Myrie, Forrest, Hudson Highlight Repair Needs & Condition at Large Apartment Complexes
State Sen. Zellnor Y. Myrie (D-Brooklyn), Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest (D-Brooklyn) and City Council Member Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn), will meet with tenant leaders and conduct a walkthrough of several apartment buildings, along with representatives from city and state agencies, to review conditions and discuss safety and preparedness needs.
The meeting and tours come in the wake of the horrendous and tragic fire at Twin Parks North West in the Bronx. The visits will include the Ebbets Field complex, which has 1321 apartments in 7 buildings; Tivoli Towers, a Mitchell-Lama development with 33 floors and 321 homes; and Stoddard Place, a rent-stabilized building with six floors and 53 apartments.
The tour will start at 12 noon, today, Feb. 22 at the Ebbets Field Apartments, 1700 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn.
Black, Puerto Rican & Asian Legislative Caucus To Announce Support for Fair Pay for Home Care
The New York State Black, Puerto Rican & Asian Legislative Caucus, a sixty-eight-member body of state legislators representing a quarter of residents across the State of New York from Long Island, the metro New York City area, and upstate, today will hold a Zoom press conference to announce their support for Fair Pay for Home Care in the state budget. The Caucus
New York currently faces the worst home care shortage in the nation, and low wages are the single largest driving factor. Fair Pay for Home Care will overwhelmingly improve existing jobs and create new jobs for women and people of color. Currently, New York’s home care workers are 91% female and 77% people of color.
The Fair Pay for Home Care Act is backed by 1199, AARP, Democratic Majorities in the State Senate and Assembly, and has bipartisan support in both houses.
The press conference is slated for 11 a.m., today, Feb. 22. Zoom — Click HERE to register.
Malliotakis Supports to Port Authority’s Study on Widening the Outerbridge Crossing
U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island, Brooklyn) last week supported the Port Authority’s announcement of its commissioning a new study to determine the feasibility of widening the Outerbridge Crossing.
“The bipartisan infrastructure bill that we passed in November provides a rare opportunity to fund the widening or replacement of the Outerbridge Crossing. I am happy to work with Representative Pallone of New Jersey to advocate for the necessary improvements to this 100-year-old bridge in a bi-partisan and bi-state manner to increase motor vehicle capacity and reduce traffic congestion. The study is a necessary first step to see our options, and I urge the Port Authority to make its completion a priority so necessary improvements can begin.”
First opened in June 1928, the Outerbridge Crossing has an annual traffic volume of 30 million vehicles and remains the only bridge connecting Staten Island and New Jersey with the same capacity today as it was when it was built. It is often a major traffic chokepoint, attributable to its four narrow lanes and high volume during daily peak hours, particularly in the summer as New Yorkers utilize the Outerbridge to travel to and from the Jersey Shore.
While the Goethals Bridge—also built in in 1928 while carrying a near-identical modern traffic load as the Outerbridge—was replaced in its entirety in 2018, the Outerbridge has not received the same care.
AG James Sues Couple for Embezzling $1 Million in Charity Funds
New York Attorney General Letitia James last week continued her efforts to combat fraud in charitable organizations by filing a civil complaint against Shirley Goddard, the former executive director and Board Chair of the Humanitarian Organization for Multicultural Experiences, Inc. (HOME) and her husband Tyrone Goddard.
Between 2012 and 2018, Mrs. Goddard improperly diverted or misused nearly a million dollars in HOME’s charitable assets for her personal gain. Mr. Goddard, the former board chair, was aware of and helped to conceal his wife’s unlawful conduct. The money that the Goddards stole hindered H.O.M.E.’s ability to fulfill its mission to provide critical services to individuals with developmental disabilities in the Syracuse area.
The complaint seeks restitution of the funds that were diverted from HOME as well as a permanent bar on any fiduciary role for Shirley or Tyrone Goddard in any New York charitable organization.
“Stealing funds that are used to help developmentally disabled individuals is cruel and goes against everything that we stand for as New Yorkers,” said James. “Our communities have faith that our charities will help them through their struggles, and our charities must be stable, honest, and ethical in order to do so. Today’s lawsuit demonstrates my commitment to pursue wrongdoers who take advantage of charities and the vulnerable communities they serve.”
