Photo Courtesy of NYC Campaign Finance Board

By Michael V. Cusenza

Queens County Republican Party Chairwoman Joann Ariola made it official this week: she’s running for the City Council District 32 seat.

Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) currently represents the interests of residents of District 32, which includes Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Broad Channel, Woodhaven, and the Rockaways; he’s set to be term-limited out of the seat he has held since 2009.

Professionally, Ariola is director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the MediSys Health Network. Off the clock, she is president of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic, and a member of both the 106th Precinct Community Council and Community Board 10.

Last year, Ariola ran for Queens Borough President on a platform of public safety/supporting law enforcement; putting an end to community jails and shelters; and reforming property tax laws.

“I’m a Queens resident, wife, mother, and grandmother who works in healthcare. I’m not a career politician,” Ariola said. “Like you, I’m deeply concerned about the future of our city and our borough. I will stand up to the radical career politicians and their pro-crime agenda. I will support the NYPD and keep dangerous criminal behind bars where they belong. I will fight for better transportation and roads as well as oppose toll increases and congestion pricing, because it’s already too hard for us to get to work. I will advocate for all our small business and help them recover. I will fight for quality schools and choice in education. Queens is the most wonderful place and it’s worth fighting for. Our families deserve a safe, clean city.”

“By increasing the availability of the SHSAT, we would allow our brightest students to flourish, improve our specialized high schools and increase the diversity of students who can take the test,” Sen. Addabbo said.

By Forum Staff

As the City Department of Education continues to try to figure out how to administer high school admissions for the upcoming year, State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) has indicated that he wants to ensure that the Specialized High School Admissions Test remains in place—with some suggested improvements.

Addabbo recently noted that he believes that the SHSAT is a good tool to utilize for admission into New York City’s specialized high schools. Currently under State law, a student’s SHSAT score is the only criterion for admission to these schools. He said that he also understands the frustration expressed by many of his constituents as the DOE looks to alter the admissions process as it calls for greater diversity at specialized schools; but Addabbo reiterated that he doesn’t think that eliminating the SHSAT altogether is the right path forward.

Addabbo said that one area of concern is the costs associated with the test. Although the SHSAT itself does not require a fee, many of the test preparation courses and books are expensive, which could discourage students from low-income households from taking the exam. Addabbo said that these resources should be made more widely available to all students.

“By increasing the availability of the SHSAT, we would allow our brightest students to flourish, improve our specialized high schools and increase the diversity of students who can take the test,” said Addabbo, a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Education. “After that, it is up to the students and their abilities to prove that they can in fact compete for a seat. By combining more widely available and affordable test prep options with adding to the specialized high school admissions criteria, I believe we can provide even more students across the city with the educational opportunity to attend these schools.”

The senator recalled when Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza met with the members of the Senate Education Committee in Albany on May 1, 2018 and spoke of the SHSAT. Addabbo said that at the time Carranza didn’t suggest an elimination of the SHSAT, but the use of “multiple measures” when evaluating a student for admission to a specialized high school.

Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carranza have called for the elimination of the SHSAT. File Photo

Of Carranza’s visit, Addabbo noted, “I believe that since many smart students are not good test takers or could have a bad experience when taking the SHSAT, measures such attendance, a GPA, extracurricular activities, volunteerism, or a student’s entire body of work could be considered during the admissions process, in addition to the SHSAT score.”

Addabbo also noted that Carranza stood by Mayor Bill de Blasio about a month after his visit to Albany and announced plans to eliminate the SHSAT.

Mayor Bill de Blasio visited some of the damaged houses after the Nov. 30, 2019 disaster.

By Michael V. Cusenza

As the one-year anniversary of the South Queens sewage flood disaster approaches, attorneys for many of the homeowners affected by the incident say the City has failed to negotiate in good faith to pay for the damage incurred in their residences.

“Incredulously, the City’s reason for offering less than fair market value on everything that was lost, which had to be replaced and rebuilt, was that our clients do not all have a complete inventory of lost items with photographs of the items,” said Craig Phemister of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC. “The City’s position is abhorrent, given that the City is the one who rushed in to remove all the contaminated items. The City should have been the ones to properly inventory and photograph the removed items before disposing of them.”

In a December 2019 Department of Environmental Protection report, the City admitted that the collapse of an old pipe installed 32 years ago 40 feet underground along 150th Street near South Conduit Avenue caused an extensive flood of raw sewage on Nov. 30, 2019 that damaged more than 70 homes in South Ozone Park and Jamaica.

The DEP even stated in the analysis that it “accepts responsibility” for the calamity.

