John,

A quick reminder! We are still in the formal “communications blackout” period - less than 90 days out from the June 2023 primary. To comply with election law, we are restricted with what we can discuss in mass communications from now until the primary is over. Please bear with us as we pare down and change our content to comply with election law.

Catch Me In The News

While we haven’t been able to discuss our legislative work in our newsletter, we’ve been talking about it in the news! If you haven’t already, check out our website's “News” section for up-to-date coverage of our team’s legislative work, community happenings, and important votes at City Hall. This page is regularly updated with new articles every few weeks to ensure our community is kept up to date. Our communications team keeps a keen eye out for relevant articles, but if we’ve missed one, you can always email our Communications Director at [email protected] and they’ll be sure to upload it!

Budget Update

One of the things we can discuss in our newsletter during the blackout period is the budget. For those of you who aren’t keeping up with the budget cycle, the Mayor recently released his executive budget. This follows his preliminary budget, sort of the Mayor’s rough draft, and is the administration's first negotiating position as they prepare to work with the City Council to develop a final budget to vote on this summer. While the executive budget was short on details, it sticks to similar themes from last year partly because of the late state budget (which was finally passed this past week). More cuts across City agencies that have sky-high vacancy rates, billions earmarked for asylum seekers that relies on fuzzy math, and a grim economic outlook for the City despite billions in surplus tax revenue. For the second year in a row, the Mayor has presented us with a budget that is detached from reality.

We need to be filling our City agencies to help working-class New Yorkers get critical services, not cutting headcounts and asking agencies to do more with less. We need to provide asylum seekers with long-term housing solutions based on real projections, not indefinitely housing our newest neighbors in hotels while relying on numbers with no basis. Between now and June, myself and the Council’s Progressive Caucus will be doing everything we can to ensure we get a budget that works for the average New Yorker. One that funds our libraries, provides for our newest neighbors, and holds our schools harmless. This is just the beginning of our budget fight; stay tuned for more details.

Community Bulletin

● Our office is searching for a new Constituent Services Director! Check out the job description on our website and send it around to anyone in your network who you think might be a good fit to serve the 39th District. We’re accepting applications on a rolling basis, so get your materials in soon to be considered.

● Voting has begun for your local Community Education Council! Use this link to elect our neighbors to our local CEC. Remember - voting ends 5/9.

● Brooklyn Community Foundation and Congregation Beth Elohim invite you to a free Mother's Day screening of TILL on Monday, May 15th at 7PM at Congregation Beth Elohim (274 Garfield Place). Join us to bear witness to the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14 year old son, Emmett, followed by a conversation with our President & CEO Dr. Jocelynne Rainey and Tammy Greer Brown of Moms of Black Boys (MOBB) United.

● Are you above 60? Get fit while having fun at the Park Slope Center for Successful Aging’s Latin Rhythms Dance Class! The Latin Rhythms Dance class includes seated warmups, fundamental steps, and an introduction to different rhythmic styles like tango, salsa, bachata, and cumbia. The class is offered every Wednesday from 11 AM - 12 PM through 6/28.

● Want to stay involved with the Gowanus Oversight Task Force? We've launched a new website for our community to follow along with updates, resources, and community meetings!

In Solidarity,

Shahana