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Dear John, October is Italian American Heritage Month! This month, we celebrate the vibrant history, culture, and contributions of Italian Americans. District 39 is home to many Italian American residents and includes the historic Carroll Gardens, which has been a cultural hub for over a century. Happy Italian American Heritage Month! Do you have questions about Local Law 97? Join our virtual information session on Monday, 10/28, at 6 PM to learn about the NYC Accelerator program, its benefits, and how Local Law 97 affects you. Register here for webinar details. For additional questions, contact [email protected]. Interpretation will be available in Spanish, Bangla, Mandarin, and Arabic. Applications for my office’s Youth Leadership Council are open through Thursday, 10/30! This 8-month program offers youth ages 14-18 living in or attending school in District 39 an insider’s look at local government. To apply, youth must first register as volunteers on the NYC Service Website, log in, and then use this link to apply. Ideas collection for Participatory Budgeting is underway! Submit your project ideas on the online ideas map now through Friday, 11/15.
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| | Upcoming Election Information
Check your voter registration status here. Today, Saturday, 10/26, is also the last day to register to vote for this November election. The Board of Elections must receive a mailed registration form or an online, emailed, or faxed application by this date.
Early voting begins today, Saturday, 10/26, and will continue through Sunday, 11/3. Please review the voting hours here and make a plan. Early Voting locations differ from Election Day poll sites, so be sure to double-check the location. Election Day is Tuesday, 11/5, with polls open from 6 AM to 9 PM.
If you are mailing in your ballot, it must be returned and postmarked by Tuesday, 11/5. You can also return your ballot in person by Tuesday, 11/5 at 9 PM.
You have the right to vote in your preferred language. The NYC Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) provides interpretation services in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, Urdu, and Yiddish at select poll sites. Interpretation services will be available during early voting on Saturday, 11/2, and Sunday, 11/3, as well as on Election Day, Tuesday, 11/5. Yiddish interpretation will be offered at early voting poll sites on Friday, 11/1, and Sunday, 11/3. Check out the following map to find poll sites that provide these services.
Be sure to flip your ballot to vote on the six ballot proposals. I’m unable to share how I will be voting on these proposals in this government newsletter. However, I want to ensure that everyone is well-informed before heading to the polls. Many of you have received a mailer from me detailing proposals 2, 3, and 4, which will significantly affect the City Council. Proposals 2 through 6 stem from Mayor Adams’ expedited Charter Revision Commission and could have consequences regarding the responsiveness, transparency, and accountability of city government to New Yorkers. As detailed in this previous newsletter, I opposed the process through which the Mayor established Proposals 2 through 6.
Here’s a rundown of the proposals and their impacts. You can learn more about them on the City Council website and see the ballot text here. |
| State Proposal 1: New York State Equal Rights Amendment This statewide amendment aims to add anti-discrimination protections based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, and abortion rights to the state constitution. |
| Voting “Yes” would enshrine these protections against discrimination in the New York State Constitution. |
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| Voting “No” would leave these protections out of the State Constitution. |
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| City Proposal 2: Increased Enforcement & Regulations by the Department of Sanitation This proposal aims to grant the City’s Sanitation Department greater power for increased enforcement and regulations. |
| Voting “Yes” would increase the Sanitation Department’s ability to enforce violations by small business, expand its authority to create rules unilaterally, and undermine opportunities for public input on cleanliness issues. |
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| Voting “No” would leave the current laws unchanged.
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| City Proposal 3: Wasteful Spending, Slower Results, & Reduced Budget Transparency This proposal introduces redundant review processes for proposed laws, leading to significant taxpayer expenses and delays to lawmaking. It also limits budget transparency by shortening the time the Council has to examine the Mayor’s proposed budget. |
| Voting “Yes” would amend the City Charter to mandate additional fiscal analysis before local law hearings and votes, and update budget deadlines. |
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| Voting “No” would leave the current laws unchanged.
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| City Proposal 4: Delays in Public Safety Laws
This proposal would mandate additional bureaucracy and time before the City Council votes on laws affecting the public safety operations of the Police, Correction, and Fire Departments. |
| Voting “Yes” would delay public safety laws, reduce mayoral accountability, and block urgent safety improvements. |
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| Voting “No” would leave the current laws unchanged.
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| City Proposal 5: Ineffective and Misleading Capital Planning Changes
This proposal ignores independent recommendations for reforming the City’s comprehensive infrastructure report and instead suggests changes to a process that address less than 1% of the City’s infrastructure. The capital planning processes are in need of comprehensive reform, not small piecemeal fixes. |
| Voting “Yes” would approve severely limited changes to the City’s capital budgeting processes. |
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| Voting “No” would leave the current laws unchanged.
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| City Proposal 6: Changes to Unrelated City Operations This proposal seeks to establish the role of Chief Diversity Officer (CBDO) to support Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), manage film permits, and oversee the archive review board. However, it effectively grants the Mayor increased control over business permits while introducing meaningful improvements to the CBDO position itself. |
| Voting “Yes” would create the CBDO role to support Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), authorize the Mayor to designate the film permit office, and merge the two boards responsible for reviewing city archives. |
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| Voting “No” would leave the current laws unchanged.
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| | Constituent Services Corner A constituent reported a broken fire hydrant that had been out of service for the past two years at the corner of Columbia Street and Carroll Street. My team contacted the Department of Environmental Planning, which investigated the issue and successfully repaired the fire hydrant! |
|  | Fire hydrant before repair |
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|  | Fire hydrant after repair |
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| | Columbia Waterfront Concrete Facility Update Last month, I sent a letter, co-authored with State Senator Andrew Gounardes, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, and Brooklyn Community Board 6, urging the Department of Transportation (DOT) to take immediate action to reduce dust pollution at the Columbia Waterfront Concrete Recycling Facility and improve transparency with local residents.
On Wednesday, the DOT responded with the letter outlining their plan here. I am pleased to see their commitment to creating and distributing a “What’s Happening Here” document and improving direct communication and transparency with the neighbors in the Columbia Waterfront area. The recent paving of Columbia Street between Degraw Street and Kane Street is also a much-needed development that I advocated for.
While these steps are long overdue, further immediate action is still necessary to address dust mitigation and the air quality issues affecting residents. I remain committed to pushing for the closure and relocation of this facility. If you are experiencing related problems, please contact my office. I will continue to be a vocal advocate on this important issue. |
| Community Bulletin The Gowanus Remediation Team (GRT) has informed my office that the design for the necessary repairs to the Carroll Street Bridge has advanced to the pre-final stage and is currently under review with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Construction is expected to begin in Winter 2024/2025 and be completed by Winter 2025/2026. For the latest updates on the bridge’s status, please visit the GRT project website. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the GRT via email at [email protected] or call their hotline at (718) 569-5762. Want to help with our food distribution efforts? We’re always looking for more volunteers! Fill out this form, and our office will contact you with the next steps. Are you a business owner? Your business may need to file a Beneficial Ownership Information Report by 12/31. Fines will be imposed for failing to register the required information. Learn more about the Corporate Transparency Act and how to file properly by attending a session with the Department of Small Businesses, the Legal Aid Society, and Patterson Belknap. The Park Slope Civic Council is accepting applications for local community grants of up to $1,500 to support projects in arts, education, youth, and civic improvement. Submit your application by Friday, 11/15! My office is partnering with Gowanus Mutual Aid to collect fall and winter clothing for community members of all genders and sizes. Drop off new, clean, and gently used clothing for all ages at my District Office from Monday, 10/28, through Thursday, 10/31, between 10 AM and 5 PM.
In Solidarity, Council Member Shahana |
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