The City has confirmed that more than 70 homes in South Ozone Park and Jamaica were affected by flooding. File Photo

Napoli Shkolnik has filed a lawsuit “against the City to recover all that was lost and had to be replaced or repaired due to the City’s negligence in installing and maintaining the sewage system in Ozone Park,” Phemister said.

“It is imperative that the City take action on this, as they promised they would,” he added.

According to the DEP, the “road collapsing due to the subsidence of overburden demonstrates that the 42-inch sewer constructed in 1987 is significantly collapsed, and that any other cause for the November 30th blockage is extremely unlikely.”

To compensate customers who were adversely impacted by the moratorium, National Grid will pay a $36 million penalty, Gov. Cuomo noted.

By Michael V. Cusenza

The natural gas and electricity utility company National Grid will immediately lift its self-imposed moratorium on gas service in Queens, Long Island, and Brooklyn, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Nat Grid officials announced Monday.

“They blinked,” State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said of the utility Tuesday evening at the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association meeting.

To compensate customers who were adversely impacted by the moratorium, National Grid will pay a $36 million penalty, Cuomo noted. The fine will also support new energy conservation measures and clean-energy projects as instructed by the director of the State Division of the Budget in consultation with the Public Service Commission.

According to Cuomo, National Grid has also identified short-term supply mechanisms that will conservatively meet demand for approximately the next two years, allowing it to restore service to any customers that it had refused and grant all pending applications. The utility has also pledged to present a long-term options analysis within three months, subject to a public review process. The long-term options will be in place and functioning in fall 2021.

Earlier this month, the governor fired off a caustic 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 the utility’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.

As part of part of the agreement, National Grid will analyze and present viable options to address the long-term supply issue including: renewable energy sources, conservation strategies, a new pipeline, liquefied natural gas facilities, compressed natural gas facilities, and interoperable systems. National Grid will analyze these options over the next three months and present them to the public through a series of open meetings in Queens, Brooklyn, Nassau, and Suffolk to be conducted in coordination with local elected officials.

Cuomo said the State will appoint a monitor to oversee National Grid’s gas supply operations. The monitor will report to the administration and the Public Service Commission, and will be paid for by National Grid.

“This is great news for anyone who was having issues getting their gas service as the cold winter months approach,” Addabbo added in a statement. “As this had been a constituent-driven matter that my office staff and I have been working on for months, I am grateful that the efforts of the governor and Nat Grid brought this situation to a positive resolution. I look forward to working with the governor’s office and Nat Grid as we move forward to ensure that all customers are provided the natural gas they need.”

Photo Courtesy of the Cabán Campaign

By Michael V. Cusenza

It has been characterized as one of the most important political contests in a generation—complete with Election Day drama that left many veteran pundits and pols stunned.

In what is shaping up to be a striking upset, public defender Tiffany Cabán leads Borough President Melinda Katz in the Democratic Primary for district attorney. As of Wednesday afternoon, with counts at 99 percent of precincts completed, Cabán topped Katz by 1,090 tallies. The Richmond Hill native garnered 33,814 votes (39.57 percent), while Forest Hills’ Katz compiled 32,724 votes (38.30 percent).

More than 85,000 votes have been counted so far, with roughly 3,400 absentee ballots remaining to be calculated.

Still, Cabán, 31, declared victory Tuesday night in Woodside.

“We won the District Attorney’s Office!” she beamed to her elated supporters.

However, Katz, 53, and her allies would not concede.

“I want everyone to know we are doing a recount,” she asserted at her reception in Forest Hills.

“This thing ain’t over folks,” Queens Democratic Party Chairman Greg Meeks added. “Every vote will be counted.”

The political veteran Katz trails Cabán by 1,090 votes.
Photo Courtesy of the Office of the Borough President

A crowded six-candidate race has ultimately come down to two starkly different counselors. Katz is a career elected official, with her legal experience coming in the private sector. She has held seats in the Assembly, City Council, and has been borough president since 2014. As for her platform, Katz has said that preventing crime and stopping people from becoming victims in the first place will always be the better solution. To that end, she has promised arrest, bail and sentencing reforms; ending marijuana prosecution and arrests; and to establish a Conviction Integrity Unit to examine cases and make recommendations for exoneration.

Cabán has been a public defender, “working for people who did not have resources to defend themselves against the brutal system of mass incarceration,” since graduating from New York Law School.

“I am running to transform the Queens District Attorney’s Office after years of witnessing its abuses on the front lines,” she said upon entering the fray.

Cabán garnered headlines, and ultimately the endorsements of The New York Times, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens and Bronx), and U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), by running on a platform to end Broken Windows prosecuting; decriminalize sex work and recreational use of marijuana; and work with safe injection facilities to help reduce overdose deaths.

