Abbate Abinanti Endorse Bloomberg
Assemblymembers Peter Abbate Jr. (D-Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, Borough Park) and Thomas Abinanti (D-Westchester) announced yesterday their endorsement of Mike Bloomberg for president.
“I have worked with five different New York City mayors since taking office and none of them have done more to improve New Yorkers’ quality of life than Mike Bloomberg,” said Abbate. “Mike’s bold policies improved high school graduation rates, created hundreds of thousands of jobs for New Yorkers of all backgrounds and helped lift up the entire city after the devastating 9/11 attacks. Thanks to his visionary leadership, Brooklynites live in healthier and stronger communities. I know Mike will bring the same ‘get it done’ attitude to the White House, and I am honored to support him.”
By announcing their endorsements, Abbate and Abinanti have joined 17 other New York State elected officials who have declared their support for Mike’s candidacy.
Comptroller Stringer Demands Plan to Reduce Ship Emissions
New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer sent a letter to EDC President and CEO James Patchett demanding a comprehensive plan to reduce cruise ship emissions, including a strategy to fully equip the Manhattan Cruise Terminal with shore plug-in technology.
Last year, 214 cruise ships docked at the Manhattan and Brooklyn Cruise Terminals. While docked at these piers, the overwhelming majority of the cruise liners continued to sit idle and run auxiliary engines typically powered by high-sulfur diesel fuel that has been linked to cancer, asthma, heart disease, and other serious health problems.
“While cruise ships bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to New York City’s ports each year, these same ships are also responsible for spewing toxic, asthma-inducing exhaust fumes into neighborhoods that are already burdened with some of the city’s poorest air quality,” said Stringer. “I stand with New Yorkers who live in Hell’s Kitchen and Red Hook who have had to suffer the impact of this suffocating, poisonous pollution for too long. The infrastructure we build today directly affects our climate goals for the future, and we need a plan to mitigate the excessive and easily reducible cruise ship pollution at both the Manhattan and Brooklyn terminals. For the sake of our city, our planet, and our neighborhoods, this has to change.”
Adams Helped with Clothing Drive
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams along with Community Leader Anthony J. Finkel, non-profit organizations and other community leaders organized a clothing and toiletries drive throughout the 40th Council District this month.
The drive was intended to help raise materials for the recently opened men’s homeless shelter located on Coney Island Avenue and Beverly Road.
The Peace, Dignity, & Threads Clothing and Toiletries Drive helped to raise 1,155 items, (237 articles of clothing and 918 pieces of toiletries). These items will help several hundred residents as they transition into permanent housing.
Colton: Prepare To Fight Mayor’s Plan To Eliminate SHSAT
Assemblyman William Colton (Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights) hosted a meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 19 to alert parents and community members to prepare to fight another attempt by the Mayor and the Chancellor not only to eliminate the objective SHSAT criteria for admissions to our Specialized High Schools but also, to continue closing down gifted and talented programs in middle schools.
“Parents must be ready to bombard the legislature with letters and emails to stop the DOE from undermining our Specialized High Schools. All parents should demand gifted and talented classes to be placed in all schools for early grades and middle schools while funding remedial programs for those children who are under-performing. LaBella who filed a lawsuit to block the Mayor’s plan spoke at the meeting agreeing with me that parents must be ready for the coming community fight,” Colton said.
“Petitions were distributed at the meeting to mobilize parents for another big fight that will be happening in May. If you would like to sign or help to carry petitions to support SHSAT and gifted and talented programs, then please come to my office at 155 Kings Highway, Brooklyn and pick up one. We must fight for our children’s future. Together we can make a difference,” Colton added.
Rose to Chair Second Hearing on Rise in Anti-Semitic Terrorism
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (Southern Brooklyn, Staten Island) will chair a second hearing on the rise in anti-Semitic domestic terrorism this Wednesday called Confronting the Rise in Anti-Semitic Domestic Terrorism, Part II.
“I will not lose sight or focus on this issue which has hit far too close to home,” said Rose, the first Jewish Member of Congress from Staten Island.“Following last month’s hearing with leading Jewish community members and security experts, I look forward to hearing directly from top Homeland Security and FBI officials on the work that’s being done, and—more importantly—the work that we still need to do to properly address this rising threat.”
The hearing will be focused on the factors driving the rise in anti-Semitic violence; the actions that federal, state, and local government officials are taking to address this rise—and what more needs to be done; and how Congress can help counter the rise in violence motivated by anti-Semitism. This week’s hearing will include testimony from Administration officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Comptroller Stringer To Present Analysis of Preliminary Budget
New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer will present his comprehensive analysis of New York City’s FY 2021 Preliminary Budget. The presentation will review key city programs and services and detail how the City can better prepare for the future and ensure taxpayer investments deliver real results.
The event is slated to take place at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 1 Centre Street, 5th Floor in Manhattan.
