I want to wish you all a warm Season’s Greetings and Happy and Healthy New Year! I had such a wonderful time celebrating the holidays and seeing many of you at community events, from the Carroll Park, Park Slope, and DUMBO tree lightings to the Grand Army Plaza menorah lighting.
I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you who donated to our Holiday Gift Cards and Toy Drives for Warren Houses, WIN Shelter for Women & Kids, Camp Friendship and Gowanus Mutual Aid.
Thank you for spreading joy to our neighbors in need. From myself and my staff – Susannah, JoAnn Van Slyke, Donna, & Allison – here’s to a New Year filled with hope, happiness, and health!
Sincerely,
Jo Anne Simon
P.S. My office will be closed from December 26th through January 2nd for a holiday break before we commence the 2023 Legislative Session. We will be checking email and phone messages for anything urgent.
Sahadis is on the NYS Historic Business Preservation Registry! I was thrilled to nominate and welcome Sahadis “A Brooklyn Tradition” into the NYS Historic Business Preservation Registry. For decades, they have brought the best flavors, tastes, & scents from across the world to Brooklyn. Legendary among foodies in the know + locals, Brooklyn is blessed and honored to have Sahadi’s right here – for four generations!
Congratulations and much continued success!
Storm Preparations: According to NYC Emergency Management, your safest place during wind advisory is indoors. Postpone outdoor activities. Get winter weather tips & links from NYC OEM here. Other tips:
- Residents living in coastal areas should take preparedness steps.
- ConEd notes to PLEASE stay away from downed power wires! Report them here: 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633).
- Report any flooding issues to 311, and retain your complaint number.
Community Updates:
Public Comments Due on Helicopters by 12/30/222. If helicopters are impacting you, take action NOW to submit your public commentary on the Helicopter Sightseeing Plan for NYC to the Federal Aviation Administration. Comments - DUE 12/30/22 - MUST be submitted here. For more info and get involved, contact Stop the Chop NJ/NJ.
2023 Alternate Side Parking Calendar: If you need a 2023 parking calendar, stop by our Smith Street office in the New Year to pick one up or download it here.
BQE Input & Comments. I am thankful to those of you who have participated in the BQE engagement process so far, and encourage everyone along the corridor to get involved. You can take the DOT’s new BQE Central survey, view the design concepts, and learn about 2023 meetings and other updates here.
Covid, Flu & RSV. A low percentage of people have received their bivalent booster shot, which became available in September of 2022. This updated booster targets the Omicron subvariants. It’s quick and easy to get a vaccine, which is available at many pharmacies and community centers. Call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692) or go to vaccinefinder.nyc.gov. You can also get a flu shot. The CDC and the NYC health commissioner have issued a mask recommendation for indoor and crowded outdoor settings.
Free Covid Tests. The Biden administration and United States Post Office are partnering once again to offer free at-home COVID-19 tests. To learn more or request your free tests, visit https://www.covid.gov/tests
Legislative Pay Increase. This week, the Legislature passed a bill to raise the pay of legislators, which I supported. This was the second pay increase for the state Legislature since 1999. The bill also included a limit on the outside income a legislator can earn while in office.
I was elected to the NYS Assembly in 2014. When I took office in January 2015, legislators were paid $78,500. Constituents said, “What?? How is that possible in today’s world?” In 2018, a Legislative Pay Commission recommended a three-step pay increase, constituting a Cost of Living increase adjusted over 20 years to $130,000 (the third step) which would have gone into effect 22 years after the last increase. Recent court rulings upheld the amount but not the method of the pay commission – the courts found that the legislators must vote for the pay increase themselves as required by the Constitution. Since 2000, there has been an increase in cost of living which, adjusted for inflation from the judicially approved (but not yet paid) $130,000, got to the $142,000 salary that we voted on this week.
I believe my constituents know that I not only work hard but that I work seven days a week, in Albany and in the community, all year-long, on their behalf. New York has a high cost of living due to many factors including geography, infrastructure needs and a large population and that’s why the Assembly Majority has been aggressive in pushing to raise wages and lower the cost of living for all New Yorkers.
The legislature has seen a lot of turnover in recent years as legislators leave to go to the City Council or to jobs elsewhere so they can better support their families. The NYC Council, which has less legislative authority than the state legislature, is paid more and they don’t have to travel as far or be away from their families overnight. If New Yorkers want a legislature that is smart, responsible, and dedicated, the pay needs to match the job responsibilities.
A brief word about outside income. The 2018 Legislative Pay Commission recommended a pay increase and additional limits on outside income. For example, legislators may also be nurses who work per diem, family farmers, lawyers, or own small businesses. Few legislators today actually have outside income and those who do must conform to the Public Officers Law, one of the strictest in the nation. Those who have found themselves on the other side of the law have committed crimes, but an outside salary didn’t cause those violations – a lack of spine did. Sheldon Silver was found guilty of bribery, extortion and money laundering. That’s not outside income. Dean Skelos influenced others to provide no-show jobs for his son. That’s not outside income. William Boyland was convicted of bribery and influence peddling. That’s not outside income. The list goes on. We have strong laws and people have to follow them. That’s about morality, not money.
Many colleagues on the other side of the aisle protested greatly (and by the way also have outside income) and complained that their constituents couldn’t make ends meet. I await their outrage when we move to raise the minimum wage again.
