“Your fundamental legal obligation as mandated by your certificate of operation was to plan and provide for future needs,” the governor wrote to National Grid officials. “You failed by your own admission.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday sent a blistering letter to National Grid CEO John Pettigrew and President John Bruckner giving 14 days’ notice of the State’s intent to revoke the utility’s certificate to operate its downstate gas franchise.

Cuomo indicated that he came to this conclusion following National Grid’s failure to provide “adequate and reliable service,” including failing to address supply issues, neglecting the needs of their customers, stalling private development, and the associated diminution of tax revenues to local governments.

National Grid has repeatedly claimed that there are gas-supply constraints in the northeast, and it is unable to provide utility service without a new pipeline. Since NY vehemently opposes the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement (a.k.a. Williams) Pipeline program for the Rockaway Peninsula—Empire State officials have shot down the plan three times—area customers are the ones that have been left, quite literally, out in the cold.

“The essential responsibility for a utility to provide adequate and reliable service is to manage the supply and demand. The very lack of supply you now point to as the reason for your denial of service to thousands of customers exhibits your failure to plan for supply needs. Your fundamental legal obligation as mandated by your certificate of operation was to plan and provide for future needs,” the governor wrote in the 874-word missive. “You failed by your own admission.”

Cuomo went on to characterize Nat Grid’s self-imposed moratorium as “either a fabricated device or a lack of competence.”

Elected officials that have been locking horns with National Grid for months said they appreciated the governor’s direct message.

“Whether Nat Grid shapes up, or an alternative provider is found, it is vital that the people are provided with reliable gas service,” State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said.

City Comptroller Scott Stringer applauded Cuomo’s letter because “it rightfully highlights the coercive and abusive tactics that National Grid undertook to try to drum up support for the environmentally backwards fracked-gas pipeline.”

“Rather than letting National Grid walk away with a fine or letting their franchise be taken over by an equally profit-driven competitor, the City and State should explore the feasibility of a public takeover of the natural gas system,” Stringer added. “We need to begin to responsibly develop plans to replace gas infrastructure with renewable and electric alternatives. After years of unchecked fossil fuel expansion, it’s clear we cannot count on the utilities being cooperative partners.”

Cuomo concluded his caustic message by positing two theories “to explain National Grid’s actions: Either National Grid was grossly negligent in relying exclusively on the speculative construction of a private pipeline to meet the demands that it was statutorily required to provide; or, National Grid deliberately defrauded the people of the state by not developing or pursuing existing supply options to force approval and reliance on a private pipeline to further their business interests at the cost of the consumer.

“Either alternative clearly violates your certificate of operation in the State of New York,” he added.

The mayor also touted past initiatives taken by his administration to prevent and address youth homelessness, including Marsha’s House in the Bronx, the first-ever DHS shelter for LGBTQ young people in the five boroughs.

By Forum Staff

The City will adopt new investments to help youth experiencing homelessness transition off the streets into shelter and from shelter into permanent housing, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday.
According to the administration, through collaboration across multiple agencies, including the Department of Youth and Community Development, the Department for the Aging, and the Department of Social Services, youth experiencing homelessness will have access to an array of new resources, including a new mobile service that will help youth experiencing homelessness find and access relevant support. Hizzoner said he will also establish a senior advisor for Youth Homelessness responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and expansion of the interagency initiatives.
The new resources include:
• The Department for the Aging for the first time will connect youth experiencing homelessness to housing opportunities through their Home Sharing program (program already operating, effective immediately);
• A new mobile service that will help homeless youth more easily find and access support. The design of the service will be informed by youth with lived experiences of homelessness in the five boroughs, developed through a human-centered design process led by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, with $200,000 allocated for research, scoping, and design to begin this fall;
• A new cohort of pregnant or parenting youth participating in the outcome-driven Parent Empowerment Program through the Department of Youth and Community Development, which provides access to childcare to young parents while they pursue their high school equivalency diploma and earn workforce credentials.
According to de Blasio, his administration is:
• Piloting the provision of DSS prevention resources within a DYCD 24-hour drop-in center in Queens
• Working with DYCD to connect certain eligible young people transitioning out of DYCD shelters and entering Department of Homeless Services shelters with CityFHEPS rental assistance
• Bidding out a two-year contract through the Department of Social Services-Human Resources Administration to support the NYC Youth Action Board, which will integrate people with lived experience within the NYC Coalition on the Continuum of Care
• Ensuring that DYCD providers are trained by DSS-HRA in applying to NYC Supportive Housing units;
• Partnering with members of the NYC Youth Action Board, DYCD and homeless service providers so that HRA can update the assessment for Supportive Housing applications to include specific eligible experiences of young people; and
• Relaunching the Youth Experiencing Homelessness page on Generation NYC, co-designed by Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity with members of the NYC Youth Action Board, DYCD, and homeless service providers so that there is an online resource guide specific to youth experiencing homelessness (no cost, to launch this summer, the mayor noted).
On Friday, de Blasio also touted past initiatives taken by his administration to prevent and address youth homelessness, including the NYC Unity Project, a $9.5 million investment to prevent and address homelessness for LGBTQ youth across the five boroughs; 500 new beds for homeless youth and expansion of youth drop-in centers; Marsha’s House in the Bronx, the first-ever DHS shelter for LGBTQ young people in New York City; and the commitment to allocate 1,700 supportive housing units for youth through the Supportive Housing NYC 15/15 Initiative.

According to the report, job losses were partially offset by employment gains in construction.