According to the City Board of Elections, the 3,400 absentee ballots can’t be counted until July 3.

“You are going to have to go back and study the history books to come up with a session that did more good than this session did,” Gov. Cuomo declared on Friday.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Ever since the 2019 Legislative Session wrapped up last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Democrat-led Legislature have seemingly been on a victory lap, touting “historic progressive accomplishments” notched during what Cuomo has called the most productive Albany legislative confab “in modern political history.”
Even Mayor Bill de Blasio was effusive in his praise of the Executive and the Legislature.
“We haven’t seen a session this daring, productive, and progressive in decades,” Hizzoner gushed Friday.
Hyperbole aside, said “accomplishments” included:
• Passed the Jose R. Peralta DREAM Act, giving undocumented New York students the same advantages afforded to their citizen peers, including access to the Tuition Assistance Program and State-administered scholarships.
• Passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, creating what Cuomo has characterized as “the most aggressive climate change program in the nation” with goals to: reach zero carbon emissions in the electricity sector by 2040; and directs State entities to work toward a goal of investing 40 percent of clean energy and energy efficiency resources to benefit disadvantaged communities. Additionally, the law creates the Climate Action Council comprised of the leaders of various state agencies and authorities as well as legislative appointments to develop a plan outlining how the State will achieve an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050, and eventually net zero emissions in all sectors of the economy.
• Made permanent the 2 percent property tax cap, building upon the approximate $25 billion in taxpayer savings since it was implemented in 2012.
• Funded the Metropolitan Transportation Authority with an estimated $25 billion raised through a promised congestion pricing plan, a new progressive mansion tax, and the elimination of the internet tax advantage.
• Enacted legislation in support of LGBTQ rights, including the elimination of the gay and trans panic defense—closing a loophole in State law that allowed individuals to use the gay and trans panic defenses after attacking another based upon that victim’s gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The governor also signed into law the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act and a ban on LGBTQ conversion therapy.
• Enacted additional sexual harassment protections via a package of reforms that will lower the high bar set for employees to hold employers accountable under the New York Human Rights Law for sexual harassment by amending the requirement that conduct be “severe or pervasive” to constitute actionable conduct; extend the statute of limitations for employment sexual harassment claims filed with the Division of Human Rights from one year to three years; and protect employees’ rights to pursue complaints by mandating that all non-disclosure agreements in employment contracts include language stating that employees may still participate in government investigations conducted by local, state, and federal anti-discrimination agencies
• Enacted legislation extending the statute of limitations for second- and third-degree rape and expanding the civil statute of limitations for claims related to these offenses, allowing victims greater opportunity to obtain justice.
• Increased school aid by more than $1 billion, bringing total school aid to a record $27.9 billion. In addition, Cuomo noted that new reporting requirements will address imbalances in the distribution of resources by prioritizing funding at the individual school level in order to advance a more transparent, equitable education system.
• Delivered criminal justice reform by, among other aspects, eliminating cash bail for misdemeanors and non-violent offenses, ensuring the right to a speedy trial, and transforming the discovery process.
“This was I believe, the most productive session in modern political history. You are going to have to go back and study the history books to come up with a session that did more good than this session did,” Cuomo added on Friday in an end-of-session media availability in the Red Room of the Capitol. “We laid out a 100-day agenda back in last December and said that this is a moment where we can make great change. You know change comes when the planets line up and the people are ready for change. Change is hard. The status quo is very difficult to overcome. It takes a lot of energy. It takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of advocacy. And it takes a lot of intelligence because it is not just, I want to change. Change to what? And what are the consequences of that change? It’s not just the political intent to make a change. It’s the legal effect of what that change is. It goes from politics to government. The political part is easy. I want to make change. Okay, the governmental part is hard. How do you do it and what are the consequences, et cetera? But we did it and the people were ready for change.”

Councilman Eric Ulrich this week announced his intention to run in the special election for Public Advocate.

By Michael V. Cusenza

After weeks of speculation, City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) announced on Monday that he is running for Public Advocate in the upcoming special election for the citywide post that Tish James will vacate on Jan. 1 when she is sworn in as State attorney general.

Ulrich, 33, made it official with a 70-second YouTube video filmed in his native Ozone Park.

“Now, more than ever, New Yorkers are looking for someone who’s willing to stand up to Mayor de Blasio and his so-called progressive agenda,” Ulrich said.

For years, the councilman, who has represented South Queens on the council since 2009, has been quite vocal about his disdain for de Blasio and his politics, often relishing his role as the wily fly in Hizzoner’s liberal liniment.

