Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan), Chair of the Committee on Hospitals, to reveal plans for significant upgrades to the Obstetrics and Gynecology unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island.
Treyger secured more than $400,000 in the FY2020 budget to invest in critical equipment upgrades and new medical devices so that the hospital can increase access to reproductive healthcare services, and continue to provide high-quality prenatal and maternal care.
The new medical equipment funded includes three new ultrasound machines, a portable ultrasound machine for labor and delivery, and urodynamics testing equipment for urogynecology.
In New York City, around 20 women die per year from complications associated with giving birth. New York State has an alarmingly high rate of maternal mortality with stark racial disparities. In data from 2014-2016, while the overall maternal mortality rate in New York State was 19.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, the rate for Black women was 51.6 deaths per 100,000 live births. Distressingly, maternal mortality rates have been increasing over the past two decades.
“Maternal mortality rates in the State of New York have dramatically risen in the past ten years. It is imperative that we address this public health crisis by increasing awareness and medical services,” said Treyger.
“The $400,000 in capital investments I secured for new ultrasound machines and urogynecology testing equipment at Coney Island Hospital will expand on the critical services they provide every patient that they serve,” he added.