By Forum Staff

The City economy apparently hit the snooze button late last year, as gross city product grew only 1.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017 (October through December), according to an analysis released on Thursday by Comptroller Scott Stringer.
In the final three months of 2017, during which the national economy expanded by 2.6 percent, private-sector employers in the five boroughs shed 17,300 jobs, including 15,700 gigs in mediфum-wage industries, according to the comptroller’s Quarterly Economic Update. For all of 2017, Big Apple private-sector employers added jobs 71,400 in 2017, compared to 83,600 new private-sector jobs in 2016. However, as Stringer pointed out, employment losses were partially offset by job gains in construction industries and financial activities.
Further findings in the fourth quarter update include:
Unemployment Declines across City: The unemployment rate fell in all five boroughs to their lowest fourth-quarter levels in at least 12 years, with Queens leading the way at 3.7 percent.
Average Hourly Earnings and Personal Income Tax Collections Rose: Changes to the U.S. tax code at the beginning of 2018 appear to have had a significant impact on personal income tax collections at the end of 2017, Stringer noted. Beginning in tax year 2018, taxpayers will lose the ability to deduct more than $10,000 in state and local taxes, he warned.
On a year-over-year basis, personal income taxes withheld from paychecks rose 16.2 percent to more than $2.2 billion in the fourth quarter, while estimated tax payments, which reflect trends in taxpayers’ non-wage income, including interest earned, rental income, and capital gains, more than doubled.
Average hourly earnings of all private NYC employees, another proxy for personal income, rose 3.7 percent on a year-over-year basis to $35.52 in the last quarter of 2017, the biggest fourth-quarter gain since 2008.
Housing Market Prices Increase in Outer Boroughs: Unlike Manhattan, housing market prices increased slightly in Brooklyn to $948,706. Similarly in Queens, the average sales price rose 8.9 percent to $624,698.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bus Ridership Continued Decline: Average weekday ridership on MTA NYC Transit fell 0.9 percent in October and November of 2017 from a year ago, as bus ridership fell 3.4 percent. During the same period, ridership on the Long Island Rail Road fell 0.5 percent, but increased 0.1 percent on Metro North.
For the entirety of 2017 through November, Stringer noted, average weekly ridership fell 1.2 percent on MTA subways and 5.5 percent on the buses.
Leading Economic Indicators are Positive: The City’s leading economic indicators were mixed, but implied continued expansion, according to the comptroller. The current business condition index provided by ISM-New York, Inc. (which measures the current state of the economy from the perspective of business procurement professionals) fell to 55.3 percent in the fourth quarter, below the 56.4 percent in the prior quarter. However, Stringer explained that a reading greater than 50 percent indicates growth.
“The weakness in employment growth should serve as a reminder that the robust rate of job creation in the city over the last several years won’t continue forever,” Stringer added. “We will continue to monitor the economy’s condition closely, but this quarter’s results highlight the need for prudence in the management of our finances.”

and Edwin Torres/Mayoral Photography Office

By Michael V. Cusenza

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday continued to bolster his national progressive credentials as he invited U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) back home to the Big Apple to swear in Hizzoner for his second term as the 109th mayor of the City of New York.
Sanders, 76, a proud product of Midwood, Brooklyn, and Liberal cult of personality, did not disappoint the throngs who braved the biting cold to bear witness to city tradition.
“As Mayor de Blasio takes the oath of office for a second term, he knows, you know, and I know that we are living in a very unusual moment in American history,” Sanders noted.
De Blasio appreciated Sanders’ presence at Monday’s ceremony – and his 2016 run for the White House.
“Thank you to a true son of Brooklyn for joining us at today’s inauguration ceremony and for changing our national political discourse for the better,” the mayor gushed.
De Blasio also thanked “the people of New York City for entrusting me to be their mayor for a second term,” before listing the accomplishments of his first four years at Gracie Mansion, noting that NYC “is the safest big city in America.”
The mayor then pivoted to the future.
“I have another hope for this city: I want us to be the fairest big city in America,” he said. “Abraham Lincoln once warned, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ It is now clear that a society where only the One Percent can get ahead is truly a house divided against itself. In this city, we will prove there is a better way. The deepest, truest stakeholders in this city are the people who do the work, who make this city come to life every day, but who too often do not reap the rewards. We commit ourselves to making sure this is ALWAYS their city, that it will not be taken away from them.”
Hizzoner later noted that as sons and daughters of Gotham, who we are is critical to what we will achieve.
“We have one common identity that makes us particularly proud, that gives us a certain swagger. We live in an unspoken state of hope because every morning, we get to wake up and say: ‘I’m a New Yorker,’” de Blasio posited. “And I can’t think of a better way to start a new day and a new year.”

The opioid addiction crisis is worse than most of us imagine. It impacts us all, from Rego Park to Rockaway Park to Redwoods Park. An expert panel, convened by STAT (an investigative medical news branch of the Boston Globe), estimates that opioids could kill nearly half a million Americans over the next decade. The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) recently released a report stating the economic cost of the opioid addiction crisis is six times higher than previous estimates. The CEA says the economic cost of the opioid crisis in 2015 was $504.0 billion, 2.8 percent of GDP (compared to the percent of GDP for Medicare, and Medicaid: 3.5 and 2 respectively).
A key tool to address the opioid addiction crisis is expanding access to safe disposal for unwanted household medications in the form of drug take-back programs. Removing unwanted medications from the home limits illegal diversion and decreases the chances of accidental child poisonings and aquatic contamination from trashing or flushing medications.
While State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and other legislators should be applauded for their interest in addressing the public and environmental health impacts of over-prescribed medications, Gov. Andrew Cuomo should VETO the chain pharmacy take-back bill (S.6750). This chain pharmacy bill does a poor job of providing convenient take-back, and it gives little consideration to consumer convenience or public education.
With this bill, rural areas with no chain pharmacy will likely remain without a safe disposal option.
Where there are chain pharmacies, the $2 fee for a small take-back envelope will discourage consumer participation and will cause prescription drugs to remain in medicine cabinets. A manufacturer-funded drug take-back program would be free to the public and would better encourage safe drug disposal.
Instead, this bill puts the cost of recovering unwanted pharmaceuticals for safe destruction on chain pharmacies and consumers, while allowing drug manufacturers to avoid any financial responsibility for safely managing the disposal of their products. It further guarantees manufacturers a free pass by preempting local existing legislation (Rockland County), proposed legislation (Erie and Westchester counties), and future legislation that requires manufacturers to organize and pay for take-back programs. It is worth noting that in the last five years, pharmaceutical lobbyists contributed more than $1.7 million to NYS political campaigns and S.6750’s sponsor, State Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City), was one of the top individual beneficiaries, receiving more than $71,000.
This take-back bill does too little, and it puts the cost on consumers and pharmacies rather than on the drug manufacturers who profit most from medication sales.
Governor Cuomo should instead support extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation that establishes a drug take-back program fully funded by drug manufacturers, containing strong convenience and public education standards. Using pharmacy-based receptacles, take-back would only cost manufacturers about $0.01 per prescription. Two states, 18 municipalities, and many other countries have such pharmaceutical EPR laws. Now is the time for New York to establish a convenient, comprehensive, and well-promoted take-back program for unwanted pharmaceuticals that is paid for by drug manufacturers.