“If you ask the mayor who on the City Council annoys him the most,” Ulrich said at a 2017 Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic meeting, “he’ll tell you it’s me.”

The YouTube clip presents more of that anti-de Blasio bravado. Ulrich uses the platform to make his case as the best man to bring checks and balances back to Gotham politics.

“I’m running for Public Advocate because I believe that we as a city deserve better, and because I want to give a voice to the majority of New Yorkers who this mayor continues to ignore,” Ulrich said. “Time and time again, this mayor has let us down, or he sold out the people of this city in exchange for a campaign contribution or a political favor. It’s no secret that it’s the special-interest groups and the lobbyists that are calling the shots at City Hall. It must end. And it can end.”

Ulrich enters an already crowded fray. On Wednesday, Gotham Gazette estimated that there are “roughly two-dozen candidates who have officially declared or indicated they are exploring a run in the expected February special election for New York City Public Advocate.”

Hizzoner actually showed his cards in old emails that recently surfaced. On Thursday, the City finally handed over a massive trove of more than 4,000 electronic correspondences to Spectrum News NY1 and the New York Post. Earlier this month, following prolonged litigation, State Appellate Division Judge Anil Singh upheld a lower court’s ruling that the administration must disclose all emails between City Hall and outside consultants that de Blasio famously dubbed “agents of the City.”

These secret “agents” actually were from the private consulting firm BerlinRosen, led by long-time de Blasio confidant Jonathan Rosen. In its argument against NY1 and the Post’s Freedom of Information Law request, the City claimed that though Rosen and several other private consultants were not public servants, they served as “agents of the City,” exempting them from such FOIL requests.

Let’s stop for a moment and think back to those halcyon days four or five years ago when Mayor de Blasio promised to run the most honest, transparent, and accessible administration this city has ever seen.

How long did that last?

Instead, we see this email from the mayor in August 2015:

“First of all, the news media is pitiful and it’s sad for our city and nation. We can make a conscience decision to surrender…or we can govern. They will never defeat us.”

While we’d never lump together de Blasio and Queens’ own President Donald Trump—they are polar opposites in every sense. However, that quote, to us at least, rings eerily similar to one of many from Mr. Trump in which he gleefully blasts the press.

“The fake news media is the enemy of the American people,” the President tweeted in February 2017.

De Blasio on Friday attempted to expound on the email during his weekly spot on “The Brian Lehrer Show” on WNYC-FM.

“I think there’s a problem with mainstream media. I mean, I’ll get to the specifics but I think the broad point is there’s a problem with mainstream media. I have felt this my whole life,” de Blasio said on Friday during his weekly spot on “The Brian Lehrer Show” on WNYC-FM. “This is not new to my role as mayor. We have a corporate media. It is based on a free-enterprise model. It’s based on selling things. I don’t think that’s healthy. I think that leads to a lot of distortions. I am a big fan of public radio and public TV. I’m a big fan of alternative media and subscription-based media like The Guardian that are trying to take some of the bias out of the equation that is based—that comes from needing clicks and having a mentality that connects to a corporate structure.”

He later added, “Look, I don’t think the coverage has reflected the work we’re doing or the impact it’s having on the people of this city.”

So, because the press doesn’t write that which you’d like it to write about you and your “accomplishments,” it’s “pitiful” and “sad”? Is that even mature?

Wake up, Mr. Mayor. This is New York City. We’ll praise you for honest-to-goodness progress—and we’ll tear you a new one when you, or any other elected leader, deserves it.

If you don’t like it, take your ball and go back to Boston.

We’re people too.

Subway and bus riders rallied at the State capitol on Monday with elected officials for a sustainable funding source and credible long-term plan to fix the subway.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Elected officials joined public transit advocates on Monday in Albany in a rally demanding that long-term funds to fix the crumbling city subway system be allocated in this year’s State Budget.

On the steps outside the Assembly chamber, subway and bus customers wore green T-shirts and carried signs imploring Gov. Andrew Cuomo to “Fix the Subway” and “Fund Public Transit.”

“This budget season, Gov. Cuomo needs to end the transit crisis that is undermining New Yorkers’ ability to get around the city,” said Rebecca Bailin, campaign manager for the Riders Alliance, a leading straphanger advocacy group that organized Monday’s event. “Subway riders are beyond tired of packed subway cars. Signal problems, track malfunctions and tunnel fires slow commutes, cause sick people to miss doctors’ appointments and parents their children’s school events. Only a substantial infusion of new revenue from a sustainable, progressive source can modernize the subway signal system and purchase new subway cars.”

On Monday, rally speakers chastised Cuomo for releasing a Preliminary Executive Budget last month that did not outline long-term transit funding.

