Dear Neighbor,

I want to bring your attention to several upcoming town halls and hearings addressing important issues in our community:

• Tonight, Thursday, January 11th, Sen. Gonzalez is hosting a town hall on the proposed casino south of the United Nations. The space for this event is at capacity, but you can still RSVP to join the remotely.

• Next Thursday, Assm. Epstein will be hosting a town hall on several issues, including the closure of Mount Sinai Beth Israel. There is also a community survey on Mount Sinai that you can fill out through tomorrow.

• On January 18th, the State Education Department will be holding a hearing in Manhattan on Mayoral Control of New York City Schools.

See below for more information on these events, including registration details. As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please email or call my office at [email protected] or 212-490-9535. Please Note: my office will be closed on Monday, January 15th, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Best,

Liz Krueger

State Senator

East Side Casino Town Hall

On the evening of January 11, from 6-8pm, Senator Gonzalez is hosting a town hall at the NYU College of Dentistry (345 E. 24th Street, New York, NY 10010, corner of 24th St and 1st Ave) to hear community feedback on the proposal for a casino in East Midtown. The purpose of this town hall is to make sure that the voices of those who live and/or work in surrounding community have a say early in the decision-making process regarding the establishment of a possible casino in our area.

This event has reached capacity, but you can still RSVP to join remotely. All registered attendees will receive a Zoom link on the day of the event. 

As you may be aware, the Mount Sinai Health System has announced its intention to close Beth Israel Medical Center (also known as Mount Sinai Beth Israel) located at 16th Street and 1st Avenue.

The Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel has composed a survey to find out how community members use Mount Sinai Beth Israel and how they would be impacted by the proposed closure. If you, your family members, friends, or loved ones have received medical services at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, your feedback would be very helpful. You can view and complete the survey by clicking here. 

The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, January 12, 2024.

The New York State Education Department is conducting a comprehensive review and assessment of the overall effectiveness of mayoral control of New York City schools. All members of the public—including students, parents, teachers, school administrators and staff, and individuals with experience and expertise in education policy and school governance—are invited to provide feedback on their experiences, assessments, and/or review of the mayoral control system of New York City schools.

Members of the public may participate by providing oral testimony at one of five public hearings and/or by submitting written electronic testimony by January 31, 2024 at 5pm. Information on the date, time, and location of each public hearing can be found by clicking here. Please be advised that each in-person public hearing will be livestreamed and recorded. Recordings of the two hearings that have already taken place are available online here.

The Manhattan hearing will take place from 6pm-9pm on Thursday, January 18th at the High School of Fashion Industries, 225 W 24th Street.