Gottlieb is :
Chairman, Tompkins County Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal; Board member, New York Product Stewardship Council; Member, National Association of Clean Water Agencies Pretreatment & Pollution Prevention Committee; Member, Product Stewardship Institute Pharmaceuticals’ Policy & Coordination Work Group Member, Tompkins County Water Resources Council (pending legislative approval) Member, New York Water Environment Association, Government Affairs Committee

By Forum Staff

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) this week announced her bipartisan Made in America Manufacturing Communities Act, which aims to grow the manufacturing industry and help create good-paying jobs in Queens by crafting a permanent program that designates local regions as “Manufacturing Communities,” putting them in the front of the line to receive federal economic development funding specifically for the purpose of investing in manufacturing.

“New York City has one of the most diverse and talented workforces in the entire country, and that makes us perfectly positioned for a manufacturing boom,” Gillibrand said on Monday as she toured Boyce Technologies in Long Island City. “This bipartisan legislation would unlock millions of dollars in federal economic development funds for smart investments in high-impact projects and leverage public-private partnerships to help create good-paying manufacturing jobs in Queens, jumpstart new businesses, and grow our economy for years to come.”

The manufacturing sector in New York City has stabilized and is beginning to grow again after a decade of decline, according to the Center for an Urban Future. Gillibrand said her bill would help the manufacturing industry in the city continue to grow by creating a permanent program to competitively award regions with the “Manufacturing Communities” designation. This designation would give these communities preferred consideration when applying for up to $1.3 billion in currently available federal economic development funding for manufacturing. The proposed law encourages a regionally-driven approach to strengthening the manufacturing industry. To compete for funding through this program and earn the “Manufacturing Communities” designation, communities would create regional partnerships with key stakeholders such as local and state economic development officials, local governments, manufacturers, labor organizations, and higher education or other training providers.

In order to earn the Manufacturing Communities designation, Gillibrand explained, communities would demonstrate the significance of manufacturing in their region and develop strategies to utilize their “Manufacturing Communities” designation in making investments in six areas:

• Workforce training and retraining;
• Advanced research;
• Infrastructure and site development;
• Supply chain support;
• Promotion of exports and foreign direct investment; and
• Operational improvement and capital access for manufacturers that supports energy or process efficiency, equipment or facility upgrades, or the development of business incubators, among other activities.

“The most important business issues we face here in Queens revolve around diversity, innovation and jobs,” said Thomas Grech, executive director, Queens Chamber of Commerce. “This bill sponsored by Senator Gillibrand will go a long way to help keep and grow businesses in Queens. Boyce Technologies is a wonderful example of each of these three key components. The Queens Chamber is steadfast in its resolve to support initiatives that encourage and allow businesses such as Boyce to flourish; locally, domestically and internationally.”

By Forum Staff

Elected officials joined the City Housing Recovery Office last week to unveil a pilot program to address abandoned, Superstorm Sandy-damaged properties in several Big Apple communities.

The plan will allow the City to identify and purchase deserted, run-down 1-4 unit homes in one strategically chosen neighborhood in each of the three major Build it Back boroughs: Brighton Beach in Brookly; Edgemere in Queens; and New Dorp on Staten Island.

Properties, HRO Director Amy Peterson noted, will be identified through a canvassing effort outlined below, vetted by a Technical Review Committee, and their owners will be invited to apply to the Build it Back Acquisition Program for further eligibility review, benefit determination, acquisition offer and closing.

“The pilot program is an exciting extension of Build it Back’s work – leveraging federal dollars provided by HUD to solve a local problem that our selected neighborhoods have faced since the storm,” said Amy Peterson, Director of the New York City Housing Recovery Office. “To ignore the abandoned properties would not only negatively impact the homeowners that Build it Back strives to serve, but would ultimately endanger the investment of public dollars used to restore and improve the housing stock in these communities.

According to the administration, the methodology for determining which neighborhoods to target for the program resulted in a focus on Sandy-impacted neighborhoods in which the problem of abandoned properties is most prevalent. To ensure that the selected neighborhoods matched those where the most recovery work is occurring, only neighborhoods where 50 or more Build it Back repair, elevation, rebuild or acquisition applicants reside were considered.

The City has pledged an external physical assessment that will be combined with a review of other relevant property specific information to create a more detailed assessment of potential abandonment.

“While many residents returned to their homes after Sandy, there are still properties that have been abandoned leaving blight right in the middle of our communities,” said City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton). “Now, Build it Back is stepping up to secure those properties to find better uses for the land in flood zones, so neighborhoods like Edgemere are not left dealing with eyesores. I’d like to thank Amy Peterson for working to identify these homes across the city and finding ways to use that land to lift up these communities.”

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Brooklyn and Staten Island) added, “We’ve been working with the City of New York to formulate this plan to address the problem of abandoned properties, which have plagued our neighborhoods following Hurricane Sandy. Many buildings were left structurally-unsound by the storm, in danger of collapsing at any moment, and some have served as breeding grounds for harmful mold. We also fielded an unsettling number of complaints of rodent infestation on properties like these. If these buildings are not surveyed, cleaned and repaired, not only will our recovery efforts be impeded, but a new set of health issues could arise in communities full of families that have suffered enough in the storm’s wake.”

By Forum Staff

Between Fiscal Year 2011 and FY 2017, the City failed to collect $59.2 million in tax revenue because the Department of Finance improperly credited a tax exemption intended for seniors to thousands of deceased individuals and corporations, according to a new audit released last week by City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

The audit, the sixth of DOF since January 2014, examined whether Finance ensured that property owners receiving the Senior Citizen Homeowners’ Exemption as of July 1, 2015, met the eligibility requirements of the program. SCHE provides a partial property tax exemption for any senior citizen who owns a one-, two-, or three-family house, condominium, or co-op apartment in the five boroughs. To be eligible, an applicant must be 65 or older, have a combined household income below $37,400, and occupy the property as their primary residence. SCHE can reduce the assessed value of a property by between 5 percent and 50 percent, based on the income of the homeowner.