“Our mass transit system is at a critical juncture due to years of neglect and underfunding. Now that there is a broad consensus on the need for additional resources, we cannot squander this opportunity to achieve a real solution,” said State Sen. Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria). “The budget process cannot be allowed to conclude without a sustainable and dedicated funding stream for our subways and buses.”

In January, Cuomo’s Fix NYC Advisory Panel – a mix of community representatives, government officials, and business leaders from across the region tasked with developing recommendations to address the severe traffic congestion problems in Manhattan’s central business district and identify sources of long-term, sustainable revenue to modernize public transit – released its highly anticipated report that endorses a congestion-pricing plan to relax traffic bottlenecks on Midtown Manhattan streets and help subsidize the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s overhaul of the city’s antiquated subway system.

The Riders Alliance came out in support of the Fix NYC plan that could raise $1.5 billion annually. But the group said this week that true change in public transportation in the five boroughs needs to start immediately.

“It is up to the governor to put these recommendations into his budget proposal now before the Legislature,” RA noted.

And many lawmakers agreed.

“Straphangers deserve a reliable system and not another ‘summer of hell’ that can transform itself into years of chaos,” added State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst).

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.”

By Patricia Adams and Michael V. Cusenza

Joann Ariola, longtime civic president and borough GOP district leader, has been named chairwoman of the Queens County Republican Party.

Ariola on Wednesday evening upset incumbent Chairman Bob Turner, 3-1, during a QGOP reorganization meeting in Howard Beach. The stunning victory was bolstered by what Ariola characterized as an “overwhelming” show of support from Republican committee members and district leaders throughout the county.

“I first want to say that I appreciate how far Bob Turner has taken the party, and now it is my job to pick up where he leaves off and carry out the work that is so needed,” Ariola beamed in an exclusive chat with The Forum following the event at Russo’s on the Bay, which is just a stone’s throw from her Lindenwood home.

Former U.S. Rep. Turner was handed the reins of a dysfunctional QGOP in March 2015, inheriting a group in turmoil and disarray that for several years had been divided into two combative factions that hadn’t been able to see eye-to-eye on myriad issues, including leadership.

The vast majority of the membership saw the selection of Turner as a major milestone for the party in the borough.

“The war is over,” state GOP committeeman and district leader Bart Haggerty told The Forum at the time.

On Monday, many were excited about the prospects of an Ariola era.

After calling Turner “a true champion for the Republican Party,” and noting that the QGOP is “greatly appreciative for his service,” City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) said he was “happy”  that his “good friend” Ariola, whose party roots date back some 25 years, had been elected the new county leader.

The newly-minted chairwoman later told The Forum that she was both “honored and humbled to have been given the support of people I have worked with and admired over the last two decades.”

Students and CUNY leaders thanked the City Council for the investment, which has been earmarked for much-needed upgrades on campuses across NYC.

By Forum Staff

 City University of New York schools in Queens are set to receive some of the $73.3 million in capital funding allocated by the City Council and state Legislature for much-needed upgrades to CUNY campuses across the five boroughs.

On Monday, the Council Queens Delegation joined Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, CUNY Vice Chancellor for Facilities Judy Bergtraum and CUNY Queensborough Community College President Dr. Diane Bova Call to celebrate the $50.7 million investment. This comes in addition to $22.6 million in funding being granted through the state matching the Council’s FY2017 budget. According to CUNY, the money will support state-of-the-art technology upgrades, public space enhancements, science labs, art and media equipment, student service centers, and more to improve its 24 campuses.

“As the third-largest university system in the United States, CUNY offers a high-quality and remarkably affordable and competitive higher education that enables the pursuit of the American Dream,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.  “CUNY has been a critical door to opportunities for millions of New Yorkers and their families, and here in Queens we’re proud to be home to some of the best of CUNY schools. This multi-million dollar allocation of public funding is a direct investment into the public colleges of our borough so that CUNY remains able to meet the educational needs of its hard-working students.”

The $50.7 million in the FY2017 budget will be put toward 34 CUNY capital projects, including:

• $2 million to build a digital film center at Queens College
• $3 million to construct a cafeteria space at Queensborough Community College
• $2.5 million for a Student Success Center at Bronx Community College
• $2.5 million to build a hub for performing arts at Hunter College
• $2.5 million to renovate science labs at the New York City College of Technology
• $420,000 for the media/culture/television studio system at the College of Staten Island

 “CUNY continues to be the gold standard among public institutions of higher learning in this country,” said Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica). “Men and women from cities the world over enroll at its schools to pursue their postsecondary education, often beginning at the community college level. The University’s continued success is central to the future economic growth of our City and Southeast Queens, alike. Two-year and four-year schools like Queensborough and York College depend on consistent investments to ensure the expansion of their existing programs, and the innovation of others. The Council is proud of its relationship with CUNY, and demonstrates its appreciation once again with this near $51 million allocation towards its capital projects.”

