City Issues More Taxpayer Funds to Queens BP Candidates
The NYC Campaign Finance Board (CFB) yesterday issued public matching funds payments to five candidates in the primary election for Queens Borough President.
This is the sixth public funds payment in the Queens Borough President race. Payments previously issued for the special election now apply to the primary.
To qualify for public matching funds, candidates must meet the nonpartisan objective criteria set in the law, including a two-part fundraising threshold. Candidates also must comply with all program rules, including individual contribution limits and a prohibition on contributions from corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships.
To qualify for public matching funds in the Queens Borough President special election, candidates must raise 100 contributions from Queens residents and $44,614 in funds raised. Only the match-eligible portion ($175) of any contribution counts towards the second threshold.
Details about the payments are available below.
QUEENS BOROUGH PRESIDENT – PUBLIC MATCHING FUNDS PAYMENTS
| Candidate | Jun. 11 | Total |
| Costa Constantinides | $3,707 | $720,754 |
| Elizabeth Crowley | $24,548 | $1,177,140 |
| Anthony Miranda | $3,040 | $380,524 |
| Jim Quinn * | — | $440,361 |
| Donovan Richards | $9,652 | $751,284 |
| Dao Yin | $1,140 | $408,181 |
| Total | $42,087 | $3,878,244 |
*Not on ballot for the June 23 primary election.
Improvements to the matching funds program were adopted by voters in November 2018. Under the new limits and thresholds, the CFB provides public matching funds to qualifying candidates at a matching rate of $8-to-$1 for the first $175 for City Council and Borough President candidates, or $250 for citywide candidates contributed by city residents.
Each contribution from a New York City resident is eligible for a maximum matching funds payment of $1,400 for City Council and Borough President candidates or $2,000 for citywide candidates. Candidates have the choice of participating in the old program, which provides public funds to qualifying candidates at a $6-to-$1 matching rate. All participating candidates in these special elections opted-in to the new $8-to-$1 program.
CMs Adams, Miller Approve of Restaurant Revitalization Program
City Council Member I. Daneek Miller (D-Cambria Heights, Hollis, Jamaica, Jamaica Estates, Laurelton, Queens Village, Springfield Gardens, St. Albans) and Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village, South Ozone Park) voiced support for the city’s Restaurant Revitalization (RR) Program announced yesterday.
The program, with a focus on NYC communities hardest-hit by COVID-19, will provide restaurants with short term payroll support now, funding subsidized wages to employ displaced restaurant workers who will prepare meals (including some free) for their communities.
Under the RR Program, participating restaurants will be eligible for funding up to $30,000 each, to be used to pay wages of $20/hour to subsidized employees for at least six weeks. In addition, the City is collaborating with One Fair Wage (OFW) – a national advocacy organization working to raise the standards and equity across the restaurant industry – which will launch its High Road Kitchens program in New York City, making $1 million available to support local restaurants with funding of up to $35,000 per restaurant.
Both RR and the OFW programs are open to restaurants that commit to moving toward a full $15 minimum wage with tips on top and to increasing race and gender equity among employees within 3-5 years.
“As we navigate the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, I am pleased that the City is committed to supporting communities of color that have been hardest hit by this deadly virus,” said Miller, Co-Chair of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus. “Investing in our commercial corridors and engaging youth on a local level is commendable, and I thank the Administration and the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity for their commitment to investing in communities of color.”
“It is important that we continue to work towards recovery for New York City, especially for communities hardest hit by the pandemic,” said Adams, Co-Chair of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus. “I applaud this initiative that will give our young people an outlet and the opportunity to learn valuable skills while providing economic relief.”
Vallone Lauds Signature Bank Donation to Small Biz Emergency Grant Program
City Council Member Paul Vallone (D-Alley Pond Park, Bay Terrace, Bayside, College Point, Douglaston, East Elmhurst, Flushing, Fresh Meadows, Little Neck, Whitestone) yesterday lauded Mayor de Blasio’s announcement today that Signature Bank will donate $750,000 in funds to the Small Business Emergency Grant Program to further support small business owners who recently experienced damage to their storefronts during recent protests.
City Council Member Andrew Cohen (D-Manhattan) connected Signature Bank with the city to facilitate the donation.
This donation will allow the program to provide individual grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses across the city. The grant will help impacted minority and women-owned businesses as well as those with annual revenues of less than $1.5 million, with their recovery efforts, including repairs, security systems, locks, inventory and more.
“Our small businesses and restaurants have always been the heart and soul of New York City, and their success will be a critical part of a robust economic recovery,” said Vallone, Chair of the Committee on Economic Development. “As businesses begin to reopen their doors after being shuttered for several months due to COVID-19, a number of owners are also facing costly repairs due to damage sustained by vandalism and looting. During these difficult times, this grant will offer small business owners in the five boroughs much-needed relief as they rebuild, recover, and continue to serve their communities.”
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Over $400 Million in Fed Funding to Adress Housing Insecurity
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) yesterday announced $400,531,196 in federal funding allocated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Emergency Solutions Grant-Coronavirus (ESG-CV) program.
This second round of ESG funding was secured under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and will be used to mitigate COVID-19’s impact on New Yorkers experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
New York’s cut of this money is about $332 million
“Every New Yorker deserves a safe and secure place to call home, and this federal investment I worked tirelessly to negotiate gets us one step closer to that goal,” said Schumer. “As New York still reels from the devastating effects of the ongoing pandemic, we need to do all we can to support affordable housing for our most vulnerable residents. I will always fight tooth and nail for resources that keep New Yorkers safe, especially during these challenging times.”
“The need for secure housing is especially urgent during the COVID-19 pandemic as it threatens the health and economic safety of millions of New Yorkers,” said Gillibrand. “This funding will help provide New Yorkers with access to safe housing during these uncertain times by supporting homelessness prevention shelters and service providers. I am proud to have fought to secure this funding allocated in the CARES Act, and I will continue to advocate for New Yorkers during this pandemic.”
Sanders Urges Special Protections for Frontline Workers Due to COVID-19
State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village, Far Rockaway) recently sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, and Governor Andrew Cuomo urging them to take action to provide the following for frontline workers: hazard pay and / or die in the line of duty pay; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); and better pension and health care benefits. The entire letter is below.
“These men and women put their lives on the line to help protect us from a new and deadly disease for which there is currently no cure, and they deserve to be compensated with better wages, benefits and protective gear,” Sanders said. “I am calling on our leaders in government to protect those who do so much to protect us. I hope they will take immediate action.”