In New York, an individual who qualifies for the SCHE automatically qualifies for the Enhanced School Tax Relief Exemption, which is also available to the same population but with a higher income cap ($79,050 a year). The Enhanced STAR Program exempts the first $62,200 of the full value of the home from school taxes, Stringer noted.

When recipients of the SCHE die or sell their homes, their tax exemptions do not transfer to the next owners. To ensure that only the proper individual receives the tax credit, Finance is required by state law to make all recipients of the exemption re-apply every two years, Stringer said. However, the audit uncovered that the agency has failed to request those re-applications for the last ten years. As a result, thousands of unqualified individuals and corporations continued to receive the tax break, costing the City millions in potential tax revenue.

“This lost revenue could have gone toward building the affordable housing we desperately need, or increasing resources for our school children,” Stringer said. “Programs like the Senior Citizen Homeowners’ Exemption help older New Yorkers to stay in their homes and remain in their communities. The City must ensure these tax breaks only go to those who deserve them.”

The audit made several recommendations, including that DOF identify any deceased homeowners who applied for the SCHE and remove this and the Enhanced STAR exemption from those properties, retroactive from the date of death. The audit also recommended that the agency take steps to recover any and all erroneous tax exemptions that were applied to ineligible homeowners.

Finance agreed with all of the audit’s recommendations and pledged to recoup ineligible benefits from corporations and examine recouping benefits improperly received by unqualified individuals.

“New Yorkers work hard for their money, and they deserve a tax system that’s transparent and equitable,” Stringer said. “Instead, these [six] audits have made clear that the Department of Finance is not playing by the rules and it’s taxpayers who have paid the price. The City has an obligation to correct this mess ahead of the next tax season so that every New Yorker gets their fair shot.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

Resorts World Casino New York City has mapped out a massive, $400 million expansion that its parent company hopes will transform the highly successful South Ozone Park entertainment facility into a Big Apple destination.

Ryan Eller, president of Resorts World NYC, presented the proposal last week to the State Franchise Oversight Board. The State must approve the plan before any shovels hit dirt.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the 750,000 square-foot expansion project calls for the creation of a 400-room hotel, 140,000 square-foot convention space, a spa, and food and retail amenities.

Additionally, the gaming floor will expand as well, with 1,000 more video lottery terminals to be phased in on top of the 5,500 VLTs already humming at the racino that opened on the Aqueduct Racetrack grounds in the fall of 2011.

“Resorts World is extremely proud to be one of the largest contributors to New York’s education system, having already generated more than $1.5 billion for the state’s education fund in less than five years of operation,” said Michael Levoff, senior vice president of Public Affairs for Genting Americas. “This new expansion, and its corresponding increase in visitation to our facility, will result in a boost in revenue for both New York’s education fund and the state’s horse racing industry – while also acting as a catalyst for additional economic development in our local Queens community. Beyond providing additional revenue, this expansion will also add approximately 1,500 good-paying careers for New Yorkers and thousands of construction jobs.”

South Queens community leaders seem to be giving the plan a preliminary thumbs-up.

“Plans for expansion at Resorts World are a step forward towards the concept of a destination resort that has been part of the discussion with them since that concept was presented to the community back in 2010,” said Betty Braton, long-time chairwoman of Community Board 10. “We look forward to working with them as current plans take shape to ensure they are sensitive to community concerns and impact is positive. Our experience during the last five years with casino officials is that our concerns do factor into their decision making. We’re certain that will be the case as this new project moves ahead.”

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said he sees a lot of positives.

“The proposal…has the potential to reap huge economic benefits on not only the surrounding neighborhood of Ozone Park, but the entire borough of Queens and state. This project would create over a thousand jobs in construction, design and other fields during the planning and building stages as well as thousands of long-term positions at each of the new facilities once the project is completed. Local job creation is crucial to our economy and such a large influx of job opportunities is rare. With a portion of gaming money from casinos across New York being given every year to fund and support education, an additional 1,000 VLTs and gaming at the site would also benefit schools throughout the state, as that funding would continue to grow. Resorts World is already the biggest contributor to this fund in all of New York State, illustrating the popularity of the gaming facilities at this location and how expanding the opportunity to play and experience the new amenities would only lead to more crucial dollars for state education and revenue.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

Resorts World Casino New York City wants to expand.

And for two very important, yet simple reasons, we say: Let ‘em.

We can hear your cynical sneers now: You’re blindly giving this ginormous (yes, that’s a real word) expansion project the green light because the casino has been a loyal advertiser in The Forum for years.

It’s true – RW NYC has rented a half-page in this trusted newspaper for many weeks. What’s not even remotely accurate is the assumption that said business relationship has anything to do with our decision to support their growth.

We all know what assuming does…

Our preliminary stamp of approval is based on two cornerstones:

1. All signs point to this expansion being a very good thing for Queens – and if it’s good for our home, then we’re all for it. Ostensibly it will create thousands of crucial temporary and permanent job opportunities, put billions back into education, and make the borough a destination.
2. Resorts World, for the most part, has been a solid south Queens neighbor since the racino opened in 2011. Yes, there have been some incidents – but they are few and far between. We have no reason to expect any sort of dramatic change in demeanor or decorum from this establishment and its leaders.

“Our experience during the last five years with casino officials is that our concerns do factor into their decision making. We’re certain that will be the case as this new project moves ahead,” Community Board 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton said, in part, on Wednesday.

And we agree. Because RW NYC, and its parent company, Genting Americas, haven’t shown us anything but respect, responsibility, and accessibility since they broke ground at Aqueduct.

“This new expansion, and its corresponding increase in visitation to our facility, will result in a boost in revenue for both New York’s education fund and the state’s horse racing industry – while also acting as a catalyst for additional economic development in our local Queens community,” said Michael Levoff, senior vice president of Public Affairs for Genting Americas. “Beyond providing additional revenue, this expansion will also add approximately 1,500 good-paying careers for New Yorkers and thousands of construction jobs.”