Though the House and Senate approved the Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, Pres. Barack Obama has vowed to veto it.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Days before the country would solemnly mark the 15^th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the homeland, the House of Representatives passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.

However, The White House has indicated that President Barack Obama will again veto JASTA and any iteration of the bipartisan legislation that would allow victims to sue foreign states that fund groups like Al Qaeda to commit terrorism on U.S. soil.

An overwhelming majority (15 of 19) of the Sept. 11 hijackers were citizens of Saudi Arabia.

“I’m pleased the House has taken this huge step forward towards justice for the families of the victims of 9/11,” said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who co-authored the bill with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). “There are always diplomatic considerations that get in the way of justice, but if a court proves the Saudis were complicit in 9/11, they should be held accountable. If they’ve done nothing wrong, they have nothing to worry about. I hope for the sake of the families who have suffered such losses and fought so hard, the Administration will not veto this bill.”

JASTA, Schumer noted, amends the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act so that foreign sponsors of terrorism cannot invoke “sovereign immunity” in cases arising from a terrorist attack that kills someone on American soil.

Additionally, the legislation amends the Anti-Terrorism Act so that civil suits against foreign sponsors of terrorism can be held accountable in U.S. courts where their conduct materially supports an attack that kills an American.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest has said that the administration remains concerned that JASTA “could open up U.S. companies and even potentially U.S. personnel to vulnerabilities when they’re engaged in actions or doing business or conducting official government work overseas. There is an important principle related to sovereign immunity. And when you’re the most powerful country in the world, you’re invested in the idea of sovereign immunity, given how deeply the United States is involved in so many other countries. So we believe that’s a principle worth protecting. And that is the concern that we have with this legislation, at least the way that the most recent draft was put forward. Doesn’t have to do with any specific country, but rather has to do with our concern about a specific principle that benefits the United States and private U.S. interests in countries all around the globe.”

Schumer, born and raised in Brooklyn, said JASTA “is very near and dear to my heart as a New Yorker, because it would allow the victims of 9/11 to pursue some small measure of justice by giving them a legal avenue to hold foreign sponsors of terrorism on US soil accountable for their actions. [It] is a long-overdue fix—a responsible, balanced fix—to a law that has extended too large a shield to foreign actors who finance and enable terrorism on a massive scale. The victims of 9/11 and other terrorist attacks have suffered such pain and heartache, but they should not be denied justice.”

 AG Schneiderman on Monday released his third annual Working for Justice Labor Day report.

By Forum Staff

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Monday issued his third annual Labor Day report, “Working for Justice,” which covers the enforcement actions of the AG’s Labor Bureau and, as Schneiderman put it, the policies he has promoted on behalf of the labor force.

“As Attorney General, I remain steadfastly committed to ensuring that workers are paid for the work they do, that their pay lifts them out of poverty, and that undue obstacles aren’t placed in their path to job security and economic advancement,” Schneiderman said. “I celebrate the progress we made over the past year, and will continue fighting for the working men and women who contribute so much to our great state.”

Some of the more notable achievements on behalf of workers over the past 12 months include:

• Recovering almost $5.7 million for more than 3,300 low-wage workers, including fast-food employees, home health aides, taxi drivers, restaurant employees, and construction workers, among others. Since taking office, Schneiderman said he and his staff have recovered nearly $27 million for more than 20,000 workers victimized by wage theft, and levied $2.5 million in penalties against unscrupulous employers.
• A first-of-its-kind lawsuit against Domino’s Pizza as a joint employer responsible along with three franchisees for repeated violations of law and underpayment of workers at the three franchisees’ restaurants. Since taking office, A.G. Schneiderman has recovered $1.5 million for some 1,200 workers at 61 Domino’s stores across New York. His lawsuit against Domino’s corporate enterprise rightfully seeks to hold the company responsible for the wage theft endemic to its franchises nationwide, given the level of control exercised by Domino’s over franchisees’ operations, including labor relations.
• Successfully pursuing criminal prosecution for particularly egregious violators, including a home-health-care-agency owner who repeatedly failed to pay his employees; a Papa John’s franchise owner who created fake records after being investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor; and, in joint investigations with the New York City Department of Investigations and the Inspector General of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey,  contractors on public works projects that paid below the legally required prevailing wage rates.
• Obtaining agreements from six retail corporations comprising 13 brands, such as the Gap, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and J. Crew, to end the harmful practice of “on-call scheduling,” in which workers are required to call in to work a few hours in advance to find out if they are needed; such shifts require employees to obtain child care and forego other employment and educational opportunities without compensation.
• Ending unscrupulous non-compete agreements for workers at multiple companies, including Law360 and Jimmy John’s, after investigations by the AG’s Labor Bureau. According to Schneiderman, non-compete clauses are legal in New York only when a worker has highly specialized skills or access to trade secrets.