Uh oh – queue the ominous music. Mr. Evil Corporate Person has spoken.

Nope. Our neighbor with a durable track record has reassured us.

We’re going to take them at their word. Because they’ve never given us a reason not to.

By Michael V. Cusenza

The de Blasio administration recently released new renderings of the Citywide Ferry vessels that will be hitting New York’s waterways when Phase I of the service sets sail next summer.

Nineteen boats will be operating at 21 landings across the five boroughs. Mayor Bill de Blasio boasted about some of the specs and features for each vessel, which include:

• Capacity for 149 passengers along with space for bikes, strollers, and wheelchairs.
• ADA accessibility and compliance.
• Boats are 26 meters vs. the standard 22 meters.
• Ferries primarily being built out of aluminum, which is light weight and increases fuel efficiency.
• Use of T3 Engines to reduce emissions and noise.
• Innovative hull design to limit wake and maximize fuel efficiency.
• Free Wi-Fi throughout the vessel.
• Heated decks that increase each vessel’s resiliency and durability, especially during winter months.

“The overall concept of these new vessels reflects our desire to deliver a system that builds on our strong record of environmental efficiency, sustainability and resiliency,” said Cameron Clark, vice president and general manager of Hornblower, the California-based operator of the CFS.

De Blasio announced in March that the seaborne service is on track for a 2017 start date. The Phase I Rockaway, Astoria, and south Brooklyn routes will be ready for the first 2017 voyages. When fully operational by 2018, the Citywide Ferry Service will carry an estimated 4.6 million trips per year across six routes.

Additionally, the CFS is expected to generate at least 155 “new, good-paying jobs” in New York Harbor, de Blasio said.

“The greatest city in the world deserves the greatest ferry system in the world. That’s exactly what New Yorkers are getting with these modern, efficient boats that come with Wi-Fi, charging stations, and plenty of space to move around comfortably,” the mayor noted. “Most importantly, when we launch Citywide Ferry next summer we will be connecting New Yorkers in transit-starved neighborhoods with good jobs and opportunities all over the city.”

The plan still is for the ferry to be pegged to the price of a MetroCard, and launch at $2.75 per trip. The project is expected to cost approximately $325 million. The City has said that it is investing $55 million in infrastructure upgrades, including building 10 new ferry landings and rehabilitating six others; and that it is also providing $30 million in operating support per year, over a period of six years.

“The addition of citywide ferry service will give locals and visitors more reasons to explore the City’s vibrant and multicultural neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs. We welcome the new service and look forward to providing our visitors even better access to all of the excitement New York City has to offer,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, the City’s official destination marketing organization.

“Ferries have been an underused part of our transit system for nearly a century. Having new ferries to support the mayor’s water transport plan will go a long way toward correcting that imbalance,” added Sam Schwartz, president and CEO of Sam Schwartz Engineering and former City Department of Transportation commissioner.

The administration also recently announced that five New Yorkers who take a two-minute survey about Citywide Ferry through the website will automatically be entered to win one of five annual Citywide Ferry passes once service commences next year. Winners of the annual passes will be announced as Citywide Ferry gets closer to launch with one entry per person. For more information, visit CitywideFerry.NYC.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

The State Senate and the Assembly recently approved legislation to legalize and regulate fantasy sports in New York, adding a new wrinkle to the narrative of the controversial, polarizing – and certainly popular pastime.

“After the attorney general shut down DFS operators DraftKings and FanDuel in New York State, legislators worked to draft a compromise on paid fantasy sports across the state,” said Sen. Robert Ortt (R-North Tonawanda). “The final agreement will utilize start-up fees from large season-long fantasy operators to fund education and should strengthen Western New York Off-Track Betting. This legislation achieves several key criteria for me. First, thousands of fantasy sports enthusiasts across my district will continue to enjoy their passion. Additionally, the 15 counties and two cities who receive funding from Western New York OTB should see their profit sharing revenue increase as fantasy sports partner with OTB establishments.”

In the Senate, the vote was 45-17; the Assembly voted 91-22.

“The measure, which classifies fantasy sports as games of skill rather than chance, contains a number of consumer safeguards to prevent people under 18 from playing, protect new fans from being taken advantage of by experienced participants, provide full disclosure about prizes and offer public information about problem gambling assistance,” added Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach). “In addition, the legislation requires companies that offer fantasy sports to register with the state.  Principals of the companies must undergo criminal background checks and would be automatically disqualified if convicted of a felony crime in New York or elsewhere associated with gambling or bookmaking.”

Addabbo, the ranking member of the Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering, said he was pleased that the Legislature took “action to regulate” something so many New York residents enjoy.

“Taxes and fees associated with fantasy sports would provide a new income stream for New York State to help bolster our educational system, much like revenues that now go to public schools through the state lottery,” he said. “Furthermore, the millions of fans of fantasy sports in our state will once again be able to legally participate in games they enjoy while helping to benefit New York’s economy with their activities.”

Nigel Eccles, FanDuel CEO and co-founder, said, “New York fantasy sports fans rallied – with more than 100,000 emails and thousands of phone calls to legislators – and legislators heard them and responded. The bill represents a thoughtful legislative process, where bi-partisanship and willingness to compromise carried the day, and we are extremely hopeful Governor Cuomo will sign this bill. We decided long ago to build FanDuel in New York because it’s the sports capital of the world and a thriving home for tech startups – a natural fit for fantasy sports. Our success is due in no small part to the people, infrastructure, partnerships and opportunities here, which very few locations in the world can offer.”

Not everyone was thrilled with the DFS legalization news.

“As I have said from the start of my office’s investigation into daily fantasy sports, my job is to enforce the law,” said State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. “Today, the Legislature has amended the law to legalize daily fantasy sports contests, a law that will be my job to enforce and defend. We will nevertheless continue to pursue our claims that DraftKings and FanDuel previously engaged in false advertising and consumer fraud.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

The 2016 legislative session was a mixed bag of bold moves and frantic, last-minute activity. State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) emerged from Albany to analyze the latest in Empire State lawmaking, and so we will look to him for help in navigating these choppy budget waters.