“While my office relies on existing law to protect workers and hold unscrupulous and exploitative employers accountable, we are also on the cutting edge to surmount new or seemingly intractable challenges in the workplace,” Schneiderman noted in the report’s introductory remarks . “We strive daily to ensure that workers rise above poverty wages, are paid for the work they do, are treated with dignity and respect, and can aspire to a life of financial security and greater opportunity.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

Former Queens Congressman and serial sext-fiend Anthony Weiner once again let his fingers do the dirty talking — however this time wife Huma Abedin let her feet do the walking…all the way to an official separation.

Abedin, a close confidant of Hillary Clinton, made the announcement on Monday following a New York Post report featuring an alleged Weiner crotch-selfie that also captures the couple’s son Jordan, 4, who is lying next to his indecent dad. Weiner allegedly sent the pic, and several others, to a woman with which he had been sexting some months ago.

That, apparently, was the final straw for Abedin, who was “furious and sickened” by the picture, according to a CNN story that quoted two people close to the family.

“After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband. Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy,” Abedin said in a statement.

Wait. It gets even worse.

According to several reports, the City Administration for Children’s Services has launched an investigation into Weiner and the prurient pic. The Post also reported that Catholic League President Bill Donohue filed a complaint of suspected child abuse with the state Office of Children and Family Services.

This latest salacious scandal could not have come at a more precarious time for Abedin. The presidential campaign is rounding into the home stretch with just two months to go. Clinton holds a fairly commanding lead over GOP dumpster fire Donald Trump, but some polls indicate that Trump has been gaining ground lately, especially in certain swing states.

On the other hand, some might even say that Abedin, by now, should be used to her husband’s behavior and the subsequent fallout. She certainly has been here before.

In the summer of 2009, Weiner now (in)famously mass-tweeted a d*ck-pic instead of messaging an image of his member directly to the intended target: a Seattle college student. Initially, the former Forest Hills resident claimed he had been hacked.

Send in the clowns.

After a self-imposed two-week leave of absence, the seven-term congressman decided to resign and step down from the 9^th District seat.

“I am here today to again apologize for the personal mistakes I have made and the embarrassment I have caused,” Weiner said. “I am announcing my resignation from Congress, so my colleagues can get back to work, my neighbors can choose a new representative and most important so that my wife and I can continue to heal from the damage I have caused.”

Weiner (somewhat) triumphantly returned to the political fray in 2013 to run for mayor. His promising campaign was violently derailed when fresh sexts and compromising photos – sent under the bizarre alias “Carlos Danger” – forced Weiner to once again abandon his career in public service.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

Governor Andrew Cuomo recently signed legislation to “curb the power of independent expenditure campaigns unleashed by the 2010 Supreme Court case Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission.” The law, according to Cuomo, also takes “significant steps” to strengthen disclosure requirements for political consultants and lobbyists who provide services to sitting elected officials or candidates for elected office by requiring them to register with the state and reveal their clients.

While the governor hailed S.8160/A.10742 as “first-in-the-nation legislation,” political watchdogs ripped it, even calling on Cuomo, in a letter to the Executive Branch, to reject it.

“We…urge that you veto this legislation due to its substantive and technical flaws,” wrote Dick Dadey of Citizens Union, Susan Lerner of Common Cause, Dare Thompson of the League of Women Voters, Blair Horner of New York Public Interest Research Group, and Steven Choi of New York Immigration Coalition. “This poorly constructed bill will seriously harm some of New York’s most prestigious institutions, and infringe upon the rights of many public-minded New Yorkers to engage in their constitutionally protected right to comment and criticize.”

Cuomo has said that the new legislation is just the latest example of New York “taking aggressive action to restore the people’s faith in government and increase accountability and transparency in the electoral process.

“These actions roll back the disastrous influence of Citizens United and prohibit coordination between candidates and independent expenditure committees,” Cuomo continued. “Through enhanced enforcement and increased penalties for political consultants who flout the law, this new legislation will root out bad actors and shine a spotlight on the sordid influence of dark money in politics. With this legislation, New York is raising the bar once again – and now it’s time for the rest of the nation to follow suit.”