“It always seems to happen in the New York State Legislature, that the last hours of the six-month legislative session were marked by the appearance of ‘The Big Ugly,’ which can best be described as the kitchen sink of state government, with a wide variety of unrelated issues all thrown into one big piece of legislation and then served up on a platter for approval,” Addabbo said. “I still think this is a terrible way to do the public’s business, making and passing deals in the middle of the night, when important issues could have and should have been openly and honestly debated in the light of day over the last six months.”

On the bold moves side of this year’s legislative ledger is daily fantasy sports and the vote to legalize it in New York.

“The measure, which classifies fantasy sports as games of skill rather than chance, contains a number of consumer safeguards to prevent people under 18 from playing, protect new fans from being taken advantage of by experienced participants, provide full disclosure about prizes and offer public information about problem gambling assistance,” Addabbo explained. “In addition, the legislation requires companies that offer fantasy sports to register with the state. Principals of the companies must undergo criminal background checks and would be automatically disqualified if convicted of a felony crime in New York or elsewhere associated with gambling or bookmaking.”

In last week’s edition of The Forum, we highlighted the efforts of elected officials in Albany to use legislation to help combat the very real heroin and opioid epidemic in New York. The package of three bills features initiatives to address the current drug crisis, including provisions to limit the over-prescription of opioids and remove barriers to access for inpatient treatment and medication. The laws also aim to address issues and concerns raised by individuals in recovery, families, and treatment providers across NY.

Mayor Bill de Blasio could not have been thrilled at the one-year extension of mayoral control of NYC public schools; and as Addabbo noted, the 12 months comes with a string attached.

“For children in New York City schools, mayoral control has now been extended for one more year with a new requirement that detailed information be provided by the City on education spending for every individual school,” Addabbo said.

Additionally, for City schools, a “program is being put into place to require lead testing of school water systems throughout New York to protect all students from poisoning. School districts are being given an extra three months to develop teacher and principal evaluation plans before facing the threat of lost state aid, although I still strongly believe funding and educator evaluations should never have been tied together in the first place,” Addabbo added.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

More budget bliss at City Hall as Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council last week announced that they have reached an early agreement on a balanced Fiscal Year 2017 financial plan, marking the earliest handshake between the two branches in 15 years, according to the administration.

The $82.1 billion budget, according to the mayor and the Council, makes targeted investments in cultural organizations and libraries, youth workforce development and public safety, while strengthening the City’s long-term fiscal health through the bolstering of unprecedented reserve funds and an even larger Citywide Savings Program.

“This budget is not only on time – it’s the earliest agreement since 2001, because the administration and Council worked together to produce tangible, timely results for New Yorkers,” said de Blasio, perhaps taking a veiled shot at the previous administration, which was known for its annual budget tug-of-war, replete with threats to shutter Fire companies and cripple senior services. “We’ll grow to 60,000 slots in our Summer Youth Employment Program, continue six-day library service, invest in our cultural institutions, provide our district attorneys with the funds they need to continue combating crime and addressing heroin and prescription drug use, all while protecting the City’s fiscal health. Thank you to Speaker Mark-Viverito and all of her colleagues in the Council for their partnership as we reached this agreement.”

This fiscal year’s pact includes:

• $39 million a year in baselined funding for the Summer Youth Employment program, which provides youth employment and work readiness to youth ages 14-24, allowing the program to grow to 60,000 slots this summer, up from 50,000 last summer.
• $21 million a year in additional baselined funding to continue six-day service at public libraries.
• $22 million a year in new city funding for FY17 and beyond for all five district attorneys
• $5 million in FY17 for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, allowing for a 40 percent increase in the purchase to support the needs of 450 food pantries and community kitchens throughout the City.
• $3 million in additional funding to continue Vision Zero public outreach campaigns.
• $10 million in FY17 in additional funding for cultural organizations.
• $1.7 million in FY17 to extend beach and pool season one week past Labor Day at many beaches and pools citywide.
• $17.5 million in FY17 for 26,000 summer seats for middle school youth.
• $17.6 million in FY17 to provide elementary after-school programming for 9,000 children.
• $1.8 million in baselined funding for senior case management, aimed at addressing the waitlist for the Department for the Aging’s case management program, which provides support to 20,000 low-income and homebound seniors.

“Mayor de Blasio and the City Council have demonstrated a deep understanding of the fundamental good public libraries offer the community,” said Queens Library President and CEO Dennis Walcott. “By insuring six days of service for the future, Queens Library can offer even more residents the tools for success. Thanks to Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito, Finance Chair Ferreras-Copeland, Majority Leader Van Bramer, Libraries Chair King and the entire City Council for their leadership and for investing in New Yorkers by investing in libraries.”

Mark-Viverito added, “With this budget agreement, this City Council has proven once again to be a champion for all New Yorkers in all five boroughs. Whether you are young person who will gain their first paid work experience through the expanded Summer and Year Round Youth Employment Programs an undocumented New Yorker who will have access to free, comprehensive legal assistance and adult literacy services, or a struggling parent who will have an easier time putting food on the table with help from the Emergency Food Assistance Program, this is a budget for everyone. I thank Mayor de Blasio, Finance Committee Chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, my Council colleagues, and all the New Yorkers who made this equitable, responsible budget possible.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Forum Staff

Nearly 100 mixed-use borough buildings have been improperly assessed by the Department of Finance and therefore taxed at an incorrect, lower rate, according to an audit released this week by City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Prompted by the report’s findings, Finance has already begun to correct the tax status of the 97 buildings in Queens that auditors determined were misclassified.

According to Stringer, properties in New York City are given one of four tax classes: Class 1 are one- to three-unit buildings, primarily used for residential purposes; Class 2 are all other residential properties; Class 3 are properties owned by utilities and special franchises; and Class 4 are all other properties not in Class 1, 2, or 3. The audit examined whether Class 1 mixed-use buildings in Queens were properly assessed and taxed by the Department of Finance as of May 2015.

Auditors identified 97 buildings that were misclassified as Tax Class 1 mixed-use buildings, and taxed at a lower rate than they should have been. DOF agreed that 78 properties should be taxed at 45 percent of market value, instead of the residential rate of six percent at which they had been taxed, and that 19 properties required additional interior inspection, Stringer noted.

In total, Stringer’s office estimated that, after the changes are made, the City will bring in an additional $1.28 million in taxes over the next five years.

Auditors also found that 33 of the misclassified buildings in Queens had been inspected by DOF assessors within the last three years – raising questions about the agency’s training and inspection process.

The Department of Finance has already re-classified 78 of the properties, and agreed with all three of the audit’s recommendations, including that it should: conduct an interior inspection of the 19 remaining properties identified in the audit as misclassified and ensure they receive the correct tax class; make sure assessors are properly trained so they do not misclassify buildings; and enhance its oversight and quality assurance to ensure buildings are properly inspected.

“The bottom line is that everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. The Department of Finance will now collect more revenue that will help to fund critical programs in our City,” Stringer said. “Going forward, this agency must strengthen its training and oversight to ensure properties in every borough are properly assessed, and the correct taxes are collected.”

The Queens audit’s findings follow a similar analysis from February which identified 197 misclassified mixed-use buildings in Brooklyn. Changes stemming from that audit will bring the City an additional $2.09 million in revenue over the next five years, Stringer noted. Combined, the two audits identified an additional $3.37 million that will be collected through 2022.

“These two audits spurred immediate changes that will right a wrong and benefit our entire City,” Stringer added.

By Forum Staff

The majority of City agencies have improved their rate of capital commitments, City Comptroller Scott Stringer said last Thursday.

A capital commitment is a measure of the work that was started in any given fiscal year which occurs when a contract is registered and work on a project can begin.

In Fiscal Year 2015, the City committed to $9.3 billion in capital projects, Stringer said, enabling new construction and capital improvements to proceed on bridges, roads, parks, schools, and other infrastructure across the five boroughs.

That’s a sign of significant progress, because in FY 2014, 52 percent of authorized plan commitments were achieved, with wide disparities between agencies and project types, making it the second-lowest rate achieved in the last 10 years, according to Stringer’s report “A Closer Look: FY 2014 Actual to Planned Capital Commitments.”

As the analysis noted, there are many reasons why an agency may fall short of its authorized commitment plan. Capital projects vary in size and scope and often require unique design, planning and contracting processes. Projects can span several fiscal years and may have to change in scope and adapt to unforeseen field conditions. As such, the nature and complexity of capital project planning often causes shifting timelines and modified cost estimates.
From FY 2014 to FY 2015, more than two-thirds of the City’s 25 agencies with capital budgets improved their rates of capital commitments. The gains, the comptroller said, resulted from different factors: some agencies lowered their planned commitments; others increased their actual commitments; and some did both.

“City agencies were more effective at getting capital contracts registered and shovels in the ground last year, which means new school spaces, improved parks, and repaved streets,” Stringer said. “But even as more capital projects are being started, there’s still much more work to be done. City agencies should seek to begin all the projects they’ve planned so much-needed construction and repairs can proceed without delay.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

New York City’s economy grew significantly faster than the national economy during the first quarter of this year, according to City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who also identified harbingers of a looming fiscal slowdown last week as he released the Quarterly Economic Update.

Strong gains in private-sector payroll jobs helped the Big Apple’s economy expand by an estimated 3.4 percent over the first three months of 2016, Stringer noted. But signs of a cooling economy emerged as average hourly earnings in the private sector were flat and venture capital fell for the first time since 2012.

“The City’s job market was a bright spot in the first few months of 2016 as more New Yorkers joined the workforce, but there are signs of a slowdown on the horizon,” Stringer said. “More City residents than ever before are now employed, but too many of the jobs we’re gaining are in low-wage industries. When New Yorkers work full time and still can’t afford a decent living, it undermines our entire economy.”

              Courtesy of the Office of the City Comptroller                CLICK TO ENLARGE

The Update’s first-quarter findings include:

Continued Overall Economic Growth

The city’s economy, as estimated by Gross City Product, grew at a 3.4 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2016. While the past two years began with similarly divergent rates, Stringer noted, over the course of those years, the gap in growth narrowed.

New York City resident employment grew by 21,200 in the first quarter, reaching a record level of more than 4 million and raising the employment-to-population ratio to 58 percent. The spread between the national and the city employment-to-population remains close to its historical low, Stringer said.

Additionally, the number of city residents working or looking for a job soared, according to the Update. About 32,000 residents joined or rejoined the labor force, the highest quarterly increase in 12 years.

Stagnating Wages

Of the total 41,700 private-sector payroll jobs added in the first quarter, nearly half were in low-wage industries, according to the report, and 36 percent were in mid-wage industries. All major sectors expanded except for the high-paid financial activities sector.

The continued dominance of low-wage job creation contributed to disappointing wage gains, Stringer said. Average hourly earnings for private-sector payroll workers grew only 0.1 percent year-over-year.

Between the end of the Great Recession and 2014, average pay in low-wage industries has fallen 3.2 percent, after adjusting for inflation. Real wages for mid-wage industries have grown 4 percent, while high-wage industries experienced 10.3 percent real wage growth in those five years.

Falling Venture Capital Investment and Weak Income Tax Collection

Venture capital investment in the New York metro area fell 6.2 percent to about $1.4 billion in the first quarter of 2016, the first year-over-year decline since 2012, Stringer noted. Nationwide, venture capital investment fell even faster, leading the New York metro area’s share of investment to grow to 11.3 percent in the first quarter of 2016 from 10.7 percent in the final quarter of 2015. Quarterly city personal income tax revenues fell 0.3 percent on a year-over-year basis, driven by a 28 percent increase in tax refunds. The steep increase in refunds was offset by modest growth in taxes withheld from paychecks and estimated payments, Stringer explained.

A decrease in financial sector bonus payments contributed to relatively weak first quarter personal income tax collections. Wall Street bonuses are estimated to have been $23 billion in the 2015 bonus season, 16 percent lower than $27.5 billion in 2014, and the lowest level since 2011. Lower bonuses coincided with a 10.5 percent drop in Wall Street profits in 2015.