The new legislation will work to restore the people’s faith in government by instituting the strongest anti-coordination law in the country and explicitly prohibiting coordination in New York election law for the first time, according to the administration. The law “expressly identifies” which activities constitute prohibited coordination, and strictly prohibits coordination in egregious scenarios, such as the “independent” spender being an immediate family member of the candidate, as well as in subtle scenarios, such as the dissemination of a candidate’s campaign material by supposedly “independent” groups. This will allow the state’s electoral politics to achieve a clear and meaningful demarcation between candidates and unlimited expenditures and will bring much-needed reforms to New York’s campaign finance system.

Additionally, the legislation increases penalties for lobbying violations, while providing enhanced due process for individuals under investigation for potential violations. Political consultants that provide services to sitting elected officials or candidates and who have clients with business before the government will also be required to register with the state and disclose their clients, Cuomo noted. This prevents organizations from corrupting the political process and utilizing funds that are not intended for political purposes. Disclosure of political relationships and funding behaviors widely recognized to be influential, but which operate in the shadows, is essential to restoring confidence in the political process, according to the governor.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

A bizarre social media message sent directly to the Queens borough president last week prompted her to alert authorities, as the note contained a reference to her children, according police and published reports.

The creepy correspondence was sent to Borough President Melinda Katz’s Facebook account last Tuesday, around 1:30 a.m. It was a “DM” or direct message – a private digital missive that only Katz and the sender could see.

“You know who you are,” the message said, according to a New York Daily News report, later mentioning Katz’s two sons with radio personality Curtis Sliwa: Carter, 6, and Hunter, 4. “You know why you have (them). If you don’t want to answer this question we will meet Times Square August 18, 10 p.m.”

The person’s name was not made public by police, but the News indicated that Katz told cops that she did not recognize the name. She also said she did not know why the suspect referenced Times Square.

“Out of an abundance of caution, given that the message noted a specific time and place, we felt it our duty – as any New Yorker should – to bring it to the attention of the proper authorities,” said Katz spokeswoman Sharon Lee.

Katz has been in the public eye for years. Prior to succeeding Helen Marshall as borough president in January 2014, she was a member of the City Council from 2002 through 2009; and from 1994 through 1999 the Democrat represented the 28^th District in the Assembly.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

Mayor Bill de Blasio recently signed into law three bills that, as he said, aim to “improve transparency” at the City Police Department.

“When it comes to transparency and accountability, we can do more – and we have three bills that will take us even further in the right direction,” de Blasio said before adding his signature to Intros. 539-A, 606-B, and 824-A at City Hall.

Intro. 539-A requires the NYPD to issue a quarterly report on use-of-force, and an annual report on use-of-excessive-force. Intro. 606-B requires the NYPD to issue a quarterly report on the use-of-force broken down by how the NYPD made the initial approach. And Intro. 824-A requires the NYPD to issue an annual report on the number of officers deployed in each precinct, each Housing Police Service Area, and Transit District with a recent history of the following: substantiated Civilian Complaint Review Board or Internal Affairs investigations resulting in suspension; findings of the use of excessive force; or arrests as a result of actions taken while on duty or in relation to their job function.

“Recent events – recent tragic events all over the country remind us of the work that we have to do to bring police and community together,” the mayor said. “The NYPD is already retraining all officers to avoid the use of the force, and constrain the use of force, and to recognize and overcome implicit biases.”

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, who was in attendance to see the bills signed into law, characterized the new pieces of legislation as “reflective of the new era of transparency that we’re trying to bring to the NYPD, working with the mayor and the City Council. The use-of-force reporting that will be available online for anybody to look where we are with some degree of intimacy – it is building on something we have done for many years in this city where we have reported intimately all uses of firearms in the department – firearm discharges. We have one of the lowest – if not lowest – rates of firearm discharge in America – 67 incidents last year with 36,000 officers in a city of eight-and-a-half million people.

“Similarly, our use of force in every other category,” Bratton continued, “we believe, is below the national average, but will now have transparency and intimacy very similar to what we’ve had with firearms for many, many decades available for all to see in the media, the pubic, the political leadership – reflective of the need for greater transparency as we work to improve and build upon the relationships that we must have with our communities.

“New York has become a very safe city, but it’s a shared responsibility to keep it that way – shared responsibility between our elected officials, Police Department, and the communities that we both collectively serve.”

Additionally last week, de Blasio signed into law two bills “that will give us a greater understanding of recidivism, and help us determine which Department of Probation programs are most effective.”

Intro. 1026-A requires Probation to issue an annual report on its services. And Intro. 1142-A requires the department to issue an annual report on factors that lead to recidivism and data related to those on probation.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com