Real Estate Market Growth, but Signs of Cooling

Manhattan’s vacancy rate for commercial property fell to 9 percent, the lowest first-quarter level since 2008. Vacancy rates in Midtown South dropped to 6.3 percent this quarter from 7 percent in the first quarter of 2015, as Midtown overall and Downtown recorded smaller declines.

New commercial leasing activity in Manhattan, however, fell 6 percent to 6.5 million square feet. The highest-leasing sector was technology, advertising, media and information services, accounting for nearly 37 percent of new leases 10,000 square-feet and larger.

The volume of residential home sales increased 8 percent in Manhattan and 27 percent in Brooklyn. However, home sales in Queens fell 2 percent in the first quarter, after growing 32.7 percent in the final quarter of 2015. Similarly, average home sales prices increased in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but fell in Queens, Stringer noted.

“We’ll be keeping an eye on these economic indicators and continuing to focus on enacting policies that ensure every New Yorker has a fair chance to share in our city’s growth,” he added.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Forum Staff

Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Office of Management and Budget, and the City Council last week announced that the data supporting the Big Apple’s $82 billion budget is now available to the general public online.

According to the administration, OMB worked with the Council to make key budget documents human and computer searchable, instead of printed or in lengthy PDFs, at nycopendata.socrata.com.

“When agencies make the commitment to make their data machine-readable, it unlocks value for users all across the City, inside government and out” said Dr. Amen Ra Mashariki, chief Analytics officer. “From the City Record Online to this important data release by the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, New York City continues to deliver on providing meaningful access to important data for all New Yorkers.”

The Council in April requested a searchable online budget in its official Response to the Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2017 Preliminary Budget:

“The budget is the most important public policy the City regularly makes. As such its transparency is crucial to helping New Yorkers understand how the City spends and raises funding. While OMB publically provides many budget documents, all of them are in portable document format (PDF), making analysis of them cumbersome at best and impossible at worst. Like other agencies, OMB should publish Excel files of its documents such as the supporting schedules, departmental estimates, and other applicable documents.”

According to the Mayor’s Office, the data complements the extensive budget documents already published online by OMB.

“Transparency is an essential part of our continued commitment to making the Council’s work more accessible to New Yorkers,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “This update to the Open Data Portal allows the public to access more information about the City budget than ever before. I thank Finance Chair [Julissa] Ferreras-Copeland and Council Member Ben Kallos for their strong advocacy on behalf of open government and look forward to continuing to work with the de Blasio Administration to make government more accessible.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

A bill aimed at curbing the use of plastic bags through a 5-cent fee reportedly has enough City Council votes to pass.

Int. No. 209-A, which was first proposed in March 2014, “would impose a minimum fee of 5 cents for plastic or paper bags at retail, convenience, and grocery stores, with limited exceptions.” The initial suggested charge was 10 cents.

Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has indicated that she supports the measure.

“New York City is a global leader in efforts to ensure a healthy and environmentally-responsible future. Our approach to reducing plastic bag waste must be equally bold, and we must join efforts by cities across the country and around the world to tackle this issue head-on,” she said in a post on Facebook. “For too long, plastic bags have clogged our storm drains, littered our greenspaces, and tangled in our trees. With this legislation, we can take a step toward a cleaner and sustainable city.”

Last May, a Marist/NBC4 New York/Wall Street Journal poll conducted over the phone found that 63 percent of adult New York residents opposed the bill.

“Regardless of race or class status, at least a majority opposes charging for plastic bags in grocery stores,” Marist Poll wrote in its findings.

Last week, City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), who has blasted the surcharge since it was first introduced, said, “This is just another way to nickel and dime New Yorkers, who already pay some of the highest taxes and utility rates in the nation. It’s a regressive tax that will burden seniors and low income families the most.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

Days after urging Mayor Bill de Blasio to find more money in the Executive Budget for the city’s libraries, Queens Library President and CEO Dennis Walcott presented Hizzoner with his very own Queens Library card.

Walcott issued the official ID on Saturday at the Woodside branch while celebrating the location’s return to six-day service. Last Tuesday, Walcott asked de Blasio and the Council to negotiate a final budget that restores public library funding to Fiscal Year 2008 levels and addresses branch maintenance woes.

“Libraries provide critical education, resources, programs and services in every community, and are so important in bridging the digital divide. Every day at my desk, I see people come into the library who are totally dependent on Queens Library for technology and so many other services. We must continue last year’s important investment in libraries,” Walcott said. “Libraries are now open six days a week in every community. We were able to hire much-needed staff, from children’s librarians to technology specialists, and purchase more homework help, ESOL and other library materials. Funding for New York’s libraries, however, is still $43 million citywide below what was needed to provide robust six days of service, while demand for services and programs continues to grow.  Keeping up with the city’s over 40 million library visits each year has stretched our library workers and facilities to their limits.  We call on the Council and Mayor to adopt a final budget that fully funds six days of service, assures that funding in future years and allocates $100 million of capital funding for critical maintenance needs.”

The libraries’ funding requests include a restoration of the $65 million cut since FY 2008, allowing libraries to increase staff, services, and programming addressing the word gap, the digital divide, etc.; restoring last year’s $43 million increase into the budget, as well as any other additional operating funding; and capital investment to address the over $250 million in “urgent maintenance needs.”

“Maintaining our 65 locations and aging infrastructure is also a short and long-term challenge for the Library,” Walcott testified at the Preliminary Budget Hearing in March. “The average community library is 61 years old. More than a third are over 50 years old. They are heavily used, and most were not constructed to accommodate the traffic that we see due to the growth in demand for our services. Additionally, the vast majority of libraries are poorly configured to meet the demands of the digital age – with too few electrical outlets, too little space for classes, group work, or space for individuals working on laptop computers. Our challenge is to modernize our facilities, maintain our critical infrastructure and to expand our public spaces in order to thrive in the 21st Century.”

Walcott took the reins from interim President and CEO Bridget Quinn-Carey just a couple of weeks before testifying at the Budget Hearing at City Hall. The borough native served in the Bloomberg administration as a deputy mayor and later as city Schools chancellor.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com